Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting How Many Hunt Elk with a Lever Action Rifle??

The Browning was given to me by Dad in the mid-80�s and I made it a point to hunt elk and deer with it at least one day every year until the Marlin .375 Win replaced it as my backup rifle in 2002.

In 1999 or 2000 I got a friend, Dave, started rifle hunting. He didn�t have a rifle so I loaned him my 7mm Rem Mag while I carried the Browning .44. We had an agreement � anything under 100 yards was mine, anything over was his.

Couple days into the hunt we spotted some cows in a stand of pines about 25 yards away. We froze and watched them watching us.
Dave was 7 or 8 yards behind me and whispered �Oh, [bleep]!� I knew immediately what me meant � there was a bull present and we were busted. Dave indicated some aspens 100 yards away and there was a 5x5 bull standing broadside with an aspen covering the front shoulder and rump. Dave started to take a standing shot until I whispered for him to take a knee. He did, and put a 160g Grand Slam through the neck, dropping the bull on the spot. I immediately whispered to Dave to shoot again if the bull got up.

We waited a moment and we both spotted a second bull standing and facing us, a few yards to the right of the first, also at 100 yards. I had the Browning in my hands and immediately took a knee as I brought the rifle into position. This bull was even bigger with much more massive antlers. Although the tines were hidden on either side by aspen trees, there was no question he went well beyond the 4-point minimum and was easily the largest bull I had ever put my sights on.

Dave already had a bull down and w had a packing job ahead of us. After some period of time I brought the rifle up and lowered the hammer down to half-cock. The bull decided it had had enough and started walking off. As it went through the aspen I counted 7 points on one side.

The funny thing is, on the last day of the hunt Dave and I were in the same general area, maybe half a mile east, as daylight was dwindling. Since Dave already had his elk I was carrying my 7mm Rem Mag. We spotted a huge bull walking along the far edge of a beaver pond. It continued around the pond and stopped about 100 yards away with its antlers behind an aspen. There was no doubt in my mind it was a legal bull and I dropped and took a knee, got the rifle to my shoulder and slipped the safety off. Then I moved the safety back to the �Safe� position and stood up. The bull walked on, disappearing behind a small rise, but I counted 7 points on one side as it did so and am reasonably convinced it was the same bull.

We had had a great hunt, Dave had taken his first bull, and I had twice had a huge bull in my sights. But both times I let it walk, for reasons I�m not sure I can explain. No regrets, for sure, but don�t know if I would make the same calls again.

Since then I have not hunted elk with the .44 Browning, so no, I haven�t taken any elk with it.

I haven't yet met a legal animal I didn't at least TRY to kill, but I suspect the day will come.

Biggest deer I've ever seen, I let get away in a most absurd fashion.

Those big critters have some mojo to 'em. Like a mountain makes it's own weather, they make their own luck!

3 dead elk with the BLR 308 pre 81. New to me last year is a BLR 358 which is unbloodied. The Mod 92 44 Mag has been packed but no shots fired.

And, the winner is....?

CH: that's a great story, and I look forward to the day that I'll pass on a legal bull. BTW, I have respected your internet input since the original Marlin Talk forum.

I have carried my Marlin 444 a few times still hunting in the thick stuff, but generally carry a bolt in 270 or 35 Whelen for most elk hunting. My 444 is a gunsmith-made "guide gun," complete with 18.5" barrel, and is a joy to carry in the woods. Last season, while scouting the day before the season opened, I saw 2 legal bulls at 262 lasered yards. One was a raghorn and the other was branch-antlered, but I couldn't get a good enough look to tell if it was a 5 or 6 point (it was getting dark). That's a long shot with a traditional levergun, although the new Marlin Express cartridges help. I'm on the fence about buying a 338MX. Ballistically, it's a 338 Federal, which doesn't excite me (nothing against the cartridge, it just bores me like the 30-06, which is to say it's a good all-around cartridge). But if you really like leverguns, the MX's give up little to most bolt action cartridges.

JV

PS, after the season opened, all I saw were other hunters!!!

The .45-70. 6x6 bull elk.

The .375 Win has taken a buck antelope, the .44 Mag has taken deer, the .30-30 is still a virgin in my hands. working on that, though...

Every year I try to carry my Marlin 444 in the woods at least once while Elk Hunting. Two years ago I finally got my elk with it. I was hunting some dark timber north side caught a small group feeding ended up with a nice sized cow at around 70 yards - one shot one elk 265gr handload.

444Marlin, BLR 7mag.

I wouldn't hunt one with a lever action. I'd move on and find one that wasn't armed.

As a kid I hunted elk with winchester and savage levers. I still hunt them every once in a while with a mdl 99 or a mdl 99f.

I hunt almost exclusivly with my 1895G 45-70. Two years ago I killed a cow at 205 yards. Long shot with the short barrel 45-70 But I had a rangefinder and a good rest and plenty of time. I've tried bolt actions but they just don't appeal to me much.