How Many Shots? Your Advice Needed.

Rotten said:

Memtb I know you love your big bore from the short time I've been posting. Easy big boy
They die almost as quick. I guess I'm just smartest? Is that a word? Anywho you don't need that much horsepower to kill elk.

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HARPERC said:

Shooting is the fun part, more fun than losing a whole animal, or digging it out of worse location. Never seen one move to a better location. Which maybe a second shot saved.

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Roadrunner2 said:

This whole gun size/weight versus range is something that I've been struggling with all season. I have to carry my 16# plus gun in a back scabbard while carrying the ammo in a pouch inside my coat to maintain constant temp and make sure I get 2600 fps exactly from my temp-sensitive ammo. It takes me about 3-5 minutes to load and fire: 1) remove gun from scabbard and deploy bipod 2) remove ammo from inside my coat and load 3) crawl to firing position 4) range animal 5) check ballistics table and wind and dial in come-ups 6) secure comfortable firing position and fire. Needless to say this is not a hunting technique for short range shots when you flush an elk from cover. I can't carry a 16# gun in my hands for long so in 5 years I have missed one elk that I flushed in open grasslands at close range because of this technique. But it is a fabulous way to precisely place exact shots on target at 700 yrds.

However a light gun is much easier to carry than a 16# one. A light gun in your hands is just the thing for close shots on elk. However I can't shoot 700 yrd shots as precisely with a light gun as I can with a heavy gun. In the open grasslands where I hunt I am much more likely to get a long shot versus a close one. Sneaking up to say 200-300 yrds on a group of elk in open grasslands is next to impossible. There are just to many eyes looking at you and unless the wind is blowing, the elk can hear you walking on crunchy grass a couple hundred yards away.

I have therefore taken to sometimes carrying two guns. My heavy one in a back scabbard for long shots, and a 45-70 in my hands for close-in shots. I guess that it all boils down to the type of terrain that you're hunting in and what kind of hunting situations you'll be presented with.

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Rotten said:

Wow that's a lot more complicated than I ever want to think about. Usually elk will feed in the open until 1st and last light and be gone before they feel exposed. I've seen elk smell me more than 300 yards away in the winter with a cross breeze and have the whole group get up and leave. Wasn't hunting them was after chuckers. Just wanted to see how far I could push it before they smelled me or the dog.
Most of my shots at bull elk have been less than 200 yrs on the general hunts. They are mostly alone having been thru several hunting cycles of deer hunting. Not always but I find them sitting and waiting where I know pressure is going to push them or I start tracking fresh spore and end up jump shooting them out of their bed.
Long shots for me are around 400-500 if I can't get that close then I wait and watch for my chance..

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waspocrew said:

Not to derail the thread, but in your case - I'd find a different load if temp sensitive powder is causing that much of an inconvenience.

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Roadrunner2 said:

This whole gun size/weight versus range is something that I've been struggling with all season. I have to carry my 16# plus gun in a back scabbard while carrying the ammo in a pouch inside my coat to maintain constant temp and make sure I get 2600 fps exactly from my temp-sensitive ammo. It takes me about 3-5 minutes to load and fire: 1) remove gun from scabbard and deploy bipod 2) remove ammo from inside my coat and load 3) crawl to firing position 4) range animal 5) check ballistics table and wind and dial in come-ups 6) secure comfortable firing position and fire. Needless to say this is not a hunting technique for short range shots when you flush an elk from cover. I can't carry a 16# gun in my hands for long so in 5 years I have missed one elk that I flushed in open grasslands at close range because of this technique. But it is a fabulous way to precisely place exact shots on target at 700 yrds.

However a light gun is much easier to carry than a 16# one. A light gun in your hands is just the thing for close shots on elk. However I can't shoot 700 yrd shots as precisely with a light gun as I can with a heavy gun. In the open grasslands where I hunt I am much more likely to get a long shot versus a close one. Sneaking up to say 200-300 yrds on a group of elk in open grasslands is next to impossible. There are just to many eyes looking at you and unless the wind is blowing, the elk can hear you walking on crunchy grass a couple hundred yards away.

I have therefore taken to sometimes carrying two guns. My heavy one in a back scabbard for long shots, and a 45-70 in my hands for close-in shots. I guess that it all boils down to the type of terrain that you're hunting in and what kind of hunting situations you'll be presented with.

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Chranah said:

I'll throw in my hat here, but only to give my opinion and tell a second hand story.
Opinion:
I, and my hunting buddies, all shoot until it's down. I believe it's the most humane thing to do. With that said, sometimes things don't always go as expected.
Here's a short anecdote told by one of my buddies:
He was hunting elk with his nephew when they spotted a few cows in a clear cut that had began to grow back, so the brush was thick, but not too bad. The nephew shot the elk cleanly and she immediately dropped down. To their surprise, the cow immediately jumped back up and began to walk away, prompting the nephew to put another round into her. She managed to stumble away and drop down a few yards later. As they walked up to her, they found TWO dead elk! The first one had dropped in the dirt right next to another one that was laying down. When that one popped up they thought she was the first cow! Anyway, they had enough tags to fill them legally.
So, although rare, be warned that a second shot might land you in hot water.

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memtb said:

Chranah, I'm very aware of similar things happening! memtb

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