Are Elk easy to kill?

[bigngreen]

So far this year in or hunting crew we have killed three bulls and none have made it out of sight, 50 yrds max, they run alittle then stop and start wobbling then tip. Two shot right behind the shoulder in the center of the body double lung and one through the liver just clipping the of lung, the bows were in the 60-65lbs range all were Tekan broadheads. I have seen whitetails hold on harder than an elk on more than once.
The three oldest guys we hunt with have taken alot of elk for a lot of years and they they shoot 22-250, 243, 25-06. If you see them pull up on an elk you can just start getting you pack ready cause your going to need it soon, I have yet to see one go very far or need multiple hits. Granted, these guys do not shoot long range and I would not say those cals are the best for long range. Heck I used to shoot the big cannon in the group with a 300WBY and I ditched it this year for a smaller cal. Out to 600-800yrd there are plenty of good cals that will get it done on an elk but out past that the 338's and larger definetly would be the ticket.
Matching you bullet to your game has a lot to do with it also, I've seen elk wacked with a 30-06 and then with a bullet change in the same gun it was worthless for killing elk with the same hunter. One of the worst I 've seen was with a 338win, took eight hits all in the front half of the body but the bullet was not expanding so the guy felt like an elk slayer with his 338 but ended up just looking stupid when one of the other guys gave it a 243 and finished it.

 

[theodore]

97% of the hunters should never use a 243 on an elk. Those 3% or so knows what they are doing(loads, accuracy, shot placement, limit...). The percentage were just a rough guess.

 

[bigngreen]

A good share of first time hunters here shoot there first elk with a 243 sized rifle, if your deer hunting here your also elk hunting. I can't see taking my daughter hunting when she's 12 yrs old and making her shoot anything bigger, using a bigger gun than you can handle wounds more game than shooting a seemingly light cal. that you can effectively shoot. If you can't kill an elk with a 243 in it's usable range then you won't fair any better if your packing a ground howitzer.
Killing elk at longer distance obviously requires heavier equipment to retain bullet speed and momentum but to kill and elk at normal range takes nothing special.
Just kinda my 2 cents, maybe I'm up to a dollar now

 

[theodore]

Hey you guys are special, making the 3% category.

 

[bigngreen]

Most would say special ed.

Elk hunting sure brings out the opinions like nothing else!! I can't wait to line up on one this year, I've been just calling for bow season so I can lay the smack down on one the my new set-up during rifle season, if it don't work good I'll spin on a 338Edge barrel and give that a try, maybe by then there will be a sampling of Berger 338 stuff.

 

[skiking]

From what I have seen, elk are not hard to kill. I have seen elk taken with everything from a .243 up to a .338 RUM, and have taken elk with a 30-30. I have seen elk drop on the spot with a .243 and elk go 1+ miles being shot with a 30-06 with nearly identical shot placement. When I shoot elk, I use the advice that was given to me by a bunch of old timers. If you can shoot them more than once, shoot until they are down or you are out of ammo.

 

[ATH]

If you can shoot them more than once, shoot until they are down or you are out of ammo.

+1. I made good shot placement last year but the elk didn't know he was dead for almost 5 minutes so I pumped several more rounds into him. If they don't spook and try to run, and just stand after hit, it will take a lot longer for the oxygen deprivation to bring them down.

Thirty seconds on their feet could put them somewhere not to fun to retrieve from in many cases. Keep shooting.

 

[bigngreen]

I've actually quite pumping them full of lead. I've watched a couple that were shot well but were not down it looked like they were real wobbly and about to tip so I just jacked another one into them and it was like a shot of life, they pick it up and go, not very far but I think if they are hit well sometimes the best is to let them give it up. If they aren't well hit well ya through it on full auto

 

[squirrelduster]

Seems a common point in every post that sometimes they go down easy if well hit and not spooked but if they are spooked then watch out.

The original question was how tough are they, looks to me the general comment is they are pretty tough.

So even if you could shoot them with a 243 why would you want to?

I could shoot them with my 6br in the ear from 300 yards but is it really ethical?

What if I miss and blow their jaw off, they starve to death.

Same thing goes for any other small caliber weapon, if something unexpected happens as you are pulling the trigger and you place a less than perfect shot what happens to the animal.

Personally I want my 300 win mag with 200 gr. accubonds to rock them good on the first shot and if takes another I have a second or so to deliver it. Not so with a 243 or other small caliber. They are off to the races.

Just my opinions of course.

 

[theodore]

Keep shooting till it is down and if it is down be ready to shoot when it gets up!

Wade

YES! Folks around here has gotten tired of elk getting up and tracking 'em sometimes for miles. The upgrade up to 300 win mag from 308s, 270s, and 7s made a big difference. Out of many taken, only one bull gotten tough and still went about half a mile with the hunter just behind it the whole way until it expired from a 300 win mag.

We've had 7mag taken quite a few elk but man even with the 160 accubond, them elk are tough!!! Well we are expecting the violent 168vld will cure the problem. Man it really has stomped the muley so far.

 

[fj40mojo]

I've personally found 3 elk carcasses that I suspect were probably shot with either .243 or .25 caliber projectiles. All 3 had shallow flesh wounds that would have been humane kills had a suitable bullet been used, but upon striking bone the bullets disintegrated producing a large ultimately fatal flesh wound and a critter lost to the hunter. Who knows how long those animals suffered with said wounds. Please people, these are tuff critters and despite what anyone says a .243 isn't enough gun. Go big or stay home. I won't specify cartridge but .30 caliber or bigger preferably with 180gr bullets or bigger and use good quality bullets that will hold together and penetrate. Don't shoot outside of ranges that you can confidently put one in the vitals.

 

[squirrelduster]

Right on mojo.
Respect the animal enough to kill it cleanly.
Use a big gun. If you want to shoot a 243 go after deer or hogs.

 

[bigngreen]

Bullet design has everything to do with killing elk especially if you shoot light fast cals. For instance I shot a 243 loaded with ballistic tips for awhile, I shot more than one coyote and had them get up and take of, all that happened is a splash wound on the shoulder, the same thing on an elk will get you equally poor results, that same rifle with a partition will smoke an elk under normal hunting range. On the other end of the spectrum I have also shot a 45-70 in a Mausur 98 loaded to near 458 levels. I have shot two doe mule deer and one whitetail doe all under 100yrd with 405 gr flat nose, not one dropped to one shot or two shots, every one was finished with another rifle which is very disapointing, that same rifle and load will destroy an elk from any angle you choose to shoot. More power is a poor way to make up for a bad bullet choices for your game. Not that I'm saying to go start shooting up elk with you varmint rig but that you can be very effective with many cals with the right bullet for the job. You can't blame the cartridge for ones poor bullet choices.

 

[projp]

Keep shooting till it is down and if it is down be ready to shoot when it gets up!

Wade

I was taught to keep killing him till he is dead.