Observations from my elk hunt...

Good results, analytical description of your hunt, good information, good post.
Most guides have little interest in the shooting sports, it sounds like you knew how to address his limitations on this respectfully.
I am surprised just how the bullet performed, in our country, the west slope of the Canadian Rockies the country is steep and timbered, lots of avalanche chutes.
I like a blood trail( depending on the chambering) but I would likely not use a bullet that would get through the shoulder and ( hopefully)exit.
I have seen them well hit and die in the dirtiest tangles, also In hunting camp seldom would you see two guides agree on this or much else.
I am speaking from experience, some of the laziest people I have every worked around were hunting guides and alternatively some of the most motivated.
Any mature bull is a good bull. Cheers.
 
View attachment 156061 Finally got a pic converted! He's not a world record by any means but I sure am proud.
Didn't find any bullet fragment as we used the gutless method. Peering down through the entrance during skinning showed the lungs to be soup and not a scratch on the offside rib cage.

My outfitter wasn't a gun guy but did request I shoot him through the shoulders for a quick kill. I agreed knowing that wasn't going to happen if I had time to pick my shot. Just in the crease behind the shoulder and he fell like a wet towel. Just a tiny bit of bloodshot meat in the base of his neck presumably from a piece of frag that went that way.
Congrats nice elk
 
I had same issue with eld-x also. Dead is dead but I have had issues with those and bergers at times. I'm going back to AB and or TTSX. I havent had any issues with those ever and I get blood trails.
Yeah, if you're looking for exits on Elk you're better off with a copper bullet, partition type like a Swift A-Frame, or a heavy bonded bullet like a Scirocco.

Note, I shot a full grown cow elk with a 180gr Nosler Accubond from a 300 WSM making right at 3100fps at the muzzle with no exit at about 390 yards. The elk died but bullet just disappeared. So even bonded bullets can get lost in an elk.
 
Nice bull sounds like a great hunt. I've used the 212 on moose and elk and it's punched through heavy shoulder blades no problem
 
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