Alex Wheeler
Well-Known Member
If I made the shot again today I would do the same thing, there was wind I could not see. Thats the part of LR hunting thats not talked about. I do not doubt that the extra tissue damage of a .338 bullet would have killed faster but it still would have been too slow. There just in nothing vital where I hit him. A small corner of a lung was all I got. However with a 215 I would not have drifted into the shoulder so the shot would have been better. The reason we recommend big bullets for elk is to be sure you can penetrate the heavy bone if you hit there. I think thats where guys get misunderstood about big guns for elk. If you know 100% the bullet will not hit bone a .243 will do the job. But since the farther you shoot the less chance you can be 100% the bigger the bullet should get IMO.I do a bunch of hunting over frozen lakes for coyotes and understand completely about not having any wind flags out there.
As dramatic as a high shoulder shot is I prefer not to shoot above the ball socket at anything 4 legged. I live in the east so getting shots like this are not common at all.
Alex do you feel if you had anything different other than placement your result would have been the same? Meaning a 215/.30 mag or 338 combination? I don't but I also have no experience at those distances for reference either. Coyotes and crows are all I get to hunt at long range as a rule. Both energy and placement really don't compare with the fragmentation bullets I'm using on such small targets.
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