Why I don't shoulder shoot elk!

[Railroader82]

Topgun you actually guessed the reason; public land. I hunt in a lot of places where there are many hunters. Even the private land has plenty of hunters. It's important to drop the animal where it is or seriously risk losing it! It has happened many times to my family and I. This is a common problem in the east as everyone becomes a deer hunter in gun season. Archery season your ok but gun is crazy. Besides, I like to knock'em stiff!

 

[Railroader82]

I'm also a fan of shooting them under the chin! It looks like one of those old reach tooth brush commercials where the guys head goes all the way back like its on a hinge.

 

[Mahikilr]

The argument of placement is a valid argument but I get so sick of the argument of "firepower" for elk. I have a buddy that hunts elk on his farm with a 22-250. People killed hundreds of animals for years with black powder sub-sonic round balls. Basically if you shoot it and recover it you had enough firepower and have no questions. But if you've ever shot an elk and had it get away you will replay it in your mind for life, and never stop wondering if you would of just taken one more deep breath, allowed him to take one more step, or had one more FPS if it would have made the difference.

 

[cohunter14]

The argument of placement is a valid argument but I get so sick of the argument of "firepower" for elk. I have a buddy that hunts elk on his farm with a 22-250. People killed hundreds of animals for years with black powder sub-sonic round balls. Basically if you shoot it and recover it you had enough firepower and have no questions. But if you've ever shot an elk and had it get away you will replay it in your mind for life, and never stop wondering if you would of just taken one more deep breath, allowed him to take one more step, or had one more FPS if it would have made the difference.

Don't really understand what you are getting at....

 

[Mahikilr]

That everyone likes to debate and criticize what is the proper caliber to hunt elk with. An elk can be killed with just about anything and I feel that has been proven. I don't believe that you can overkill an animal but I do believe that you can under kill one. If you gave someone the choice of having an animal that is wounded or one that is dead everyone would choose the latter. Heavy high quality bullets pushed at higher speeds transfer more energy and can help dispatch an animal whenever a mistake happens. I guess the point I'm making is I don't understand why people would purposefully try and push the boundaries of taking game with a smaller round. If you do not have a physical issue shoot the biggest round you can shoot confidently.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Amen to that philosophy Brother!!!

 

[cohunter14]

Yep, I thought you were saying it the other way around initially, which is why I was a little confused...

 

[Railroader82]

Me too.

 

[mrfrodo]

this is exactly why i decided to start shooting my .338X378 KT... to many horror stories of lost elk... if anyone has ever hunted for Roosevelts on the Oregon coast in November they know that its not the kind of country you want to be chasing wounded elk trough

 

[Railroader82]

I absolutely love shooting deer through the front shoulders! No tracking! This is how Dad taught me. We have hunted a lot of places in our tri-state area were there are many other hunters. You don't have to worry about losing any when you do it like that! Plus I just really love watching them drop. Just make sure you use enough gun. The lightest I do the shoulder shot with is my 25-06 and a good bullet. On deer the 30's,7's,6.5's,27's, and 25's seem to work well. All of mine are chambered in browning auto rifles. I just picked up a browning auto in 243 but I don't know if ill try it on the shoulders or not. Anyway, I daydream about ambushing an ol'buck and breaking him down. Sweet Dreams tonight boys!

 

[bigngreen]

I absolutely love shooting deer through the front shoulders! No tracking! This is how Dad taught me. We have hunted a lot of places in our tri-state area were there are many other hunters. You don't have to worry about losing any when you do it like that! Plus I just really love watching them drop. Just make sure you use enough gun. The lightest I do the shoulder shot with is my 25-06 and a good bullet. On deer the 30's,7's,6.5's,27's, and 25's seem to work well. All of mine are chambered in browning auto rifles. I just picked up a browning auto in 243 but I don't know if ill try it on the shoulders or not. Anyway, I daydream about ambushing an ol'buck and breaking him down. Sweet Dreams tonight boys!

A deer shoulder has nothing in common with an elk other than they perform the same function!

 

[Topgun 30-06]

"A deer shoulder has nothing in common with an elk other than they perform the same function!"


***Amen Bro, and that is saying something!

 

[Railroader82]

Unfortunately I don't have an option to hunt elk. We do have'em in Kentucky now but getting a tag is impossible. I have been to Colorado for elk years ago. I didn't draw a tag but my Dad did and I was along for the ride. He shot an elk with a 30-06 and was hit with quick reality! It acted like it had never been shot (behind the front shoulder). After that he said he wouldn't bring anything smaller than a 300 win mag (which we didn't own at the time). Thanks for reminding me of the common function of a shoulder blade. I would definitely try a shoulder shot on an elk as long as I had enough gun.

 

[Pdvdh]

Also not so with a good bullet that destroys hearts, lungs and large arteries when shot behind the front shoulder.

Jeff

I've never shot for the front shoulders intentionally when a broadside shot behind the front shoulders was available. Started out archery hunting at 13, which required aiming for the ribs behind the front shoulders. Anyone that's shot a large game animal thru both lungs with a sharp broadhead on an arrow already understands how quickly lethal that wound channel is.

The State of Alaska Fish & Game department has produced an informational pamphlet for brown bear hunters, encouraging behind the shoulder shots thru both lungs, preferentially to targeting the front legs/shoulders. They seem to believe that the front shoulder shot is too small a target, and a high risk shot for wounding brown bears, compared to a broadside shot just behind the front legs and shoulder meat. The bear can travel a little ways when shot behind both front shoulders, but not so far as to be unable to recover. The bear does expire reliably and readily after the heart/lung/artery area has been damaged. That's where I've shot the brown bears that I've killed. And most every other game animal for many years now. It's the largest lethal target, allowing the maximum room for slight errors in bullet placement, in my opinion.