First bull elk
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Finally shot my first bull elk yesterday. 515yds with the 308 and Berger 168 VLD hunting bullets. Wind was 10mph all over the place. First shot dropped him instantly, but I decided to watch him as it would take us a while to get across the valley and I've heard of more than 1 guy losing an elk. Sure enough he started kicking and after about 20min, he got up! We knew he wasn't going far as he couldn't move his front end well. After a short shit show rodeo, he took 3 more rounds and eventually succumbed to 4 shots in the vitals. I cant believe how tough these creatures are. I've been told many times you should make sure you get 2 rounds in an elk, now I know why. 3 shots were pass throughs which is weird cause these bergers are supposed to explode on the inside. They did shrapnel quite well, but not enough to cause a massive amount of internal damage. Maybe a little more velocity would have helped? Either way all damage through the ribs and vitals, and we have about 300lbs of elk meat or more!
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@donnie said in First bull elk:
Maybe a little more velocity would have helped?
Definitely. A 308 is a LONG ways from being a suitable elk cartridge in my mind.
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@orkan the week before, I had my 300wsm. Would have liked to see its performance on an elk with 210 nablr's but it didn't happen. This hike was 7km in, so I decided to take the "lighter" 308. With a 26" bull barrel, it's not that light either. I do get your mindset on the lightning strike kills and won't argue.
We did have a chance on a monster bull in the morning, atleast 7x7 bull, but things happened to fast and I didn't want to shoot an elk out from under my buddy. Afterward, both the guys I was with told me I should have just shot as I was setup on the bipod and had him at 100yds. My buddy ended up missing a shot at him later at 80yds and will never live it down lol. Don't matter what your shooting if you can't hit it!
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@donnie said in First bull elk:
My buddy ended up missing a shot at him later at 80yds
How does someone miss an ELK at 80yds... with a RIFLE?!?!?! Kill zone is about the size of a trash can lid. I've shot pronghorn antelope beyond 80yds... WITH MY BOW. lol
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@orkan 😂 my buddy gets a bad case of buck fever. The elk was walking toward him and the buck fever set in. It was a clean miss at least so no wounded animals. We even found his bullet hole in the ground behind the elk. Before I took him sheep hunting 2 years ago, I brought him out and had him practicing out to 600yds. That year he took a ram at 414 yards with my rifle after missing a broad side shot at about 50-80yds with his rifle lol.
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Congratulations fella
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Yes Congrats!!!
Lots of good eating there. :)
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When I moved to Idaho years ago and did some elk hunting was given good advice...
Be careful where you shoot one. Not shot placement but think geography.
Was told better not have to take fry pan to critter.
I never shot one myself but once out with 4 buddies and one got elk down at sundown about 1/4 mile from camp. Took all of us, ALL the next day, with the 4 wheeler... to get meat back to camp. Pretty steep country in places
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Had a neighbor who was most accomplished elk hunter I will ever know. Farmer. His shop building had about 30 or so 6x6 or better skulls hanging around walls. He earned every one
When wheat harvest in, he loaded up horses and started scouting a month before season opened. Probably on first name basis with every elk in area he was in by the time season opened.
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@prometheus that’s some sound advice. As I get older I get wiser. Probably would have downed an elk by myself in my 20’s and spent 4 days packing it out. Now, we like ATV access or a group of guys to assist if someone downs one. Same logic when sheep hunting, take 2 guys or hunt close to the ATV’s. We spent 2 days packing out my buddy’s ram in 2016. You see so many guys claiming to do solo hunts and pack everything out countless miles on the first trip. Every honest hunter knows that’s not the case. Don’t know how many horses you would need to pack an elk out in one trip 3-4 plus 1 per rider??
