high desert elk
Beginner
- Oct 28, 2007
- 46
- 0
Just finished up a cow elk hunt in Utah this past weekend (Saturday actually). Saw some cows on the side of a mountain where I was hunting from 5 miles away. Ran back down to the truck, about a 1/2 mile away, and drove as quickly (and safely :wink: ) as I could and parked at a spot where I hunted the weekend before and started walking to where I figured they should be. Looked up on the hill and saw a couple of cows way up there. Then I saw another one, and when I looked through my binos, saw she was looking right at me...probably saw and heard me drive in and park (I was driving a 3/4 ton diesel). Decided I'd better give it a try before the whole deal was ruined. I ranged her at 483 yards. Ballistic Plex scopes are nice. She was quartering toward me, almost dead on. I put her front shoulder between the 1st and 2nd tic marks down below the crosshair (400 and 500 yds on this gun) and let 'er fly. It looked like I could see something sliding/tumbling down the mountain. Then the whole hillside started to move, must have been around 50 head or so up there in the scrub oak.
When I looked through my binos, it looked like a dead elk on the ground. Sure enough, after fumbling around for about 30 min in the scrub oak, I found her. I was off my mark about 6 inches to the left and hit her in the neck. The bullet completly separated the neck bone for an area about the size of your fist...the hide and meat kept the head and neck well intact (and on her body). The damage created was typical of an AB - localized damage and very well at that. I was yet again impressed especially with the energy and performance of the bullet at a distance 17 yds shy of 500 yds. I shot her with my 7mm WSM, 140 gr AB.
She dressed out at 304# (minus some neck)...good sized cow.
Shot her from the spot in the sunny part of the snow just below the scrub oak branch and the one pine tree in the middle of the aspen trees.
When I looked through my binos, it looked like a dead elk on the ground. Sure enough, after fumbling around for about 30 min in the scrub oak, I found her. I was off my mark about 6 inches to the left and hit her in the neck. The bullet completly separated the neck bone for an area about the size of your fist...the hide and meat kept the head and neck well intact (and on her body). The damage created was typical of an AB - localized damage and very well at that. I was yet again impressed especially with the energy and performance of the bullet at a distance 17 yds shy of 500 yds. I shot her with my 7mm WSM, 140 gr AB.
She dressed out at 304# (minus some neck)...good sized cow.
Shot her from the spot in the sunny part of the snow just below the scrub oak branch and the one pine tree in the middle of the aspen trees.
