Bull Elk - Take the shot?

[Guy Miner]

Okay - unless you're spring bear hunting, most of us have several more months before we can hunt big game. Let's have a little fun with this!

Assume that somehow you've ended up in the Pacific Northwest, hunting Roosevelt Elk. They're big bodied rascals, the bulls can reach 1,200 pounds! You've got the appropriate tags, and yes this velvet-covered bull is legal.

It's been raining for most of the past three days that you've been hunting, entirely normal for this place. It's late in the day, and you're two miles from camp when you see this bull. You're at 25 yards and he's unaware of your presence (yeah, right). Do you take the shot? Where do you aim? What rifle, scope/sights, and load are you using?

Okay - if that shot was too tough for your tastes - how about this one? Same discussion:

Let's have some fun with this! Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

For me, I'm hunting with either:

.375 H&H Ruger Number One, with 260 gr Nosler Partitions handloaded to 2620 fps via RL-15. I've got the scope on that Ruger dialed down to 1.5x, or maybe I took the scope off and am using the factory sights!

.30-06 M1917 rifle in the 'glass stock, with the 2.5x Leupold and, you guess it, 220 gr Nosler Partitions handloaded to 2400 fps.

BTW - do you know where your big game rifle hits at 25 yards? Try it!

First photo - no shot for me! I can't really see the vitals. I'll pass.

Second photo - I'm taking him in the shoulder, low, just above the ferns, hoping to bust the shoulder and nail the heart & lungs.

Hopefully he won't go far - the tracking in those rain-soaked woods can get real tough, real fast.

Guy

 

[IdahoCTD]

I'd take either shot. The lower shot would be easy. Shoot for the close shoulder just slightly to the left of the plant (actually either side of the plant would work). In the first picture I'd aim in the gap of the plant as far to the right as possible. I'd probably be shooting my .416 Rem. in a place like that so I wouldn't worry about either shot. They'd be laying where they stood.

 

[jmad_81]

I would be hunting with my African 375R loaded with a 260 Ab doing 2835. Topped with a VX-III 2.5-8x36, (currently, it looks like that. It is in real danger of getting a new stock, and a 1.5-6 VX-3)

The first pic, I would have to think real hard about it. The bushes are really close to the elk so chances of deflection arereally low, and they look mostly like green ferns, not tree branches. I can make out the shoulder, head, and parts of the neck. It looks like he is quartering hard to me, and I'm using enough gun for a critter that big. If he is truely unaware that I'm about to end him, I'll wait for a shot that looks more like the second pic (I'm taking that one, everyday of the week). If he knows I'm there and is not going to give me a better non moving shot, I'm putting a big hunk of lead in him. At 25 yards I'm confident that I could get a one shot kill in that situation (add 100+ yards to that same situation and I'm waiting for a better shot), but I'm shooting till his feet are pointed up!

 

[JD338]

The 1st opportunity may be tough so I would pass.
The second one, on the point of the on shoulder. 338 RUM 250 gr PT at 3000 fps should work in spades. Sighted in for 200 yds, it is a non issue at 25 yds, pretty much dead on. My knife is razor sharp too. :wink:

JD338

 

[runtohunt]

I like this a lot. The first pic, I would talk my self out of, even though I would want to shoot.
I think that the 7STW with the 168g Barns LRX placed just to the right of the fern that is covering the ribs would take out the shoulder, clip the upper lobe of the right lung and milkshake the left lung. While the STW wears a 6.5x20 VX3 now, I would certainly opt for a lower power scope in the jungle.

 

[alaska100]

375 H & H
Swaro Z-3
Swift A frame 300 gr

First photo would depend on what I saw through the scope in the way of obstructions. With what I am seeing with the naked eye, I probably would pass. However the brush is so close to him, with the gun and bullet I have --maybe I would--

Second shot --yes

The other gun I use a lot is a 30-06, with a Leupold VX6 with a 180 gr swift a frame

First photo , no
Second photo, yes

In the best of all worlds I would have my 45/70 loaded with Swifts new 350 gr and no scope. Even then I am not sure I would take the first shot, but maybe. Enough gun and bullet and just keep shooting till he is down. the second shot, every day of the week and twice on Sunday

 

[6mm Remington]

Nice Guy real nice! :lol: First picture with it only being 25 yards and the foliage being real close to him and light, my final decision would be what I could see looking through my 4x Leupold on my 30-06 shooting 165 gr. Accubonds. One on the point of that near shoulder would take out the shoulder and should get the lungs. I'd also feel confident in the bullet as I have seen what the Accubonds will do.

Second one without a doubt. Right on either side of that fern would work great. Even though he is really close I would not try a neck shot or one right behind the ear. Although it would probably work, I had one bad experience on a neck shot mule deer that went about 1 1/2 miles before I found him again and killed him. For a finishing shot, yes, but not an animal that has not been hit yet. Since it's what I have, yes it would be my 30-06 again with the fixed 4x Leupold. Again, either the AccuBond or the Partition would work great.

 

[russ808]

Guy,
The problem is I have never seen one in real life at all, much less one up close like that. I would most likely get buck fever and miss the whole thing. If I got the chance to clam down and if he didn't leave for the next time zone, I would use my Nosler Sporter in 300wsm with 180 a-bonds. Thats been my go to everthing gun since I got it.
Russ

 

[LD375]

I'd pass on the 1st shot, but would hammer him on the 2nd shot for sure :twisted:

 

[DrMike]

I would be able to wait on the first photo; he'll browse out in a bit and present a decent shot. The second is an easy shot. A 7RM to 9.3X64 Brenneke and about anything in between will work just fine. However, I'd likely be toting my 325WSM charged with 200 grain Partitions. It is a hammer on elk and moose. One of these delivered to the point of the should should anchor this big boy and enure a quick death.

 

[pre6422hornet]

I would be carrying one of my model 70's in .270 stoked with 150gr Nosler Partition Golds over stout amounts of IMR 4350.

While number one is tempting, I would pass.

#2 = dead elk. Aiming just to the left of the dark twig, that 150 NPG would break the shoulder and destroy the lung. Game over.

I have taken two similiar shots , one on a bull elk and the other on a mature mulie. Both were tracked and shot in their beds as they were facing me. The elk actually stood up and as soon as he stood up, I shot ( at 30 yards) and he went down twitching.

Mulie never moved from his bed.

 

[wildgene]

...I've shot a couple of bulls fairly similar...

1) I'd hold on him & wait to see if he turned left & put one thru the brisket, or right & one behind the shoulder...

2) one thru the brisket just inside the near shoulder, out behind the far shoulder...

 

[IdahoCTD]

I'm surprised to see I'm the only one to say they'd shoot at the bull in the first picture. If you look close you can see the back edge of his shoulder in the gap of the ferns (actually you can see close to the middle of the shoulder right along the edge of the ferns). There is also a nice little gap in the ferns right between his eyes also. As has been said the ferns are so close to the bull the chance of bullet deflection is pretty low. You could always try a step to the left to expose more of him but with a big enough gun I don't worry about stuff like that. It's a hard raking angle but with a .416 hole through the length of him he wouldn't go anywhere. I've seen elk whirl so fast that you'd never get a shot if you waited.

BTW @ 25yds my gun shoots about 1/2" low. I think holding it still would make more of a difference then 1/2".

 

[onesonek]

In that terrain, I would be carrying the Marlin .45-70 with either my 405 or 420 gr. cast @ 1600 fps.
Either shot angle would be no problem at that range.

 

[Too Tall]

The few times I've hunted in the "Rain Forest", I used a S&W 629 Classic Deluxe, with a 8 3/8" barrel in .44 magnum. The first picture would have gotten the pistol drawn. And the second picture would have got him neck broke, right above the sholder, with a 300 grain hard cast bullet. Been a long time since I had to wear Frog Toggs to hunt.

 

[Guy Miner]

I was wondering when someone would choose the handgun option... :grin:

This seems like a perfect situation for a big bore handgun, or a big bore lever action rifle...

 

[onesonek]

I was wondering when someone would choose the handgun option... :grin:

This seems like a perfect situation for a big bore handgun, or a big bore lever action rifle...

Not sure why I didn't include it, but the Encore .454 Casull loaded again with my cast 320 or 360's would be along. And again in that terrain, would be just a matter what mood I am in the morning as to which to carry. May even take both out for the day, but yeah,,,, either of those posed oppritunities would be a natural for a big bore handgun. The handgun would have some advantages imo,,,,to a point.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I have always tried to pick the rifle for this type of hunting that will give me the most DRT quotient for the terrain and animal being hunted. My personal experience with hunting the western Washington jungle for Roosevelt elk has been almost exclusively in poor weather and visiblility.

I would take either one of those shots offered on those two elk under the conditions offered because I do not think that you will get a clearer, better Roosevelt elk shot opportunity in our Olympic forest 98 times out of 100 times that you have a shot at these animals, based on my experience.

Now, I still hunt with a .338 Win Mag or now, a .340 Weatherby with 225 gr Partitions or 250 grain Partition bullets at 2800 fps plus. Back when I started hunting elk in the 1960's, I used a .338 WM with 275 gr Speer Hot Core bullets for hunting Roosevelt elk because the shots are not usually long but the kill on-the-spot factor had better be high or you may never find your elk. Following a faint bloodtrail in the pouring rain and jungle for 100's of yards is not a high odds pastime either.

My impressions from hunting these elk in the jungle are of rain, mist, fog and high, thick vegetation. Sometimes I have been within such short range of the elk that I could smell them and see the steam off their bodies and never see an animal or more than maybe a piece of an animal hour after hour, day after day. This convinces me to take a decent shot when I have one!

 

[joelkdouglas]

I would have to see what it looked like through the scope. Looking at the photos the answer is take both shots.

However, I would have taken a shot at a nice buck last year "naked eye", but when I looked through the scope the shot wasn't there.