Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,833
- 6,302
Finished the cleaning and skinning chores a bit ago.
Enjoyed a terrific day afield with some great guys. Two of us held these late-season cow elk tags; a fifteen year old guy and me. Everyone else was support! Nice to have help.
First we located a terrific big bull elk, I don't know, but a couple of the guys think he's a 7x7... NICE! But our tags were for cows. We located a herd of twenty-some elk, with two young bulls, at 1100+ yards. Got closer. Ranged at 470. We weren't getting any closer... Both shooters were prone in the snow, the young man of course was first, and he put two shots into his cow with a .300 Weatherby magnum. Nice shooting! She was down.
Of course "my" elk and the rest of the herd were now all bunched up, milling around, no shot opportunity and they took off farther up the mountain. No problem. Two buddies came with me, and we stalked to 338 yards. A single 165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip smashed her on-side shoulder, breaking it badly, and hit the lungs pretty darned well too. She was down in short order.
I thought it was pretty funny, that I've been asking about shoulder shots on elk, and intended to put the bullet right behind the shoulder, but no... I had to nail the shoulder! Dang. Ah well. Interestingly the off-side shoulder is also pretty bloodied up. I haven't found the bullet yet, but I think it's still in there somewhere.
It was a good hunt, and finally my 2016 big game season is finished. Four big game animals, each with the .30-06 and the 165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. It's been a good season, I am very grateful.
Regards, Guy
Enjoyed a terrific day afield with some great guys. Two of us held these late-season cow elk tags; a fifteen year old guy and me. Everyone else was support! Nice to have help.
First we located a terrific big bull elk, I don't know, but a couple of the guys think he's a 7x7... NICE! But our tags were for cows. We located a herd of twenty-some elk, with two young bulls, at 1100+ yards. Got closer. Ranged at 470. We weren't getting any closer... Both shooters were prone in the snow, the young man of course was first, and he put two shots into his cow with a .300 Weatherby magnum. Nice shooting! She was down.
Of course "my" elk and the rest of the herd were now all bunched up, milling around, no shot opportunity and they took off farther up the mountain. No problem. Two buddies came with me, and we stalked to 338 yards. A single 165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip smashed her on-side shoulder, breaking it badly, and hit the lungs pretty darned well too. She was down in short order.
I thought it was pretty funny, that I've been asking about shoulder shots on elk, and intended to put the bullet right behind the shoulder, but no... I had to nail the shoulder! Dang. Ah well. Interestingly the off-side shoulder is also pretty bloodied up. I haven't found the bullet yet, but I think it's still in there somewhere.
It was a good hunt, and finally my 2016 big game season is finished. Four big game animals, each with the .30-06 and the 165 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. It's been a good season, I am very grateful.
Regards, Guy