Elk, shot opportunity ?

[Guy Miner]

With some hunting seasons already open, and others rapidly approaching I thought I'd post up a few photos and ask... Would you take the shot? What's your aimpoint? What are you hunting with? We all appreciate the classic broadside standing shot, out in the open, but that's not often what we get while actually hunting.

You've been stalking this public land bull, and he's aware of you. You know he's at least a 5x5, perhaps even a 6x6. This is the first time he hasn't been moving, or concealed better. He seems to think he's hidden, and is at about 100 yards. He's just paused, after much movement, and you're not sure he's going to stay put long. Take the shot? What's your aimpoint? What are you carrying for elk?

This public land bull is a real dandy for a young bull. You're after him, and he's on to you! He's at about 180 yards and checking his back trail to see where you are... This is the BEST shot opportunity you've had in over an hour of trying to close with him and take a shot. Do you take it? What's your aim point?

You've got a cow tag and have managed to sneak up to 50 yards from these three. They are unaware of your presence and show no sign of standing anytime soon. Do you take the shot? What's your aimpoint?

 

[JD338]

I would be hunting with my 338 RUM loaded up with a 250 gr PT at 3000 fps.
Bull 1- I think I would wait him out. If I did decide to shoot and I had a rock solid rest, I would thread the bullet through the small hole right into the center of his shoulder.
Bull 2- Right on the point of the on shoulder, dead bull. Time to get out my sharp knife and rope.
Cows- unless they move their heads, not a great shot opportunity. Yes, you have the neck but I would wait for a solid shoulder shot.

JD338

 

[SJB358]

I would be hunting with my 338 RUM loaded up with a 250 gr PT at 3000 fps.
Bull 1- I think I would wait him out. If I did decide to shoot and I had a rock solid rest, I would thread the bullet through the small hole right into the center of his shoulder.
Bull 2- Right on the point of the on shoulder, dead bull. Time to get out my sharp knife and rope.
Cows- unless they move their heads, not a great shot opportunity. Yes, you have the neck but I would wait for a solid shoulder shot.

JD338

I would be toting the 35 Whelen or similar for the rifle.. so I am with Jim on all three of them. I was just about to type it out, but Jim did the work. Looking through the scope at Bull #1 may or may not reveal a perfectly fine sized hole.

On the cows, I would rather wait them out a little maybe a little cow calling to change the view.

 

[DrMike]

I'd be hunting with almost any rifle that I own larger than my 270WSM. Bull one may give me a decent shot when viewed through the scope, but I'd likely give him a chance to move a step of two if possible. He'll expose the point of the shoulder momentarily. Bull two is a doable shot, again on the oint of the shoulder. The cows should stand if they hear a soft chirp and it will be a chip shot.

 

[sask boy]

I am not sure what rifle I would be carrying well okay then my 35 Whelen :mrgreen: . The first shot would be the front shoulder and I would try to wait until he took a couple of steps to clear my shot. The second one would be right on the front shoulder and then I would call for help.
The cow @ 50 yards would be as Mike stated a soft chirp from my Hoochy Mama and then it would be gutten and haulin. If need be at 50 yard a neck shot would not be real difficult.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Kodiak]

First bull: give him a little time to move, maybe only a foot or two.

Bull 2: He's on his way to the freezer, great shoulder-shot available.

Any of the cow-elk layin' right where they are, a 250 gr. Partition right in the eye, from the old .340 Bee. If I'm after a cow-elk, I'm after the meat!


Jim

 

[Guest]

Wow. All my 'what I'd do' scenarios start out with, "First, stop drooling. Second, change my underwear after wetting myself with excitement..."

Seriously, I've never hunted elk, but knowing what little I do about their anatomy, I'd pause on the first shot, and hope for a less obstructed shoulder shot. Maybe with the 300'bee I could thread one through the vines hanging off that tree trunk, but it's dicey, and I am probably right when I say I'd freeze while looking at him through my scope, with crosshairs on his vitals, and wait for any movement.

For number two, I think the vitals are well presented, as long as the wind is not just nuts right to left for me (risking drift into that tree clump - and so long as the little line on his shoulder isn't a branch sticking up from that clump. If it is, he's going to have to step out a smidge before I could take the shot. Again, likely the 300'bee is with me in elk country. Or perhaps the 8x57. Either way, aim for the point of the shoulder, deep breath, squeeze, and then the work starts. Unless that's a branch sticking up...

The cows would get a chirp or a bleat sound or something to make them stand up, and the one on the right would then go down just as quick. She's the most unobstructed and least likely to have downrange collateral, in my view. It being 50yds, makes setup the key on that one. Too much movement or noise and all of a sudden you're looking at elk rump and kissing steaks goodbye.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I'd wait on the first bull. One the second one there would be elk tenderloin on the BBQ that night. At 50yds I'd shoot the cow on the right in the noodle while she slept provided I had a rock solid rest. Most of the rifles I hunt with shoot close to or under 1/2" @ 100yds so shooting a cow in the head at 50yds would be easy. I'd aim for the left edge of the eye as I know it will be a little high at 50yds and fire up the BBQ again because steaks are on.

I would be carrying a .30-8mm, a .416 Rem., or one of my .375's most likely.

 

[Guy Miner]

Thanks for playing along guys. I had fun taking those photos. The bulls were west of Yakima, Washington. The napping cows were in Northern California, only a couple of miles from the beach. Could not get a better photo of that top bull! Every time I'd wiggle forward or move to the side to get a better view, he'd put something between us. Not a dumb animal, not at all. The best glimpse I got of his antlers, he appeared to be a 6x6. Number two bull was in full view a couple of times. He was hungry and I was shooting photos at a feeding station near Yakima that day.

1. I'd wait for a better shot - I don't like that spiderweb of little branches. Don't trust my ability to get a bullet through there without having it hit a branch and maybe deflect way off course.

2. Yup. He's in the freezer after a shoulder shot. No doubt. Good looking bull.

3. Torn between just whacking one in the brain or neck while they're sleeping, or getting them to stand then taking a lung shot. I think I'd just make the best 50 yard brain shot I could. It's worked before...

Rifle? For the bulls I'd be carrying either the .375 H&H Ruger Number One with 260 gr Nosler AccuBond, and the 1.5-5x Leupold. Or the .30-06 M1917 with 165 or 180 gr Nosler Partitions.

For the cow - maybe the same - or maybe something lighter like a .30-30 or a .25-06 or something. Maybe.

 

[YoteSmoker]

7 Rem Mag in hand pushing a 160 Partition with a 200 yd zero...

1. Crosshairs on him. Let him take one step. Slip a bullet right behind the shoulder, in the sweet spot.
2 Cross hair straight up the leg on the point of the shoulder blade.
3. Cross hairs right between the two highest pieces of grass--dead right now!

Time to fill out the tag.

 

[Oldtrader3]

1. The .340 , 225 gr Partition right above the lichen circle (just above the brown) next to the Lodgepole through front shoulder and both lungs.
2. The .340, 225 gr Partition at 10 o'clock on the chest brown patch edge, front shoulder point and hit both lungs and aortic arch (maybe).
3. The .338 Federal 210 gr Partition at the base of the ear centerline. At 50 yards it would sever the brain stem and carotid artery.

 

[joelkdouglas]

1. No
2. Yes, aim at shoulder
3. No

30-06, 180 grain Partition or AccuBond

 

[CatskillCrawler]

1. Hope for another step forward but doable with a good rest at 100 yds.
2. Bang.
3. Center cow between the eye and the ear base.

Great pics Guy.

 

[OU812]

8mm or 300 RUM. First bull no question. I would place the shot right below the spine in the opening just to the left of his shoulder then I would place my tag on his horns.

On the 2nd bull am I at the angle the camera is from or behind from the direction he is looking? If it's from the camera angle once again no questions asked. I would go right between the front legs 1/3 the way up and take out lung and shoulder.

Cows. No hurry here so either head shot or wait them out.


Bill

 

[.280 Remington]

1. Wait for the right shot, fire upon movement into "window"
2. With out question, take the shot
3. Wait till they stand up/call/cause a ruckus for them to stand.

Rifle, .280 Remington 140gr Barnes TSX

 

[usmc 89]

1. Your going to get a better shot unless you get a wind shift and he blows out of there.
2. Agreed point of the shoulder
3. right in that big pocket to the left of the jaw bone where the neck is merging and centere,d lots of important arteries running through there, a little high you have the spine a little low your in the throat. easily doable at 80 yards even with a weatherby :grin

 

[BeeTee]

1- Wait him out. I took a shot at a 5-pt bull once that was on the dark side of a ridge at the first moments of shooting light. It took me a few moments to figure out what that oval buckskin patch was. He was bedded, but I could see clearly enough where to place the bullet. It was about an 80 yard shot, and I was sitting back against my side of the ridge with my elbows resting on my knees. Then he stood. What I couldn't see in the dim light through the scope was that there was a light screen of brush about 15 feet from him that was in the line of sight. I didn't know it at the time, but the bullet was deflected, and took off about half of one antler. He fell instantly at the shot, and I was congratulating myself for all the shooting practice I'd done in the months prior. Then he got up.... It took another shot to stop him. I was shooting a 300Wby.

2- The point of the near shoulder... No waiting.

3- Wait till they got up. A friend shot a doe in the head once with an '06. There are better alternatives.

 

[Elkman]

Great pictures I love these "shot opportunity" posts!!!!

The cow in front at 50 yards is dead with a hold slightly below her ear an inch or so forward, to adjust for scope height. Not a hard shot at that distance.
The facing bull is dead with a point of the shoulder shot, just have to make sure bullet path is low enought for the heart lung area.
The broadside bull will be hit thru both front shoulders with a shot from a good solid rest, aming tight against the little pine, guarding his heart. The key to this shot is concentrating on putting the bullet thru that little triangle of limbs. get the bullet thru there and you are done.

Most calibers will cleanly take all three even a 270 but I would be using my trusty 300 win mag.

 

[mcseal2]

I'd be shooting something with at least a 140gr AccuBond at 3000fps, probably bigger.

Bull 1 I'd take the shoulder shot just right of the tree that others mentioned if I felt comfortable keeping the crosshairs steady enough under the conditions. Looks like a 6" gap I can do 6" offhand at 100yds if the wind isn't blowing me around. I'd aim at the bottom of the gap for my zero, 2.8" of midrange rise so about two and a quarter high at 100yds. If the crosshairs wouldn't steady enough I'd wait.

Bull 2, no brainer. Break the shoulder and be ready to add lead if needed. From what we can see from the picture he can't get up the slide behind him without the opportunity to hit him vitally again. If real world conditions were different my opinion may change.

Cow pic - I'd take the back one of the 3 in the brain. Her body angle appears to allow that shot without hitting any other part of her. She also looks to be the smallest which makes her more tender and easier to pack. Quality over quantity with the shot opportunity allowed. At that range in that open a meadow I'd not be afraid to walk toward them until they stood and then look for my shot also. 50yds with at least a 18" square kill zone is doable on a rising or moving target for me. If the shot opportunity wasn't there when they stood or bolted, I know my limitations. 30-50 yotes per year killed, plus the ones missed gives me a pretty good and quick idea what I can do with a rifle and my limitations. I usually know if I should attempt the shot or wait for another day when the crosshairs arrive on target.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I'd be using my 30-06 loaded with 180 grain AB's...

Bull #1...I'd wait and hope he took a slow step forward.

Bull #2...yep, I'd shoot.

The cows...a head shot is doable...they appear to be asleep so movement is unlikely...I'd probably take the shot.