Elk, take the shot?

[sask boy]

Guy again great post :wink:. I would have taken the first shot with a 225gr. AccuBond coming out of my 35 Whelen at 2750fps. I would take the shot prone over top of my pack, the bullet would break the shoulder and then into the boiler room. :mrgreen:.
The second shot I would have taken with my 280AI .

April I always enjoy your posts as you are very knowledgeable and like to keep us males on our toes :lol:!!


Blessings,
Dan

 

[Blkram]

I would freeze in place, in whatever position I was in at the moment the bull lifted his head, and hold until he either lowered head and returned to feeding, or moved. Then I would adjust my position as slowly (or quickly, depending on the bulls next move) as possible to the best shooting position available with a solid rest, at that spot.

I would not take this shot, but wait for the bull to move into a position offering a better shot opportunity.

The rifle I would most likely be packing in this hunting scenario would either be my custom Sako in 7MM STW with a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x40 B&C, shooting 160 gr AccuBonds. I would use a sitting position with elbows on the insides of my knees, if I could not go prone over a pack, or use shooting sticks.

 

[1100 Remington Man]

Yes a little tricky but I hate to admit this but in Iowa I use to shoot Wild Pheasant’s with My 6mm Rem. when they were out strutting around in a field and I had no chance of getting closer.
Most of my shooting them was from 100-250 yards
I was doing it enough to switch to Sierra’s 90gr FMJ as because if I hit them with anything thing else it disintegrated one whole side of a breast. Sierra’s FMJ bullet would leave a hole like you shoved a pencil through it.
Yes I was Young once. But this is Legal in Iowa. I did this for practice for Big Game Hunting.

 

[salmonchaser]

Yes a little tricky but I hate to admit this but in Iowa I use to shoot Wild Pheasant’s with My 6mm Rem. when they were out strutting around in a field and I had no chance of getting closer.
Most of my shooting them was from 100-250 yards
I was doing it enough to switch to Sierra’s 90gr FMJ as because if I hit them with anything thing else it disintegrated one whole side of a breast. Sierra’s FMJ bullet would leave a hole like you shoved a pencil through it.
Yes I was Young once. But this is Legal in Iowa. I did this for practice for Big Game Hunting.

Thought about doing the same thing many times.


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[Elkman]

Who knows? In a moment he might just come right on out into the open..

More than likely in hunting situation he would have turned away, and walked away keeping tree directly between you and him. Presenting you with a much worse shooting opportunity. I have learned over the years that you take the shot you have, if you are comfortable with it. Very few elk or deer in our camps have been killed with the classic standing broadside shot.

 

[sask boy]

Elkman I have to agree with you.
I have been hunting Elk for just about 50 years and have taken a fair number of Elk over the years. They are smart almost as much as they are tough, the calibre I have used to take the majority of them is the 270win shooting a 130gr. Partition and now a 130gr. AccuBond.
Shot placement is the key to any successful harvest .

Blessings,
Dan

 

[IdahoCTD]

One of the bulls I shot last year was broadside but he had no clue I was there. The other was quartering slightly away from me and about to head out. An extremely large portion of the elk I've shot have been at quartering angles. If they are alert to your presence typically they are frozen looking at you quartering on like this one or quartering away about ready to bolt.

I would of taken the shot with my 300wsm and, like some others have mentioned, I wouldn't hold on the tree. I had a pretty clear shot of a nice muledeer buck laying down at 733yds across a steep canyon one time. A rock hid the back half of his body and the wind was slight but was coming from his rear to his front. I held on the tip of the rock expecting it to drift just slightly into his vitals. Well I hit the tip of the rock and the deer took off. With very slight winds I have a hard time holding off of a animal anymore.

 

[mcseal2]

I'd take the shot. With my Rifles Inc 300 win mag shooting 180 Accubonds I'd dial the scope to 340 for elevation and hold 1MOA for wind. I grabbed my windage chart out of my box of bullets in the safe by the computer and checked. It will be taped to the gun again for season so it would be available in the moment of truth. I'd look at where I want the bullet to exit through the lungs on the far side and see where that put my hold on the near side. With the 300 I look at where I want the bullet to exit more than where I want it to enter.

I'd get prone if I could. He looks to have the cameraman pegged in the pic so that might not be possible. If I couldn't I'd rest over the top of my pack, a rock, whatever and see how steady I can get the crosshairs. From what the picture shows he can't really leave without offering a shot unless the ground behind him dips enough to hide him so I'd likely risk trying to get prone if at all possible. Ideally I'd have my tripod out with the Outdoorsmans shooting rest at the perfect height to shoot from if I couldn't go prone but I don't think he would stick around for all that.

If I couldn't go prone and couldn't get the crosshairs steady enough from whatever field rest I could improvise I'd pass the shot and try to set up a better one. I have shot enough I can pretty much tell if the amount of wobble in the crosshairs is to much to ethically take the shot.

 

[Polaris]

Rifle 30-06, 180 AB. M1907 sling, hasty sling wrapped. Full-on rifleman prone by now. You said I'm out of cover, which means I've wiggled on my belly over the last patch of prickly pear by now.

I'm confident in the distance and the shot angle, but not that brush on the left side with a leftXright breeze. Very small margin of error. Overcorrect the wind (will be a little variable in that terrain) and it goes into the brush, then God knows where. Undercorrect and it's a marginal hit. I'm waiting to see what he does. Hopefully a step or 2 forward, which I think is a likely outcome.

My windguesser is telling me about 10" right drift. After I post, I'll run the numbers and edit the actual. Edit. Well, I seriously overcorrected the wind. Hornady 4d program came up with aprox 4-5". Assuming a 1.5MOA real world accuracy potential, that's a potential miss of 10.5". Glad I'm letting him take that step or I'd be trimming trees...or the randomness would save me and I'd think I'm the greatest rifleman ever.

 

[JD338]

I would have my trusty M700LSS 338 RUM topped off with a Leupold VX-6 3-18x44mm loaded up with the new 265 gr ABLR at 2915 fps and zeroed at 200 yds.
With a solid rest over my back pack in prone position, dialed up 3.0 MOA I would give about 1.5 MOA for Windage with the Windplex reticle and hold right for the shoulder.

JD338

 

[preacher]

I would be hunting with, 1) 270 win, 140gr AccuBond, 2) 30-06 with 165 Interbond or Nosler Partition, or 3) 300 win mag with 165gr AccuBond. At that range and base on the angle I would try to get prone over by daypack. Then I would pass on the shot. It is not a high percentage shot. Bull elk are special animals, worthy of a clean kill.
All of my rifles are sighted in for 250 yards and have Leupold scopes with CDS adjustments systems. All of the rifles are capable of hitting the bull at 340 yards but the angle and the brush on the bulls left hand side would keep me from pulling the trigger.

Same for me...now if he was at 250 or closer that "percentage" just got high enough for me and if I had an '06/200 PT or bigger rifle/stouter bullet, I'd still try to get prone ( my daddy taught me that a good rifleman knows how to find a rest!) and I'd focus on busting that shoulder!

 

[str8meat]

338 rum with a 225 AccuBond. dial 2.75 moa up .75 on wind. straight up from brisket place the bullet right there. he will have the worse case of lung cancer to date. dropped right there.

 

[Songdog]

I don’t like that shot.... too much opportunity for bad stuff to happen, regardless of cartridge and bullet.

I’ve got no issue with the range, or the wind.... but on elk, there’s no reason to invite Murphy.... he shows up frequently as it is... and when he does, it can turn into a rodeo in a big hurry.

I’d dial the range, and wait to see what the bull decided to do.

 

[Guy Miner]

I don’t like that shot.... too much opportunity for bad stuff to happen, regardless of cartridge and bullet.

I’ve got no issue with the range, or the wind.... but on elk, there’s no reason to invite Murphy.... he shows up frequently as it is... and when he does, it can turn into a rodeo in a big hurry.

I’d dial the range, and wait to see what the bull decided to do.

What do you think of the second photo, after he steps into the open? :grin: I had the chance to watch this fellow for a while and grabbed a few photos.

All were taken at the Oak Creek elk feeding station, outside of Yakima Washington. The state feeds the elk in winter, 'cause we went and built a city, more than 100 years ago, on their traditional feeding grounds. GREAT hunting in the mountains above town in Sept/Oct/Nov.

Guy

 

[Songdog]

I don’t like that shot.... too much opportunity for bad stuff to happen, regardless of cartridge and bullet.

I’ve got no issue with the range, or the wind.... but on elk, there’s no reason to invite Murphy.... he shows up frequently as it is... and when he does, it can turn into a rodeo in a big hurry.

I’d dial the range, and wait to see what the bull decided to do.

What do you think of the second photo, after he steps into the open? :grin: I had the chance to watch this fellow for a while and grabbed a few photos.

All were taken at the Oak Creek elk feeding station, outside of Yakima Washington. The state feeds the elk in winter, 'cause we went and built a city, more than 100 years ago, on their traditional feeding grounds. GREAT hunting in the mountains above town in Sept/Oct/Nov.

Guy

Looks like he’s moving in the next pic. I’d wait for him to stop, then put a 160 AccuBond right through the brisket just in forward of that near front leg, aiming for the exit hole to be about mid-ship on the off side. And.... I’d be ready to shoot again poste haste.

I’ve been preaching to my kids about two things on this post:

1. Starting a bullet in a bad place, hoping it makes throug to a good place.... is asking for trouble. Whether that’s in the air (big wind holds), or on fur (think Texas Heart Shot)... it’s a bit irresponsible.

2. Aim for the exit hole.

 

[Guy Miner]

Ya, he was moving right along when he came out. He saw the hay truck! :grin:

 

[Songdog]

I know I can move pretty fast when I see the hay truck.

 

[lhsako]

I would freeze in place, in whatever position I was in at the moment the bull lifted his head, and hold until he either lowered head and returned to feeding, or moved. Then I would adjust my position as slowly (or quickly, depending on the bulls next move) as possible to the best shooting position available with a solid rest, at that spot.

I would not take this shot, but wait for the bull to move into a position offering a better shot opportunity.

The rifle I would most likely be packing in this hunting scenario would either be my custom Sako in 7MM STW with a Leupold VX-3 4.5-14x40 B&C, shooting 160 gr AccuBonds. I would use a sitting position with elbows on the insides of my knees, if I could not go prone over a pack, or use shooting sticks.

>>> the elbows/knees is deadly and QUICK !

 

[cloverleaf]

I know I can move pretty fast when I see the hay truck.

Ah, the voice of experience... Not that I ever could, but I have experience with the concept m'self. Thnaks made me smile...CL