Elk Hunting Cartridge Advice

[K22]

A friend like you is hard to come by and should get some elk for your effort. Make sure to study those anatomy charts for shot placement. Good luck.

Yea, I have some from the American Hunter that was published a few years ago. The guide will probably review that with him too, but I intend to do it too.

He is really a great guy and deserves every bit of my friendship. Perhaps a little hardheaded but you can't take people in slices - you take all of them.

 

[Lee Whitsel]

Have him load up a good shooting load using the 180gr Nosler Partition and he'll be good to go. No elk I've ever shot with one has lived, all came home with me for dinner. Nothing magic about killing an elk, as always, shot placement is the key as long as the 'right' bullet is used.

This tidbit does not apply to your friend, but in my M70 ,338-06 Ackley, the Nosler 210gr Partition has really performed well on elk for me. Like end-to-end complete penetration of a large 5pt bull from just under 50 yards. That's just one, they've all died quickly using the Partition.

very good advice I agree. I use a 300 wm with 180 Nosler Partitions and they go down when hit. I've shot a lot of elk with it and have nothing but praise for that combo.... I want a heavy hitter cause I've been charged on two hunting trips by mad grizzlys. By the grace of God almight I got out of both charges scared bad but with great respect for those bears. Very glad I had my 300 wm in hand......

 

[Lee Whitsel]

Ooops forgot to add I hunt a lot with a 308 and with Nosler Partitions in a 308 with 180's I'd feel just fine if I didn't have my 300 W.M. in hand. It will work just fine.

 

[Relic]

Alot of great advice! Shot placement is everything. Make sure to practice at those 200-300 yd distances in the wind. We always have morning thermals and varying winds and the 308/180 combo will work but is some of the worst for wind drift.
Altitude, get there early to help get acclimated, I have also met some that carry small cans of oxygen in there packs for times when they may be struggling. I live in the western side of the state if you have any questions just pm me. I mostly hunt black powder and 90% of my kills are less than 150 yds and my freezer is full. Bill

 

[JFrank]

I hunt with both a 30-30 and 308, I must say that for strictly Elk I would much prefer a 300 mag of some kind.
Perfect shot placement seems rare for what I’ve seen and I really don’t want to chase wounded Elk.
Expanding a bit just to piss off the internet perfect shot placement crowd. In reality it’s easier said than done and sure 308 will kill elk but a big gun kills big animals more better and more deader.

Jim

 

[effendude]

Of all the chamberings/bullet combinations to take elk, I'd guess a 308 with 180 Core-Lokts are one of the most popular ever used. Is it what I would use? No. But for elk 300 yards and under I think your friend is going to do fine.
If he's looking for an excuse to buy another gun, you've come to the right place.

Dear Friend's Wife: Your husband is woefully undergunned and would risk wasting the money spent on this upcoming elk hunt out West. He needs to immediately purchase a Christensen Arms Ridgeline (or similar) in 300 win mag or 33 nosler or similar. A reloading setup with components would also be necessary to extract suitable performance from this new rifle. Out West, really really LONG SHOTS are the norm, so a riflescope with reliable turrets is necessary to successfully make such a shot. Procuring a Vortex Razor or simiilar optic will complete the bare minimum rifle platform to ensure a happy outcome to the hunt.

And after getting wife's permission to purchase said equipment, and shooting 100's of dollars of factory ammo, he quite possibly will realize that he bought a crappy rifle. He will then trade it or sell it liek many who buy the rifle recommended above. Walk through any big sporting store, the number of "nearly new" Christensen Arms rifles for sale is astounding.

A .308 with good shot placement will be fine.

 

[kyotekiller25]

I don't know anyone who uses a 308 out here for elk hunting in the west, or a 270 or 06' for that matter, and I know and see a lot of elk hunters come through. Minimum we see is 7 mags, and goes up to 338 mags. These are real out west elk cartridges that don't handicap you with range and energy.

With that said, of course you can kill elk with a 308. Would it be even my top 10 choice, absolutely not. But if that's what a guy has and shoots well, then I'd recommend a good 165g Partition or Accubond. Should get you to 300 yards pretty easy.

Big Bulls are very tough animals, don't let anyone tell you different that has little experience killing elk. They arent like little deer. Best case scenario you make a good shot and the bull goes 50-100 yards with a good blood trail you can walk right up to them. Worst case scenario, you make a questionable shot, with little to no blood trail, and you end up chasing him all up and down those mountains in the deepest, darkest, thickest stuff imaginable, and you may never catch up to him again. It happens, trust me.

I've killed around 20 elk, and been around over 200 more killed, so I have a decent idea of what works and doesn't when it comes to killing elk. No they aren't bullet proof, but they are a very tough animal and can do some unimaginable things with a less than well placed shot. I've even seen some do crazy things with well placed shots and 7/300 magnums. You never truly appreciate just how big a bull elk is until you're standing over the top of one. They are huge, have big bones, thick hair, skin, and hide, muscle, all that can make a little bullet hole seal up quite well sometimes.

Just make sure he can hit out to 300 yards from field positions and heavy breathing, because that's usually how it's going to be in the field. Either from the physical part, or the elk fever part.

Good luck and let's hope we see a nice 6x6 trophy coming back home!

 

[RegionRat]

Yea, I have some from the American Hunter that was published a few years ago. The guide will probably review that with him too, but I intend to do it too.

He is really a great guy and deserves every bit of my friendship. Perhaps a little hardheaded but you can't take people in slices - you take all of them.

I have a feeling that @Lee Whitsel didn't catch the date on the thread was before the fall 2022. By now, K22's friend has that hunt behind him.

The '22 rifle season was just before the bad winter, and the '23 season was pretty poor in the NW Corner of the state as a result of the winter kill.

One way folks know how a season is going is to watch the progress and ticket numbers at the processing houses as the animals are brought to the towns for butchering. When those numbers are very low, you know it was a tough season before the state tells you it was.

The question is.... how did things go for @K22 's friend?
Did he go?
Did he get a shot?
Did he tag?
Lessons learned?

 

[K22]

I have a feeling that @Lee Whitsel didn't catch the date on the thread was before the fall 2022. By now, K22's friend has that hunt behind him.

The '22 rifle season was just before the bad winter, and the '23 season was pretty poor in the NW Corner of the state as a result of the winter kill.

One way folks know how a season is going is to watch the progress and ticket numbers at the processing houses as the animals are brought to the towns for butchering. When those numbers are very low, you know it was a tough season before the state tells you it was.

The question is.... how did things go for @K22 's friend?
Did he go?
Did he get a shot?
Did he tag?
Lessons learned?

Yes, I posted details a while ago. Here's a recap:

Yes, he went in November 2022, Colorado.

Yes, he got a 5x4, spot on a stalk hunt w/ a 60 years 308, Model 88 Winchester, level action, 178 yards, on shot kill.
I got him the ammo, Nosler Accubond 165 grain at Midway.
I also convinced him to get a new scope to replace his beat up, cheap and very old scope. I got him a no-frills Leupold, variable, 10x. I mounted it and helped him sight in.
He hunted on Outfitter's ranch, about 25,000 acres. I think the total cost with tags, 1 week food and lodging plus guide was about $10,000. He was the only one that went on a spot and stalk hunt, the others sat in blinds. He was the only one in camp to get an Elk.

Lessons Learned: A hunter with superior hunting skills and field marksmanship ability will always outperform the guys with all the fancy equipment that lack the former.

 

[Bc'z]

1 shot on a Roosevelt DRT 165gr partition and a lil ol 30-06FWIW Roosevelt elk are bigger bodied than the Rocky Mountain variety.

 

[nakneker]

1 shot on a Roosevelt DRT 165gr partition and a lil ol 30-06View attachment 1550869FWIW Roosevelt elk are bigger bodied than the Rocky Mountain variety.

One of the most classic cartridge/bullet combos ever used!

 

[JFrank]

1 shot on a Roosevelt DRT 165gr partition and a lil ol 30-06View attachment 1550869FWIW Roosevelt elk are bigger bodied than the Rocky Mountain variety.

I love the terrain, especially the black top road behind Eric. Easy pack out.

 

[Bc'z]

I love the terrain, especially the black top road behind Eric. Easy pack out.

Jim it was a straight murder mission on some private land. The hardest part was me locating them in the trees, we thought they had moved in the night.
2.5 hours from the time Eric picked me up to the time that picture was taken.
Partitions serve a dual purpose, you can use them to scribble on your tag if your a dumbshit and don't bring a pen.

 

[Bc'z]

I love the terrain, especially the black top road behind Eric. Easy pack out.

He was shot well within 1 mile of I-5

 

[6fatrat]

300 win mag for me on 3 so far.

 

[JFrank]

Jim it was a straight murder mission on some private land. The hardest part was me locating them in the trees, we thought they had moved in the night.
2.5 hours from the time Eric picked me up to the time that picture was taken.
Partitions serve a dual purpose, you can use them to scribble on your tag if your a dumbshit and don't bring a pen.

OG Bunny hunt. my favorite

 

[jds holler]

We'all used to kill a lot of elks with puny little guns that shot 30-06, 270, 308's, and even 243's and old weird 30 cals that NOBODY uses any more. However the species has evolved to the point where 7 mags, and 300 Wins are barely adequate, and are frankly just to old and boring.

Thank God that we now have cartridges that have incredible killing power at almost any range, to dispatch these danged modern elk. Also, scopes with three for four big honking knobs to make it almost impossible to miss any elk out to a half mile or more. jd

 

[Bc'z]

We'all used to kill a lot of elks with puny little guns that shot 30-06, 270, 308's, and even 243's and old weird 30 cals that NOBODY uses any more. However the species has evolved to the point where 7 mags, and 300 Wins are barely adequate, and are frankly just to old and boring.

Thank God that we now have cartridges that have incredible killing power at almost any range, to dispatch these danged modern elk. Also, scopes with three for four big honking knobs to make it almost impossible to miss any elk out to a half mile or more. jd

JD that same Puni Tika T3 06' killed Giraffe, Zebra, bleze buck, Wildebeest and numerous other African plains animals just last year.
All 165 partition except the Wildebeest that bull got a 185 juggernaut.
But those are fat lazy managed animals on leased land, unlike our modern elk that eat right and work out on a regular basis that live on public land.

 

[kyotekiller25]

Here's some of the elk country we hunt, all public land NF. Little different than private/guided. You get 1 opportunity in 5-9 days up there and you better make it count. We kill on average 10-12 a year for the last 25 years. Shots inside 300 yards are unheard of and not likely. Average is 400-600, with quite a few going all the way out to 1150. That is why we don't use 270s, 308, and 06s.

 

[Bc'z]

Here's some of the elk country we hunt, all public land NF. Little different than private/guided. You get 1 opportunity in 5-9 days up there and you better make it count. We kill on average 10-12 a year for the last 25 years. Shots inside 300 yards are unheard of and not likely. Average is 400-600, with quite a few going all the way out to 1150. That is why we don't use 270s, 308, and 06s. View attachment 1550947
View attachment 1550948View attachment 1550949View attachment 1550950

Yup that's Oregon's east side...
West side don't look much different only thicker