Two calibers ... two elk.

[cdr4thBn]

I've just returned from a very successful cow elk hunt in NM. Before I left, as always there were discussions of calibers and bullet combinations.
Well I had the very real pleasure of hunting with a very nice young man of 14 who was on his first elk hunt....heck, his first big game hunt of his life. He won the hunt in a raffle and his Dad picked up the additional costs. A friend of his loaned him a rifle, a 270 loaded with 130 gr. CoreLocks which he used to kill a large cow at about 400 yards.
Yours truly used a 300 Win Mag to accomplish the same deed only seconds before but it was so much better watching this little guy score on his first try.
We will continue to argue (as no doubt someone will) about calibers and bullets but this young man proved that a magnum rifle isn't necessary if your shot is placed right.
Congratulations Lewis. You did a great job! You were a pleasure to hunt with and you can hunt with me anytime.

[PaJack]

I think shot placement is the key factor with any game you hunt...

[j3k2c1]

If you get the correct shot angle, and if it is legal, I think you could kill an elk with a .22 rimfire. In fact about a year ago I read a story in the american hunter about a reporter that went on a caribou hunt. while there he met a native who made a living many years ago by killing polar bears and selling the hides and the skulls. HIs weapon, a .22 rimfire break action. this is true It says that he shot about 23-24 bears like this. He would shoot in the exact right spot from about 25 feet and the bear would drop in his tracks.

[spazz]

polar bear at 25 ft with a .22!!!
Now thats BRAVE...

[stubblejumper]

Many native polar bear hunters use packs of dogs to harass the bear and keep it at bay so they can get close and pick their shot.

[TREEDOG]

Now thats BRAVE...

Or stupid...

[Outdoor]

A very well recognized outfitter in Wyoming 1st recommendation is a 270 with that very exact load..He also stated he has tracked more Elk that have been shot with a 300 than any other caliber!
I would hate to blame the 300..rather the placement. Don't you agree?

[bigbulls]

I would hate to blame the 300..rather the placement. Don't you agree?

Or any other caliber for that matter. Just goes to show you that no matter what you are useing for a cartridge the first thing is getting it to where it is suppose to be. If you do not do that first and foremost all of the lead in the world ain't going to help you make a clean kill. A .277 bullet in the lungs and heart will kill an elk quickly but a .378 bullet in the gut ain't going to do nothing but cause a lot of work and an animal suffering.

Glad to hear of his and your success.

[James B]

I guided a young man and his dad on a mule deer hunt some years back. The dad had bought the boy an old really beat up Pre 64 model 70 in 270 Win. The boy had put in many hours of work on the stock and reblueing. The first day out we got him close to a nice Mule deer buck. He got excited and missed him clean but the next day an even bigger buck presented him with a shot of close to 300 yards. This time he was calm and laid down and made a perfect chest shot. What a proud dad the older guy was and even a proud old guide. It too was his first animal. Thats what hunting is all about there is nothing like seeing a new hunter hooked for life. Hooked on the RIGHT STUFF.

[Dirt2]

I've got to jump into this one. I'm really not trying to start something, but it seems to me there is a major big gun bias going on in the elk hunting world.

I think hunting writers start this. First, they want to sell new gear (i.e. bigger rifles) so the advertising revenues keep pouring in. Second, your typical outdoor writer has 5 elk tags in 5 different states, and he only gets paid for his article if he knocks down that big bull. Consequently, his priority is to kill that sucker dead at whatever angle the shot is presented, and if he has to blow the two front quarters to pieces to do that, hey no problem. He's still gonna put four more elk in the freezer before the season's over anyhow, so what's another front quarter more or less. Thus, it seems to me outdoor writers are nuts for 300s and 338s.

Now, those priorities are far different from most of us. We get our one elk per year IF we're lucky, and we need to save all the yummy meat we can, because that's what it's all about, right? So for you or me, a 270 with 130 grain bullets (my personal poison) will do just fine, if we discipline ourselves to take only the right shots, not unlike what a bowhunter does.

Finally, most hunters I know are a lot more recoil-conscious than they like to let on. I mean, we're macho hunter-guys, right? We can handle that 300 Win Mag shoulder cannon, heh heh, even if some lesser men can't! Well I'll just say that on the rifle range, I see some absolutely dreadful displays of shooting by macho men with their 300s and 338s, and I'll bet if they took the bitter pill of trying a 270 or a 280 their shooting would improve dramatically.

P.S. My dad stoned a 353 net bull back in '78 with a 243.