RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
Jeff = I have always been leary of the neck shot for the same reasons you stated - but this guy does this just about every year. He also shoots very high in the neck - like right where the neck meets the bottom of the skull. And he says, with the small bore/high velocity bullets, this shot doesn't even have to hit the spine to be immediately lethal. Something about the shock wave of high pressure blood blowing up all the capillaries in the brain. This guy is sort of quiet and understated - and is somewhat of a legend in this area.
It is hard to argue with the "big bullet through the shoulder" concept. Can ruin a lot of meat; but for trophy animals, can keep them from running over to the next meadow where Elmer is going to put a .30/30 bullet into it and tag it before you get there . . . . .
Me? I can't help myself. . . . Just automatically shoot for the lungs. Roskoe