RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
I too have seen too many animals get away from neck shot, two were ones that I shot. Fell like a ton of bricks, then got up never to be found. However, if you really can hit the neck right before it connects to the head, you should be all right
I have always shot 1/2 way up the body just behind the shoulder. Why? Because it is lethal and because IT GIVES YOU THE BIGGEST MARGIN FOR ERROR. Hit high, you hit the spine, hit low you hit the heart, hit forward you hit the shoulder. If you hit too far back, that is not ideal, but you will catch the liver, and it should be fatal in short order. I also believe that a double lung hit animal will not go as far as just about any other hit (excluding a spine shot). I have seen them run a piece with the heart shot to Hell, but not with both lungs exploded.
Of course the absolute best place to shoot an elk is........................... not too far from the truck!