Camp Chef,
Square on to using a weapon/ammo mix that is proportionate to the task at hand! Hunting elk isn't the same as shooting prairie dogs! I'm betting that those hunters that have the good fortune of having a variety of rifles to choose from leave the light bores at home, store the runner up in elk camp as a back up rifle and head out of camp on the opening day with the one of the heavier bores they got out of respect for the elk they pursue. On one hand striving for a clean and lethal placement but at the same time wanting some insurance against a difficult situation, an error in judgment or just plain bad luck because elk just are not that cooperative and it is seldom that things go "just right."

On the other hand, not everybody has a rack of rifles to choose from but rather have one game rifle but it is tried and true and they know it well. More power to them, taking on BeaverJack's advice about going heavy for your chosen caliber when it comes to choosing both bullet weight and bullet quality. Bragging on ballistics is fine but I'd rather just load up the meat into the panniers and quietly head back to camp - no talk needed.