we an't got any elk we can shoot here in ms. but we got some hogs that make elk look like bunnys. i have killed a few with my 243 but like others said the heart has to be busted or you have to follow it into the swamp. and its a crazy man that follows a wounded boar into his jungle. 2 of the boars i shot with a 100 gr fed went all the way through the body and i recovered one bullet from under the hide,that is if you could call it a bullet. one of the biggest went down hard and fast others ran into the brush, i was shooting single handed so i could only get off one shot on most of the pigs even though i had a barr in 243. thats one thing about a hog when shot they seem to leave the area like stanta clause. if you do get the chance make darn sure the shot you take is a perfect side or slight angle away from you and put the bullet into the upper arm pit, or right behind the ear in the center of the neck. before you try this make sure you can hit a 2 inch circle at your choice range or don't do it. just keep in mind that a small deer shot with a big gun in the wrong place will run away and die and you may never find it. just think how far a long leg elk running down hill through thick timber could go before even looking back that is if he even stops.