Too late now, but I think that possibly the # of elk taken with each cartridge vs. the count being based on the hunter would be a better overall picture. I.E. Hunter A who has killed 1 elk with a .270 winchester counts the same in your poll as hunter B who has killed 30 elk with a .338 mag. (Hard to verify that though)

With that said, I've only killed 1 elk and it was with a .30-06 springfield.