So many great suggestions here on calibers and rifles. There's no one perfect rifle for us hunters/shooters. We need several guns just like women need shoes and purses for every dress they own! However, if one gun is your goal and $1000 is you budget, you can do a whole lot of shoppin' there my friend!
I've owned, reloaded and shot many gun/cartridge combinations. My all time favorite is my .358 Win, BLR 81. Most of my hunting is 200 yards and under. This caliber and my handloads knocks thesock offof deer and bears. Changing loads allows me to hunt elk and moose out to 150 yds. with this gun. But, because I MUST have other guns, I also own a .300WSM which I absolutely love. This is my long range, huntin' out west (Montana)gun. I handload this one too and get superb accuracy and knock down energy. Do I need the .338 Win Mag, Ruger No.1 I just bought today? No, but boy do I love the christmas present I gave myself!!! I handload for this as well from previous days of owning and Win 70 in .338WM. You can do alot of tweaking to a .338 WM if you hand load.
So, if elk, moose and big bears are in your sights and you want to be able to take a shot at any angle that presents itself rather than wait for the perfect broadside shot or shoot a 340BC elk at 400yds across a meadow or shoot a 9 1/2 foot brownie quartering away from you at 100yds, get a .338 win mag, handload for it and never look back. The Zeiss conquest will compliment the gun well and perform in any weather. Good luck in your search and aim straight!!