Thanks for the info guys. The elk that I' ve taken have all been fairly close either in black timber or just on the edge of it in a park.
I decided to get a range finder after switching from my venerable .06 to a .300 RUM. This past season the classic situation for use of the reach that the RUM has occurred. A large bull traversed across in front of me high up on the opposite drainage. His movement was slow enough and the distance long enough to have ranged him with a range finder. Unfortunately the cover was such that a clear shot never materialized.
Regards