I get the chance of a longer shot and the 30-06 having all the advantage. I get the ft lbs of energy thing having a better chance of recovering a poorly shot animal. What I don't get is not worrying about how well a person can shoot in all positions to make a vital shot on the animal. There's a lot of variables in elk hunting and most hunters are not prepared to make all the shots that are presented in hunting situations. What if the only shot the boy has is 50 yards standing off hand and and he can't hold the weight of the bolt action to make this shot? I've had grown men miss elk under 100 yards trying to make an off hand shot with a standard bolt action rifle. Some more than one shot and completely miss a standing still elk at under 100 yards. No this is where I tend to disagree it's not about the firepower of your caliber it's about how well rounded of a shooter you are or will become. It's all about shot placement. I've tracked a few freakish situations where an animal was hit in the lungs and even the heart once. But all those ended in a gut pile and most didn't require a lot of tracking. Elk are massive animals and they are big enough to stand there and take hit after hit but they go down if they are hit in vitals in a short distance. Shooting around the edges don't get it done. And if you only shot is sub par then maybe you should rethink the shot.

To this day the number one caliber in our hunting camp for wounding elk and deer on non recovered animals. 338WM. Now that's beyond shocking isn't it? It's 7 to 1 verses all other calibers people have brought. You can believe it or not makes me no matter but it make me cringe when someone opens a case and out pops a brand new belted magnum and have not shot no more rounds than it took to sight it in.

Shall we ask why? It sure isn't the caliber the 338 WM is a great elk cartridge. It's because the guys bringing them can't handle them. And they don't shoot them enough to know their gun. Some even have breaks no reason for recoil flinching. People just don't shoot in hunting situations enough and think power over rules marksmanship. Wrong...