Outdoor, You admitted that you took a neck shot with the bow and seized the opportunity. So i don't beleive that this thread is limited to taking neck shots with elk loads. In my post I stated that I hunt with a bow and won't take neck shots. If I ever decided to hunt elk with a rifle(which is highly unlikely) I still wouldn't take a neck shot. In my opinion that would be too risky. Alot is going through the average hunters mind at the moment of truth. Even with a rifle, most that have never seen an animal of such magnitude would be stricken by the overwhelming urge to get a bullet in him. I would much rather have a shot made with a .243, which is not considered and elk load, through the lungs than to have a gaping hole in the side of the bulls neck made with a .300 mag.