Just to clarify--

I didn't mean to imply that just because I hunt with .338 I take every shot I get. I just feel that stalking elk through Montana wilderness requires quite a bit of skill and everything I can do to increase my chances of a successful hunt, I will. I don't hunt with a bow, not because I don't have the desire, but because I get buck fever bad, and I'd lose alot of sleep if I gut-shot a nice mulie and never got him. My caliber selection reflects more on me as a hunter than on what is truly "necessary" out in the field.

The confidence factor is a huge part of hunting, and while I still pass up shots that I feel are too risky, the .338 reduces the "buck fever" element (or in this case bull fever). Having the kind of confidence that I have in that gun goes a long way in the field.