Well Bigbulls, I don't agree with yer argument. Sure you can kill elk with a 243, but it ain't enough in most people's hands. Remindes me of the guy who says, "a lot of elk been kilt by 30-30s." Yeah, but did you ever read 'bout an elk hunt back when the 30-30 was an advanced caliber? There was no concern at all about losing game. Bulls' antlers were taken but the meat was left to rot. Read Teddy Roosevelt's story about hunting the Two Ocean Pass area back in the 1890s. Pathetic by today's standard. Ol' Teddy would kill 6 bulls in a day and not take any of the meat. No wonder the animal was nearly annihilated. Wounding animals still don't mean a lot to some folk. Nothing wrong or "stupid" with respecting the game at the expense of some hunters. I don't think people too small or young or skilled to shoot a minimum 150 grain bullet moving 2800 fps from whatever caliber should be goin' afield. Let 'em learn to handle a substantial big game round first. The elk are too precious a resource. Hunters are a dime a thousand. I've seen 243 shot elk thet never were found. Seen one feller that thought he had missed, cause the bull just stood there, then ran off. He would have left without even looking for sign. Standards are set for good reason. Legal minimums often reflect values from a different time, or those of bureaucrats. Only unprincipled self-centered shooters take them as adequate.

BJ