ORIGINAL: Buckshot
Nope not offended in the least. And while I agree with you that the average archery hunter is much more careful about shot placement then the average rifle hunter, I still believe that as far as sheer killing capacity a .243 is head and shoulders above a bow. But like I said before, I wouldnt reccommend using it to hunt elk with.
Buckshot and I mean no offense to you however I'm with idahoelkinstructor on this. I disagree that a .243 is a better elk killer than a bow. In fact I strongly disagree. Now comparing a bow to a rifle is like comparing apples to oranges. Bullets kill by shock and a destruction. Arrows kill by hemmoraging. To compare them you would have to compare how each does it's designed job. At the end of the day a .243 is much more likely to wound an elk leading to a long tracking job that may or may not have a dead elk at the end even in the hands of a decent shot. A bow in the hands of someone who is a decent shot is MUCH more likely to end up with a harvested elk at the end of a shorter tracking job. A bow over a .243 would be my choice any day. Plus you throw in hunting the rut with a bow and there is no contest.