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I've seen a couple of elk shot with a 30-30. Never saw one lost with it, they all ended up in the skinning shed. Would it be my first choice? Nope. Will it work? Yep. If I was going to use it I'd keep my shots under 100 yards and I'd hold off shooting until the animal was completely broadside and I'd avoid the front shoulder and shoot for the ribs a little behind the shoulder. I'd also want a good bullet and I'd want it to be 170 grs.

The question is, will a youngster on his first elk hunt be able to control himself like that? A wounded elk can go a long, long ways.

Bullcamp82834

A marginal weapon in the hands of a new hunter could lead to a disappointing first experience.

The mentor will know (or should) when the student is ready.
Getting them in the field before they are really ready sours many young people on the whole hunting experience.
Hope this young fellow is ready when the time comes.

Muley Hunter

Dad got me my Win 94 30-30 for Christmas in 1954 when I was 12 years old. I hunted elk and muley's with every year until I switched to muzzleloaders a few years ago.

I've never lost an animal, and give all the credit to my dad for training me right.

Start them young, and teach them right.

CalHunter

How about have your son carry the 30-30 and you carry the 30-06 with a pair of shooting sticks? That way your son can switch rifles with you if needed and shoot with the 30-30 if not. Enjoy the hunt and take lots of pictures.

buffybr

Hmmmm, I live at 5,200 ft, and this morning (Sep 21) I watched 4 bull elk for a half hour as they feed across the hill 250 yds above my house. There aren't many mountains around here that even get up to 11,000 ft. I guess the elk are where you find them.

My .30-30 would not be my first choice to hunt elk with, but if it was all I had, I know I could kill an elk with it. I have several friends that kill their elk almost every year with their .22-250s. The key being getting close enough, waiting for the perfect shot, and being calm enough to make that perfect shot.

The problem is that many novice elk hunters, regardless of their age or what caliber or cartridge that they are hunting with, do not hunt close enough, they don't wait for a perfect broadside shot, and they are not calm enough to make that quick killing shot.

Muley Hunter

When someone types...Hmmmmm. It's like saying you have doubts about what they're saying.

I'm surrounded by 53 mountains that are all over 14,000ft. The summer range is at timberline. Winter range is at 8000ft here.

This isn't Montana.

buffybr

Yep, you're right. I wrote Hmmmm because I had some doubts of a statement that I read on the internet.

Yes, Colorado has 50 some "Fourteeners". I've been to the top of several of them. But Colorado is a big state, and there are hundreds of miles between some of those 14,000' peaks. There is a good percentage of Colorado's 300,000 elk that spend their whole lives below timberline, and there are thousands of square miles of Colorado elk winter range that is below 8,000'.

I don't doubt that there are some areas in Colorado where some elk spend some time above timberline in the summer. I've driven the Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park and seen elk above timberline there.

I live in Montana now, but I was born and spent most of my first 30 years in Colorado. I lived a good portion of 8 years in Steamboat Springs which is about 6,600 feet in elevation. While I lived there, I killed 7 elk within 50 miles of town, and all were killed below 8,000'. That included one bull that I killed on opening morning of bow season, August 14th, 1973, that I shot behind Howelsen Hill ski area at an elevation of less than 7,000', and close enough to town that I heard the noon whistle shortly after I shot him.

For a couple of months in the summer of 1972, I flew as a spotter in the Forest Service Fire patrol plane out of Steamboat. We would fly the whole Routt National Forest almost every morning and about half of the forest every afternoon, looking for fires. In all of that flying, I saw thousands of elk, and exactly zero of those elk were above timberline.

My mom lives at 6,000' elevation a few miles south of Red Rocks near Denver. I visit her for about a week each month in the winter. It's not uncommon to see elk near her house in the winter, including several very large 6 and 7 point bulls.

Muley Hunter, I have no reason to doubt that you are an experienced hunter. Maybe you have been hunting longer than I have, and maybe you have killed more elk than I have. If you have, congratulations, that's great. And evidently where you live in Colorado the elk winter at 8,000' and in the summer they will range up to timberline at 11,000-11500'. And you're right again, that isn't Montana, but that isn't all of Colorado either which is how I understood your original statement. That's why I said Hmmmm.

Muley Hunter

When I made that comment to Finnbear. I was talking about my area. (to him)

WNYhunter

Ok, well my buddy had his kid use the 30/06. even though this was the kids first elk hunt he has logged 100;s of hours deer, turkey and rabbit hunting. We spent quite a bit of time having that kid shoot the 06 to get him ready. Even though he didn't get the chance at a bull he had a very successful hunting trip. 2 other kids in camp shot elk, 1 cow and 1 bull. Great experience for them

Stiknstring

Same here, first rifle my father gave me I still have that rifle 35 years later, my daughter gets to use it when she passes hunter safety.
170 or 180 gr bullet in the right place will do the job.