Best place to shoot an elk??
05-08-2005, 06:59 PM
#11
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: La Grange, TX
Posts: 324
RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
Manboy-- what is wrong with the 209 primer? What am I missing?
For the rest- I'll be taken to task, but for normal folks the neck shot is very risky. Hit well and you are fine. Hit low and you have throat,esophagus and a slow long death. Hit high and you may knock em down but find one getting up and leaving quickly with a flesh wound that will probably heal. Better chance of healing than the low neck shot.
Of course all that being said I've head shot most all of my meat game over the last 25-30 years with only one foul up.
On a good elk I'll take a 338 with 225 X and shoot for the offside joint of the shoulder blade and the bone below it. Correct height, good angle and may break the bull down right away.
Jeff
For the rest- I'll be taken to task, but for normal folks the neck shot is very risky. Hit well and you are fine. Hit low and you have throat,esophagus and a slow long death. Hit high and you may knock em down but find one getting up and leaving quickly with a flesh wound that will probably heal. Better chance of healing than the low neck shot.
Of course all that being said I've head shot most all of my meat game over the last 25-30 years with only one foul up.
On a good elk I'll take a 338 with 225 X and shoot for the offside joint of the shoulder blade and the bone below it. Correct height, good angle and may break the bull down right away.
Jeff
05-08-2005, 07:37 PM
#12
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Colorado
Posts: 4,127
RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
Jeff = I have always been leary of the neck shot for the same reasons you stated - but this guy does this just about every year. He also shoots very high in the neck - like right where the neck meets the bottom of the skull. And he says, with the small bore/high velocity bullets, this shot doesn't even have to hit the spine to be immediately lethal. Something about the shock wave of high pressure blood blowing up all the capillaries in the brain. This guy is sort of quiet and understated - and is somewhat of a legend in this area.
It is hard to argue with the "big bullet through the shoulder" concept. Can ruin a lot of meat; but for trophy animals, can keep them from running over to the next meadow where Elmer is going to put a .30/30 bullet into it and tag it before you get there . . . . .
Me? I can't help myself. . . . Just automatically shoot for the lungs. Roskoe
It is hard to argue with the "big bullet through the shoulder" concept. Can ruin a lot of meat; but for trophy animals, can keep them from running over to the next meadow where Elmer is going to put a .30/30 bullet into it and tag it before you get there . . . . .
Me? I can't help myself. . . . Just automatically shoot for the lungs. Roskoe
05-08-2005, 07:55 PM
#13
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Kerrville, Tx. USA
Posts: 2,722
RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
I too have seen too many animals get away from neck shot, two were ones that I shot. Fell like a ton of bricks, then got up never to be found. However, if you really can hit the neck right before it connects to the head, you should be all right
I have always shot 1/2 way up the body just behind the shoulder. Why? Because it is lethal and because IT GIVES YOU THE BIGGEST MARGIN FOR ERROR. Hit high, you hit the spine, hit low you hit the heart, hit forward you hit the shoulder. If you hit too far back, that is not ideal, but you will catch the liver, and it should be fatal in short order. I also believe that a double lung hit animal will not go as far as just about any other hit (excluding a spine shot). I have seen them run a piece with the heart shot to Hell, but not with both lungs exploded.
Of course the absolute best place to shoot an elk is........................... not too far from the truck!
I have always shot 1/2 way up the body just behind the shoulder. Why? Because it is lethal and because IT GIVES YOU THE BIGGEST MARGIN FOR ERROR. Hit high, you hit the spine, hit low you hit the heart, hit forward you hit the shoulder. If you hit too far back, that is not ideal, but you will catch the liver, and it should be fatal in short order. I also believe that a double lung hit animal will not go as far as just about any other hit (excluding a spine shot). I have seen them run a piece with the heart shot to Hell, but not with both lungs exploded.
Of course the absolute best place to shoot an elk is........................... not too far from the truck!
05-08-2005, 09:48 PM
#15
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location:
Posts: 659
RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
ROST= NOBODY SAID ANYTHING IS WRONG WITH 209 CAP. I SAID U SHOULD BE FINE! THAT MEANS IF U DON'T HAVE A 209 CAP, THEN U PROBLY HAVE THE OLD SMALL CAP=NOT AS MUCH START POWER FOR THE POWDER!
CHARLIE= I WAS MEANING THAT WITH PYRODEX U WILL HAVE PROBLEMS IN THE RAIN, IT WILL ABSORB MOISTURE THEN U HAVE SLOW SHOT OR NOT AT ALL. I HAVE SEEN THIS EVEN WITH A SEALED BREACH.
JUST SAYING A FEW THINGS I HAVE WITNESSED IN THE ELK WOODS!
CHARLIE= I WAS MEANING THAT WITH PYRODEX U WILL HAVE PROBLEMS IN THE RAIN, IT WILL ABSORB MOISTURE THEN U HAVE SLOW SHOT OR NOT AT ALL. I HAVE SEEN THIS EVEN WITH A SEALED BREACH.
JUST SAYING A FEW THINGS I HAVE WITNESSED IN THE ELK WOODS!
05-08-2005, 10:50 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Crescent Valley, NV
Posts: 2,271
RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
Nope - don't use the 209's either. I have hunted with the muzzle loader in weather that has gone from very humid to very dry in the same day, and have still had no problem with ignition. I have also shot the muzzle loader in the snow, but not yet in the rain. I think that all powders will absorb moisture if given the opportunity!!
05-09-2005, 05:49 AM
#18
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location:
Posts: 659
RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
i can see it now, charlie's post after his ml elk hunt.....
i shot but no bang.... the weather just din't help me.....
i am just giving some advice... on this site i have seen that is kinda useless though[&:]
have fun, and good luck!
i shot but no bang.... the weather just din't help me.....
i am just giving some advice... on this site i have seen that is kinda useless though[&:]
have fun, and good luck!
05-09-2005, 06:01 AM
#19
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: La Grange, TX
Posts: 324
RE: Best place to shoot an elk??
Roskoe
FWIW my only failure on head shots was with a small high speed bullet. Took the deer down but it got up to my surprise and we never found it...... Now even on head shots I'm in the 30 cal range. FWIW the 22-250 and 243 had been 100% up till then. With 5 deer a year over the years.....
Manboy- misunderstood the 209 thing. Glad I'm using 777 as we hunted in 5 days of rain last year and the gun went bang both times it was supposed without a sealed breach.
FWIW my only failure on head shots was with a small high speed bullet. Took the deer down but it got up to my surprise and we never found it...... Now even on head shots I'm in the 30 cal range. FWIW the 22-250 and 243 had been 100% up till then. With 5 deer a year over the years.....
Manboy- misunderstood the 209 thing. Glad I'm using 777 as we hunted in 5 days of rain last year and the gun went bang both times it was supposed without a sealed breach.
was it a kill? a nice on? ml is alot of fun, i have not hunted with one yet, but shoot alot! good hunting!