Are Elk easy to kill?

MontanaRifleman · #22 07-07-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theodore

That couldn't be any more right. Shot placement and the right bullet selection combination is often misunderstood.

A person recommended tsx or partition for 243s on larger animals. These bullets do penetrate better but the wound channel isn't as large.

I know the 7mm 168vld causes wound channels as large as 18" on elk. Anybody think that elk will recover like some others did? Don't know how large the wound channel gets with a 243 vld.

If the time comes that I have to kill an elk with a 243, it would be with the berger vlds due to excellent penetration and violent expansion. But the problem with the vlds is that they are not consistent for pass through (pretty much a granade goes off inside of the animal) so some hunters go with harder bullets for pass through like tsx and partitions.

Or you could do yourself a favor and get a larger caliber.

Elk are so dang tough!!!!

Its funny to see the topic "are elk easy to kill" -yeah with a cannon

okay, okay, okay they can also die from a headshot with a 22.

A couple of points -

First, I agree with AJ. For deep relaible penetration, the more mass the better. The more the bullet comes apart, the less mass and the less likey it will penetrate and exit, even more so with the smaller weight/cal bullets. That being said, from what I've read in this forum, many members have used explosive bullets with great success. But it's a whole differnt approach to terminal ballistics. I would use a Berger or similar bullet, but only at extended ranges and lower velocities.

Next, a monometal type bullet will have a more blunt frontal area after expansion than a jacketed type bullet like a Partition or AB. The typical mushroom shaped jacketed bullet will be more rounded. The more blunt frontal area will cause more cavitation and temporary/permanent wound channel than a more round frontal area.

In the case of shooting an elk with a 243, I would limit my shots to 100 yds or less and my bullet choice in order would be...

E-Tip
TSX
Partition
AB

And yup, do yourself and anyone who is hunting with you a favor, and get a larger cal.

-MR

theodore · #23 07-07-2009, 05:14 PM

I meant penetration at entrance then violent expansion.

That was dumb of me...

I am learning about other bullets though.

Michael Bent · #24 10-05-2009, 10:04 PM

my dad has been hunting elk for 25 years as well as the rest of my family. I'm a new bee and have only been hunting them for around 5 years. but i have learned that people lose a lot of elk when they try and shoot them through the chest

remember this is just my experience and the rough ride that the horses were forced to under go to chase these elk for 5 or more miles in some cases to catch these elk.

this elk i'm talking about was shot about 5 miles from the park line in gardiner and was chased up hill all the way past the last road on its way to the park line. i crossed his blood trail at the last road about 2.5 miles from where it was shot and it was bleeding a reasonable amount of blood every breath. or about every 5 feet.

as far as i know the kid got his elk but there was a lot of unnecisary work to do so.

i don't have horses and likewise prefer a shoot and drop type of method. i do this by shooting them in the spine. either i miss over the top of them. i hit them in the spine and the drop right where they are and only have their front legs. or i miss low and take both lungs and possibly the heart.

this is my method because in alot the situations where i hunt there are alot of hunters and the game is few. so the hunters will some times take your elk if it gets away. and lets face it i don't like to trail and track animals.

i have been shooting 150gr nosler balistic silvertips. i have seen them one shot elk out to 300 yards at least 5 times. they work well and are great for their purpose. i think that they would be just fine out to 500-600 yards and then they are not accurate enough at least in my set up to do the job. Now i'm trying the berger vld 168 grains in my 7mm mag and have seen that these bullets have performed out to 1000 yards just fine. Now it is my job to get them there.

for me elk is what i hunt and if i can find an elk that isn't spooked they are easy to kill. with a high shoulder or spine shot. if they are spooked and adrenaline shocked they can have their heart shot in two and still run a half mile or more. they are a hard animal to call easy or hard to kill. if you can find a bull that isn't experting the shot he is easy to drop. but if he has been running or knows whats coming he will fight and make you run almost all the lead you carry through the gun before he will finally give up and die. like people said before this may only happen after they took you another 1.5 miles back into the back country and through the worst timber they can find before they finally die.

theodore · #25 10-05-2009, 11:54 PM

Just realized that elk actually are easy to kill with a marginal caliber like 50 cals but sadly they are outlawed for hunting in the states around here.

wadedc · #26 10-06-2009, 12:14 AM

Keep shooting till it is down and if it is down be ready to shoot when it gets up!

Wade

squirrelduster · #27 10-06-2009, 12:17 AM

My brother recently was drawn for a rare Rocky Mountain Elk archery hunt in California.
He shot a real nice 5x5 bull at 35 yards out of a tree stand. The bull jumped a little and he cow called and the bull stopped at 100 yards. The bull stood there for 54 minutes and finally tipped over. During cleaning there was a hole in both lungs and the liver.
If this bull had decided to run off he could have gone a long way in 54 minutes.

Shoot him with a howitzer if you can they are incredibly tough.

I couldn't imagine using a 243 for elk the odds of wounding him are huge compared to a bigger caliber. Respect the animal and if you want to go elk hunting get the rifle to do the job.

MontanaRifleman · #28 10-06-2009, 12:25 AM

Most of putting down an elk is the way you do it. I know a guy who has shot 4 bulls with a 243 and none of them went far. You will hear a lot of different experiences and results when it comes to killing elk.

If you dont spook them and get on a cow call right away, 9 times out of 10 they wont go anywhere. Even if you do spook them, if you get on the cow call you can usually settle them right down and even bring them back.

WhenI I hunt elk I always have a cow call. I use the mouth reed type so both hands are free

-MR

BTW, I am not endorsing a 243 for elk, but I may be usign a 25-06 this year, depending on how quick I can get my 300 RUM up.