So what wrong with a .243 on Elk?

[Engineering101]

Greg

I've shot a couple of dozen deer with my 6mm Rem which is pretty much equivalent to your 243 AI. Distances ranged from 6 inches up to maybe 125 yards. Those shot in the lungs which was most of them went 0 to 20 yards. There was usually no meat damaged – which to me is important. I used 100 grain Sierra Game Kings or equivalent for most of those and that bullet would usually stop on the ribs on the opposite side - pretty much the perfect deer gun.

When I go elk hunting I carry a 338 RUM loaded with 210 gr Barnes TTSXs running right around 3,200 fps. A couple years ago that combo put down a nice 6X6 Blue Mountain elk and it went less than 20 yards. This was a broadside lung shot, 358 yards, 21 degree down angle. It was 4 hours up to the top with loaded pack board and that was just to get to the horses. There is no way I would take a shot like that with my 6mm Rem and that is a typical or even short shot in the Blues.

Idaho has got a lot of elk country that is pretty much the same thing. Even if a 6mm would kill an elk there is a significant chance that it will go more than 20 yards which is really bad for at least two reasons. One, you may not find it and two, it is now 6 hours to the top.

I've seen a wounded elk shot up like an old World War II bomber with steam coming out both sides go literally for miles and that was only a spike. If you don't put them down with the first shot and you get their adrenaline flowing you are in a world of hurt. (No I was not the fool that wounded that elk.)

So here is a thought. Borrow a rifle that will kill and elk for sure before it gets to the next county. Buy a box of ammo with Barnes bullets and give the leftovers to the owner when you give the gun back. Cost for you – a box of ammo.

 

[cohunter14]

It doesn't sound like you are enjoying the answers you are getting. If you mess it up because of being undergunned, I'm sure we won't be reading about it here.

You could buy yourself a $400-500 used rifle to shoot your elk and borrow a scope from another rifle, but it seems that is too much to ask. For many people, that is all the gun they will ever own. The rifle I am using for my 6.5x284 build was a 270 Win and I paid exactly $285 for it. The one I am using for my Mauser build was a stainless long action 116 in 7mm Rem Mag and I traded that for a slug gun that was worth a bit over $500.

Do it right, use enough gun.

Completely agree westcliffe, I don't think he wants to hear the truth. Although I will not argue that a .243 can kill an elk if you keep the distance reasonable. On the other hand, here are the issues I have:

The first time I hunt up there will be next year and I only plan of buying a Deer tag just to see what the chances are of running into a lot of Elk. I probably will but then Jackies Dad hunts for one reason only and thats meat, so it the opportunity arises for me to help him out I will...

Some years ago I went deer hunting with a freind .......he had a tag but I did not . I was hunting for Coyotes with my .222 loaded with 46gr Calhoon bullets. He told me that if you see a nice buck shoot it.............Of course I ran into a really nice 4x4 one moring and hit him right behind the shoulder at just over 100 yards. He went down tried to get up then fell back dead...

Greg, if you want to hunt any animal, probably best to get a tag for it. Another tip: if you are going to talk about illegally taking animals, you might not want to use your real name as well as your location on a random website.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Duerr
Some years ago I went deer hunting with a freind .......he had a tag but I did not . I was hunting for Coyotes with my .222 loaded with 46gr Calhoon bullets. He told me that if you see a nice buck shoot it.............Of course I ran into a really nice 4x4 one moring and hit him right behind the shoulder at just over 100 yards. He went down tried to get up then fell back dead...

Greg, if you want to hunt any animal, probably best to get a tag for it. Another tip: if you are going to talk about illegally taking animals, you might not want to use your real name as well as your location on a random website.


***Some people are just plain stupid when they get on the net and there have been a number busted just because of statements like that one or pictures of themselves with illegal kills! This was another prime example of that!!!

 

[westcliffe01]

Maybe Greg is a government official doing some fishing ? Many of the western states have laws regarding Min energy for taking game. Anyway, it gives none of us a good name when people go blasting away in the mountains with weapons that are unlikely to make a clean kill. I believe that abandonment of wounded game is also a misdemeanor charge at the very least... Wanton destruction or something along those lines.

Greg has reported here in this forum that he had a heck of a time trying to shoot any high BC bullets and had to "settle" for flat based bullets, so his rifle is not even comparable to some shown in the youtube videos shooting cow elk with 105gr VLD's.

 

[hunterbob]

Please...LOL
I would use my , 30-06, 308 or my 270 instead of the 243. Sure a 243, it will kill an elk. What if you run into a big bear up there, and you have to shoot. Probably never tell the story about it here. Besides I believe in following the rules and being an ethical hunter. I have had plenty of shots at game, that I didn't have a tag for. I could have shot them, but I didn't have a tag. You just cannot do illegal stuff or it will catch up to you. I surely would not hunt with Greg.

 

[cohunter14]

It's difficult when you start talking about taking an elk with a .243 in a long range shooting forum. Of course you can shoot a .243 and kill an elk, and I actually think Greg was on the right path with his shot selection (broad side, short distance, etc), but how often does that really happen? I know he was hoping for more support in doing that, but I would say if you want to hunt elk, get a license (first of all) and then get a bigger gun to help out when everything doesn't go 'perfect.' That's my two cents at least...

And I do agree with Westcliffe, if you do pull some of these illegal moves, don't post about them on these threads. It gives everyone else here a bad name.

 

[cohunter14]

Please...LOL
I would use my , 30-06, 308 or my 270 instead of the 243. Sure a 243, it will kill an elk. What if you run into a big bear up there, and you have to shoot. Probably never tell the story about it here. Besides I believe in following the rules and being an ethical hunter. I have had plenty of shots at game, that I didn't have a tag for. I could have shot them, but I didn't have a tag. You just cannot do illegal stuff or it will catch up to you. I surely would not hunt with Greg.

Agree Bob...By the way, I agree that although your opinions may have gotten a little off track on this thread, they were by no means going against what this forum is all about. Simply stating some facts, not judging someone on their ethics...

 

[bigngreen]

I would be real interesting to know just how many elk most of the guys posting to this thread have killed in the last few years or been in on killing.

OP, go with the advice from they guys your hunting with, they know what their doing in their elk hunting area and will give you much better advice, for some reason killing elk makes some guys heads spin on their shoulders when they are behind the glaring light of computer screens

 

[FEENIX]

I would be real interesting to know just how many elk most of the guys posting to this thread have killed in the last few years or been in on killing.

OP, go with the advice from they guys your hunting with, they know what their doing in their elk hunting area and will give you much better advice, for some reason killing elk makes some guys heads spin on their shoulders when they are behind the glaring light of computer screens

It don't get no simpler than that! lightbulb

 

[Topgun 30-06]

I would be real interesting to know just how many elk most of the guys posting to this thread have killed in the last few years or been in on killing.

OP, go with the advice from they guys your hunting with, they know what their doing in their elk hunting area and will give you much better advice, for some reason killing elk makes some guys heads spin on their shoulders when they are behind the glaring light of computer screens

***I quit trying to draw expensive bull tags in the Wyoming unit I hunt in that takes 6 or 7 years to draw and just help a couple friends and their friends when they draw tags. Right now we are 9 for 10 on good bulls in the high 200s to a 357 3/8" monster over the last 7 or 8 seasons. The only tag that wasn't filled was when a friend passed on a bunch of smaller bulls while trying to take a bigger bull we had scouted. None of them was shot with anything smaller than a .270 and the .300 Win Mag was the biggest and none of them took more than a couple steps. Pictures of the best two are attached. Sure, as people have stated, a .243 will kill an elk, but how far might it go unless you're advocating head shots with it and I won't touch that subject with a ten foot pole! Use a caliber designed for the size animal you are going after with the proper bullet and don't handicap yourself with a caliber like a .243 that was designed for deer and smaller game. Incidentally, the only thing I can say about the gal who took a frontal shot at a bull elk with a .243 is very lucky to have recovered it as that's not a great shot for obvious reasons, especially for that caliber. I'll use my .243 Sako for deer and antelope and not look back, but I will move up to my 30-06s with Hornady Interbonds if I buy another cow tag. I also have a 25-06 Ruger that will drive tacks, but I don't even use it for anything bigger than deer and it's a definite step up from the .243.

 

[hunterbob]

I would be real interesting to know just how many elk most of the guys posting to this thread have killed in the last few years or been in on killing.

OP, go with the advice from they guys your hunting with, they know what their doing in their elk hunting area and will give you much better advice, for some reason killing elk makes some guys heads spin on their shoulders when they are behind the glaring light of computer screens

Bigngreen :
Right-on ... Like my hunting buddy always said, when some one was bragging about how good a shot they are, like quoting .07 group, or made shot 700 yds., etc... He would say, "Lets get a target up, and put it on paper." The target doesn't lie.

 

[hunterbob]

Topgun 30-06:

I agree with you, all the way on what you're saying as far as caliber matching the game. I never hunted Elk or Mule Deer, yet that is, but I already have the guns to do it with. One of these days I'll be hunting them...

 

[Greg Duerr]

Well, I will do you guys justice and let you know how it came out .........I will post it on the Elk hunting sight....................... "Use enough gun" can vary from person to person. I work with a guy, "Steve" who has shot three Elk with his 25-06 and feel that it is more than enough gun for Elk. When I shot my Bull, I ran into a guy with a really nice 6x6 who used a 25-06 with no problem, and then Im sure that you will find guys on this sight that will tell you that a 6.5x284 might not be enough gun for long shots, and they are probably right...........

In the end its all about the distance and shot placement. If I kept all my shots on Cows, at 200 or less or Bulls at 150 or less with perfect shot placement, by waiting for the right shot.....................

In Nevada the Elk hunting is lilke nothing you have ever seen...............you will see more trophy bulls in a week than you will see in a life time in Idaho..............I hunted for four days and saw over 50 bulls....................my brother in law "Jim" said that when he hunted eastern Nevada 350 bulls were common. So in places like that you would be compelled to use enough gun. Where in Idaho unless you have perfect conditions your not going to see a lot of big bulls...........................I have heard that the herds are down because of the Wolves......................Elk Hunting in that area might not be that good unless the problem changes.................

Just my input.

Greg

 

[D.Camilleri]

In order to learn from experience, a hunter must know people that have had failures. A few years back a co-worker took his wife elk hunting. She shot a nice 6 point bull with her 25-06, a good shot right behind the shoulder. He is a good hunter, as a matter of fact he is currently a Gov hunter. The bull soaked up the shot and kept going. My friend only had his 22-250 with him and didn't think he needed to try and shoot the bull again because he figured it would drop in a short distance. Well, that didn't happen. The bull was never recovered!

Yesterday, I was watching a new TV show called Tracking or something similar. The host shot a nice bull with a suitable elk rifle, found lots of blood and never found the bull after looking for over two days.

Bad stuff can happen with a good hit. It happens less often using TOO MUCH GUN. Using too little of gun is just a matter of time and if it happens to be the bull or buck of a lifetime, you will never forget.

For what it is worth, I have killed a lot of elk and have lost two both to bad hits blowing off a front leg and I could never catch up to either one and I still feel bad that they were coyote bait. Of all the elk that I hit good, they never took more than a couple of steps, with most DRT and that is why I shoot a 338 Rum. Last years bull was 550 yards and DRT and if he would have run into the bottom of the canyon to die, I might still be there getting out the pieces.