Shot placement on elk

[JJMoody]

I have always had great luck shooting behind the shoulder shots. Longest one on an elk was "only" 425. this years Bulls were at 335 and 330. 335 bull was hit hard quartering away and bullet exited with a fist sized hole just in front of the offside shoulder. He was doing the "dead bull wobble" and I dropped him with an insurance shot. Bull 2 was moving and my shot hit about diaphragm and I never did see an exit (it was getting dark and weather was coming in so the investigation was cut short). Bull2 went 30 yards and piled up. He needed a finish shot but wasn't going anywhere. Shooting a .340 wby and 250SMKs. My cousin had a bad experience shooting a shoulder with 180 partition in a 300 win mag. Bullets just kinda splatted his shoulder on 2 shots. Bull stood there while my uncle finished him off. It ruined almost the whole front quarter. Behind the shoulder with"enough gun" gets my vote.

 

[FEENIX]

I like to maximize my odds and go with the lungs when all possible ...

I've seen what Berger bullets does to the lungs/internals ... very impressive.

 

[SansSouci]

80Rooster,

On a once-in-a-lifetime trophy bull elk hunt, my guide wanted me to shoot for the front shoulder. He wanted bulls on the ground and then a kill shot. Well, my HUGE bull had his front shoulders behind a tree. So I shot him where I prefer to shoot all animals, right through his heart. He was dead standing up.

I've heard stories of elk taking a lot of heavy lead (big calibers) only to be lost. A few of those stories might have been true. What I do know is biology always wins. A .243 Win through an elk's heart will kill it more quickly than a mega-magnum in its guts. If any big game animal is lost, it is most likely due to poor shooting.

My advice is to close distance if possible. Were I to see an elk at 500 yards, I'd figure out how I could erase 400 yards. Then I'd find the most steady rest possible. I'd aim for his oxygenated blood pumping equipment. That way, the animal won't suffer, and he'll be very dead when I walk up to him.

 

[Bbear]

Growing up with time spent in Idaho and Colorado, I've seen a few elk shot. I watched a cousin shoot one at about 150 yards with a 338 WM in the shoulder and watch it gouge out a hole in the hide and not penetrate using factory ammo. That one was lost. I've seen another one nick a rib with a 300 Wby mag at about 300 yards and we chased that dang thing over the top of the mountain and finally got it with a high shoulder shot at about 200 yards. I took my first two elk with a 25-06 and a 120 partition and both were DRT, one a neck shot at a whopping 42 paces and the other at a trot at just over 100 yards with the slug through the high shoulder.
I helped my uncle load up one he shot with a 243 behind the shoulder. My Dad's last elk, when he was in his 70's, he hit in the back of the ribs ruining the liver and the front of the stomach. The elk just humped up and let him shoot it again. That was the easiest elk I've seen taken - it died on the uphill side of a two-track, all they had to do was roll it off the hill into the bed of the truck.
My elk this year was taken at 137 yards with a 264 WM loaded to 3200 with 142 NABLR. Blew through both shoulders, not high enough to take the spine and just tore up the front/top of the lungs. He dropped, then got back up facing slightly away from me. An insurance shot put him down for good.
The main point of this whole diatribe is that caliber and cartridge doesn't matter. Arguing pro-vs-con on placement doesn't matter. We all have our favorite spots based upon our own experiences. The main thing is to take a safe, reasonable shot on our game. If it's still standing after the first shot, or, gets back up, keep shooting until it stays down.
I agree with SansSouci's statement " biology always wins" and "close the distance if possible".