What was the distance you shot your elk? I shot my largest elk to date last year at 317yd (300WSM). I have shot a couple of spikes under 100yd. And a two cows under 150yds (all with 270).

If you take away the long range hunter, do hunters routinely have the opportunity to shoot at greater than 300 yds? Siting around drinking beers last night with some hunter friends we wrote down all the elk and the distances. 21 bulls all but one (mine) ahot under 200 yds.

Nothing I have shot has been over 250. Last cow I shot was between 175 and 200yds. I have always tried to stalk in as close as possible.

My longest was 212 yds.
30 yd for close shot.
30-338 w/180 partition in most cases.

I took my first in around 1980 at about 450yds downhill first time in the MTS and elk hunting. A flatland Texan hunting public land in CO. Everything since has been less the 275 with average under 200.

quote:

What was the distance you shot your elk?

my one and only bull elk was 301 yards as measured by a Leica rangefinder.....the .35 Whelen leveled on the top of the back put it down on the first shot using a 225 grain partition.

Shot was slightly downhill over sticks.

All have been under 200 yards.

I've shot elk from 35 yards to150 yards for the most prt. Onl;y one very long range shot and that was at 530 yards kaser measured. There was just no way to get closer but my .300 Win. mag. was up to the task and conditions for the shot were perfect. No wind at all, the elk was totally undisturbed, I had a good solid sitting position and the several month of long range practice paid off handsomely. I eally do noy like long shots but cam make them if I have to.
Paul B.

Depends on where you hunt them? In the Timber I have shot them as close as 20 yards with a bow. In the wide open big canyon prairies as far as 500 yards.

one broadside at 100, the rest all between 250-325.

8-280 yards

One at appox. 30 yds. with a muzzle loader, the other appox. 175 yds. with a .270 Win.
Neither went very far.

One at 280 yards, the rest between 30 and 100 yards.

Four under 30 yards with a bow. One at about 100 with a Shiloh sharps 45-70, and one at about 250 with a 338 Win.

My first elk was close to 400 yards, everything else has been much closer all the way down to 13 yards with a bow.

None of my sport-hunted 6x6s have been over 200 yards, the very first at about 160 yards, the very last at about 90-100 yards. I very much enjoyed huntng those guys, all on foot from a base camp, through forest clad mountains in AZ as steep as a mini-grand canyon, and was pleased to get that close to them.

Later, when I was doing control shooting of cow elk in another state, the game managers running the show required me to shoot at elk as far as 880 yards away (1/2-section fence line away). They picked each elk I was to shoot during that work. The longest I killed was about 10 yards the other side of that particular fence. Lucky shot broke her back; Took a second shot from about 10 yards to finish her.

One has to realize though, that I was assigned to that work because I had a LOT of experience as a long-range high-power shooter, which meant that I had the "come-ups" for 400-1,000 yards in 100 yard increments taped to the side of my stock (in Canadian high power competition, we shot 300,400, 500, 600, 800, 900, and 1,000 yards in TR matches before they switched to metric, and 1,100 and 1,200 in MR matches), and at long range I had plenty of time to adjust for them.

I refused to do cow shooting any more after 3 years of it. Found it disgusting & cruel work and couldn't accept their rationalizations of it any more, even though I was personally having the meat cut, wrapped, and frozen at my expense, and delivered it myself to needy families in my home area.

About 200 yards. I'm not one to try a kill in the next zip code.

With BP in Co you can't use optical sights or sabots. Most of mine were 25-50 yards.
When we used to hunt the rifle season in the same area, your shots were either in the black timber or small parks meaning 25-125 yards or from one ridge to the other meaning 300 or more yards.
So it sort of depends on the terrain.

Shortest was about 25-30 yards longest was 425 yards. Most of my elk were killed at 150 to 180 yards. I've killed every elk with a 30/06 and 180 grain bullets. By and large I used Sierra bullets and every one was and exit.
On elk I've recovered 2 bullets and both were 180 grain Accubonds.
450 yards is about my personal limit for a shot on elk and only then if everything is right. There are times when a 50 yard shot is not right and should not be taken.

Closest was about 9 feet on a cow that I watched trot on the trail I was standing on for 10 minutes before she rounded the oak brush. The spot between her eyes was bigger than the field of view in the scope and quite fuzzy I might add. (30-06 165 red box federal)
The longest was 425 long steps across a alfalfa field on a nice 5x5. (.338 Win Mag 275 Speer) Best shot was a cow in the neck standing on a pond dam at about 365 paced. Since the snow was so deep, I simply sat down in it until I could my slung sitting position with just my torso / shoulders up out of the snow. Very solid. Tipped her over like a duck at the shooting gallary. (same 30-06 and 165 Red box federal)
Glad you did not ask about the ones we missed.
dmw

Two under 50 yards with a .54 caliber muzzle loader. Two under 150 yards with a 30.06 and a 308 and one at 175 yards with a 7 Mag.

Absolute longest shot was just over 250 yds. Shortest shot was 17 yd. About 15 elk in-between, most under 100 yds. I don't believe in bragging about how far I shot, but I do get considerable satisfaction from how close I stalked.

Closest shot was 11 yards but the average is about 275 yards with most shots set up between 250 - 325 hunting opposite ridges in the area we hunt. Most with 7mm Rem mag, changed loads from various Noslers to 150 grain Barnes tipped tsx - very good elk bullet.

I have killed two
Both just under 200 yards
One with a .270 140 grn Accubond
The other with a 30-06 150 grn Accubond
Last year I watched a heard of elk at just over 400
feeding on a mountainside and didn't fire a shot because
I wasn't confident of myself at that distance

My Elk have been killed from 19 yards to 299 yards, lazered distances. Most from 150 to 225 yards. Good shooting.

I've killed elk with a rifle from 50yds to 875yds and with a muzzleloader from about 30yds to 208yds. Only 3 or 4 were over 500yds with a rifle. Most of my long rifle shots were before laser rangefinders and I use to use a Zeiss optical rangefinder from WW11. Then I got into muzzleloader hunting for a dozen years or so.

1st elk 4x3 bull at about 50 yards with 180 grain Remington corelokt. 2nd elk 5x5 bull at about 200 yards with 180 grain Remington corelokt. BOth were shot with .30-06.

Longest shot for me was 225 yards, on a cow that was part of a triple kill. All bang flop, mine with a 35 Whelen. Most are 25 to 100 yds, and I have shot a bunch in between those yardages. Here in Arizona, I haven't seen a shot I could take @ 300yds. Guess it's where you hunt. Although, I do prefer to sneak up on them like an indian. Closest I have been to a herd of elk was 4 yards.

Jerry

My longest ever was on a respectable 5X5 at 433 yards with my .375H&H. I'd say my average is under 200 yards with a smattering at closer to 300.

The last two I killed were at 232 up a steep chute and at about 100 yards busting out of dark timber.

The 232 was with a .30-06 and a 180 gr TSX the 100 was with my .375 and a 270 Gr TSX.

My longest was at 465 in perfect conditions with a rifle I shot a ton and knew exactly where it hit out to 500. That was when I was younger and I prefer to not shoot long range anymore. I would say for elk my average shot is about 225 yards. I have taken 17 to date.

I shot a 5x6 at 460 yards. Perfect conditions and was prone. I used a .300 H&H Mag out of a Winchester M70 with 200 grn Partitions.

I only shot one cow elk.. when I went on this hunt I was told that shots will be from 250-400 yards ... I shot my cow elk at a amzing long 23 yards with a 300 Weatherby Mag and a 180gr TSX at 3290 FPS.... if I would go agin in that area I would use my 20" barrle 308 Winchester with 168gr TSX

If you can find out how you are going to be shooting and they know your going to shooting shorter ranges (300 yards and less) then the good old 270 Win , 30-06 would be just fine you put the shot where it is needed and they will go down

Sadly, from my fingertips to the keyboard.

My one and only elk (a 6x6 bull) was shot at 119 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by Longwalker:
I don't believe in bragging about how far I shot, but I do get considerable satisfaction from how close I stalked.

quote:

Originally posted by PD999:

quote:

Originally posted by Longwalker:
I don't believe in bragging about how far I shot, but I do get considerable satisfaction from how close I stalked.

I agree, but the argument that I am trying to settle (in my own little mind) is in most cases, elk are shot under 300yds.

quote:

I agree, but the argument that I am trying to settle (in my own little mind) is in most cases, elk are shot under 300yds.

Yep the vast majority are.

quote:

I agree, but the argument that I am trying to settle (in my own little mind) is in most cases, elk are shot under 300yds.



Yep the vast majority are.

Probably 98% are.

My first, a big fat 6x6 Bull sleeping at 600yrds. I was siting down with a stump for a rest. My last, 27 elk later, a big fat Cow at 10 yards. the first one with an 8mm Rem mag, the last with a 9.3x64. All in between with a 338WM or a 300RUM.

quote:

Originally posted by Jon Beutler:
What was the distance you shot your elk?

I've only ever shot two, one on a guided hunt from about 375 yards, one on a freelance excursion from about 50 yards.

Got drawn for a depredation hunt (cow) on Ted Turners place near Raton. Ranged @ 273 yds and maybe +2 or 3 by the time I had settled across the hood. Ruger #1 300 Win Mag with Federal 180 gr. Nosler partitions. She was doing the death kick with one hind leg as I came out of recoil. Behind the right shoulder angle forward out the left front. Took lungs and heart out.