I always hear about 300 to 350 yard shots on elk and was wondering what the actual range generally is. I have never personally shot that far, and I'm sure it takes time to be proficient at that range.

Which state?

Idaho, Montana, wyoming.

The type of terrain and vegetative cover has a lot to do with how distant your shots may be on any given quarry.

Elk in thick, dark timber can be very close -- measured in feet and not yards. On the open plains or across mountain meadows they can be several hundred yards.

I've taken elk, or been with others who have taken elk as close as under 50 yards and and as far as 350 yards. Personally, my longest shot has been around 225 and closest about 50. The fifty was in thick timber in Wyoming and the 225 was across an open meadow in Colorado. The only elk I've seen further away while hunting, and there have been many, were so far away that they were clearly out of range for anyone other than a complete fool.

If you are in heavy timber 25 to 75 yards.In open 50 to 200.More if you are a long range shooter trying to prove something.30/06 is all you would ever need for Elk.

My closest shot on elk was around 65 yards. My furthest was a lasered 430 yards. The 4.5 x 14 x 50 is my choice and it performs just right.

Our family has killed a few dozen elk in various terrain all over NM. The longest shot I can recall was 298 yards, while the shortest was probably less than 10 with a bow. The average (excluding bow hunts) is probably around 150 yards or so.

The areas I hunted in Wy and Utah were very open. The normal range was a bit over 200 yards. The longest was just over 300.

Elk are a big target. If you have time and a good rest, 300 yards is pretty simple. But you do need to practice at those ranges.

quote:

Originally posted by OLBIKER:
If you are in heavy timber 25 to 75 yards.In open 50 to 200.More if you are a long range shooter trying to prove something.30/06 is all you would ever need for Elk.

Give me a break!

I guess even you are entitled to an opinion albeit flawed.

Zeke

quote:

Originally posted by OLBIKER:
If you are in heavy timber 25 to 75 yards.In open 50 to 200.More if you are a long range shooter trying to prove something.30/06 is all you would ever need for Elk.

X2 More truthful words have not been spoken for a long time on this forum

I should know better than to try to change someone's mind by calling out stupid stuff but it's hard to read things that makes no sense.

No one is trying to "prove" anything if the shot needs to be made across a little canyon at 300 yards or so.

The whole idea is just silly when someone says "simply get closer". Yes, this applies if it's too far for the shooter's range...and he should KNOW his abilities!

Shoot more, type less!

Zeke

40 years in Colorado, and 6 prior in Idaho.

Average, for me, has been 175-225yds, with the closest (rifle) being about 25 feet and the furthest 417yds.

Most were taken with a 270Win, and either a 150gr Partition or 150, 140 or 130gr Barnes X, XLC, TSX or TTSX.

My furthest was 298 haven't had to shot farer.

Would I for sure I and my 300 WM are up to it for sure. I prefer shots under 200.

But life isn't always that nice.

15-40 yds. Black timber in Colorado.

I have passed up several shots at 70-150 yds.

Because of difficulty getting them out.

BH63

I have hunted and killed them in Colorado and California, and in cover from black timber to bald-ass prairie. I hunt private and public lands. Of the ones I have shot, or guided friends and relatives for, the longest shot was a Tule Elk on open plains on public land in California and was 375 yards. The closest was in semi-open cover in Colorado, and was 25 yards. The average has been an estimated 125 to 150 yards. The biggest bull I have killed was this year on public land and was shot from a meadow edge into an aspen grove at about 135 yards. I can only remember two that were shot at over 200 yards.

This very same topic came up here several years ago (3?) At that time I tried to remember every elk I killed and the distances for each one and came up with 178 yards as the average shot. This had a short of about 25 yards and furthest at 425 but a bunch in between.
Nearly every Elk was killed with a 30/06.
Most killed in Colorado and a few in Oregon when I was in my teens and early 20's.
There was no difference in distances between Oregon or Colorado.
That thread I mentioned earlier brought out all the same opinions from people who can't shoot further than 200 yards so anyone that does "should get closer" or "be a better hunter".
When I hear these statements you can tell right away they don't have any measurable experience hunting in the west and should be the last people telling anyone how it should be done.
I don't recall the OP asking for opinions on how far is too far to "shoot at an elk", question was "Average distance of elk shot"
If conditions were right I would kill elk day in day out at 350 to 450 yards and even a bit further, if conditions are not right I've passed on 35 yard shots.
Whatever distance you intend to "shoot at elk" it would be helpful if you have experience at that distance shooting your rifle and shoot it well.

It is really open here in Eastern Washington so most shots were 300-400 yards. I shot one in The Timber in Montana at about 75 yards.

Back when we hunted mornings and evenings.
Went back to camp or the ranch house mid day.
Most shots were 75-250 yards. They were calm, when seeing us they'd stand and watch until they decided what was up unless we got our shots off first. We never shot over 250-300yds though.

One summer as a stupid assed kid shooting pine squirrles with a .22. I shot a bull at about 50 feet under the ear one August, about 1960.

Dad and I rounded a hill and a 6pt was drinking at about 75 feet. I leaned the wrong way and couldn't shoot, too young to think! Dad hit it on the shoulder and it got away into really dark black timber. Another hunter got it later.

Rancher and I walked up on one about 75 feet again, in the open of all things. His first shot into the whithers set him down. Got up and ran past me at 25 feet. Sorry bullets in the late 50's, blew up on the point of the shoulder. He went down a bit over 30 feet and I blew his head apart with another junk bullet.

Where we hunted ranged from 3 miles across a big park, to small patches of grass among the tree's. One time sneaking thru these small patch's and finger sized quakie sprouts I walked by the rear end of a bull that had his head down eating that didn't know I was there for a bit. So close I could have touched his ass with my rifle barrel. Not knowing what it was for sure, I started to take another step to see the head. Never put my foot down and eased right back and he was gone like smoke. Never a sound til he clanked rocks crossing the crik over the bank. I ran to the side and opening. He was going up the far side of the valley about 80 yards and stopped broadside to see what spooked him. Fatal mistake. I was amazed at how narrow his ass was on a full grown bull.

In later years, wide open, and thin timber with a bunch of guys. Some were killed at 30-40 feet, others were lobbed at over half mile. Ass kicking time, my opinion on that stupidity wasn't very popular. Much like the one above.

I'd say, not really knowing the facts of seeing from where to where. That most up there were less than 200yds. This is more than 100 head in all.

I did notice the "long Range lobbers" had made all the elk wild as hell. Soon as they hit the open they were running hard as they could. Even when it was several miles across to the next timber. All my experience has been here in COLO. Since about 1955.
I've killed 13 elk.

George

I've killed a small handful of elk so the math was simple.

170 yards ave.

ive killed 9 bulls, 6 in Colorado and 3 in New Mexico. My experience is simply when you are hunting a bull in rut conditions or end of rut, you have around 10-15 cows to also bust you. just because the bull is rut-crazy the cows are tuned in so I cant remember shooting a bull under 250 yards and my furthest was 465 yds. To hunt rut conditions I normally put in for a muzzleloader tag in NM and my best bull and best shot was with my ultimate firearms at 377 yds.

I had a fast opportunity to shoot a bull at about 50y and another to shoot a cow at about 200y through trees. Both on public land. Where we were hunting (NW COLORADO) I don't think you were gonna get a shot over 250-300y unless you were really trying and it would be very sharp angle shooting.

We did a lot of walking through black timber with the scope on 3x and stalking through that I would have felt good carrying my bow.

These trips inspired my username...and is probably the most work I have done hunting and the most fun I have had being in the outdoors. A lot of good memories climbing the mountains with my Dad.

I killed 7 elk when I lived in Colorado. I've killed 28 more since I moved to Montana.

The closest kill was 10 yards, the farthest was maybe 250 yards.

Eight of my first 10 elk were killed with a .30-06. All of my other elk could easily have been killed with a .30-06 but that wasn't the rifle that I was hunting with.

All of my elk hunts have been DIY, and most of them were solo hunts.

9 elk
Closest 80 yards, longest 250 yards. Most 100 yards or so.
Used a .280 Rem on the first 6 and now use a .300 win mag.

Bullet placement is always the key.

Two elk. One at about 120yds, the other at 540 yards.

I've taken six elk with six shots....the longest was 301 yards....the shortest just under 210 yards

I would estimate my average kill has been about 265 yards
Longest shot was with a .35 Whelen....the next two longest with a .30-06 then a .280 Remington...then two with a .300 H&H

longest 450 ish, (378)
shortest 12 ( Bowen 475)
avg 150-170 ( several calibers from 257, up)

So between those I have shot and friends/family I have been in on over 100 elk kills. Mostly Wy and a few in Id. The area you hunt can dictate the ranges. Anywhere from 30-400 yds. A good accurate rifle along with a proper rest and 400 yds is not that difficult. I would guess that a good average is 125-175 yds. I killed a lot of mine with a .270. Now a days I like the 28 calibers and up.
Bruce

quote:

Originally posted by ZekeShikar:

quote:

Originally posted by OLBIKER:
If you are in heavy timber 25 to 75 yards.In open 50 to 200.More if you are a long range shooter trying to prove something.30/06 is all you would ever need for Elk.

Give me a break!

I guess even you are entitled to an opinion albeit flawed.

Zeke

I believe the question was what is the AVERAGE DISTANCE of most elk are shot.No where did I state I would not shoot any further than 200 yards.

quote:

Originally posted by OLBIKER:

I believe the question was what is the AVERAGE DISTANCE of most elk are shot.

I reckon the OP can ignore any advice and do the math. LOL

IMO Just giving an average is pretty worthless, since where and how you hunt generally determines the range.

I like to stalk in close and use a cow call to bring in the satellite bulls, or still hunt black timber during the day, so almost all of my shots at elk are within 75 yds and sometimes much closer.

Interestingly, most of my mule deer are killed at over 200 yds just because I hunt in a different area of the state with different terrain.

BH63

I've lived in Idaho and NM, full time, since 1980...and have killed alot of elk. Bulls and cows, with rifles and muzzleloaders. No idea of the exact number.

While there is no exact distance, to anticipate killing an elk, there is one general rule that always seem to apply.

The more hunting pressure (OTC tags), the closer the anticipated shot. Black timber, still hunting is the rule here.

The less pressure (private land and/or draw tags), the longer the shot opportunities. You are much more likely to catch them in the open, during legal shooting hours.

There are exceptions, of course. For example, I shot a cow elk around noon, while waiting for dad to finish preparing lunch....used the truck to drag it into camp! 195 yard shot. 1st elk I had seen in 5 days of hard hunting in Hell's Canyon!

There are NO definitives in elk hunting.

Andy3

I believe the question was what is the AVERAGE DISTANCE of most elk are shot.No where did I state I would not shoot any further than 200 yards. [/QUOTE]



You said "more if you're a long range shooter trying to prove something" hence my "give me a break" comment.
I say, why don't you say what you mean and mean what you say?

To the OP since I derailed "trying" to school some olbiker:
I usually shoot a couple elk per year over the last 47 years of serious elk hunting (65) and I'd say the "average" shot is about 250. Last year I killed a great bull in very open country at <40 yards with my 300 RUM but I also killed a cow farther....much farther and the longer shot was just as solid as the close one. Do your homework and KNOW YOUR effective range and don"t compromise your standards. If you can't keep the shots in a 6" circle, under field conditions, then it's too far.
I like to practice long and try to hunt close as possible before the shot.

Zeke

I have killed 8 bulls, five of which are 6x6 or better. Killed three at about 30 yards, one at 40, one at 80, two at 100, and one at 640. All were taken with a .338 WM.

quote:

Do your homework and KNOW YOUR effective range and don"t compromise your standards. If you can't keep the shots in a 6" circle, under field conditions, then it's too far.

That's it in a nutshell!

.

I’ve shot about 2 dozen elk total, using bow, muzzleloader and rifles. I’ve killed elk in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, New Mexico, Wyoming and Montana, in all types of terrain. I’ve hunted them in every western state except Washington, plus in Alberta and BC.

Overall, I’d guess my average distance is around 150 yards. Closest was an archery shot at 10 yards, farthest was so far i was (STUPIDLY) holding horizontal wire a bit above the cow’s head and she dropped at first shot with a 270. I’m not sure but I’d guess she was around 700 yards. That was dumb and I got lucky.

Average archery shot has probably been 25 yards, muzzleloader shot 75 yards and rifle probably 250 yards. Last 2 bulls I shot were lazered at 320 and 355 yards with my 338. IMO, the 338 Win Mag is as close to the ideal caliber for shooting mature bulls as exists. Big bulls are tougher than cows and younger bulls. I’ve shot elk with my 264 and 270, but nowadays when hunting only for a big bull, I always use my 338 if rifle hunting.

If you want to kill a giant, hunt during the rut and draw a muzzleloader or archery tag. The very biggest bulls I’ve taken or had the opportunity to take, with 1 exception, have all been during the rut with bow or muzzleloader in hand.

8 elk 227 yards was the average

My average elk kill is 152 yards.

I've killed right at 10 maybe a couple more. Farthest 424 yds in open country last season again open country 370 yds. The closest 30 plus yards in not dark timber but in woods. Unscientific avg. 120yds. I have no problem picking up my 270 or 300WM for Elk. I have hunted CO (many times) NM(numerous) WY (multiple) UT (once). Confidence is a big part of shooting and shooting is a perishable skill, so practice.

Of the several bulls I have taken, all were under 200 yards. I carry a 7mm RM, but could have done as well with just about any rifle.

First bull was 80 yards with a 375 h-h.
Next bull 35 with a bow. Then a bull at 100 yards with a 30-06 then a cow at 160 with a 308 Win. Last one was a cow at 400 308 Win.

Average is 155. All one shot except the last cow. Hit first at 400 yards, then 100, then headshot at 20 yards.

I've killed 7 elk. All within 200 yds. 1 with a 30-30 AI. the rest with a 308. We all must be light weights on this forum. I watch those boys on the TV hunting shows kill elk at 800-1000 + yds. plus other assortment of animals at those distances.

Probably my lack of intelligence or attention to detail but I swear a couple of times some of those animals had changed their horn configurations from the time of the shot to the recovery. Probably just a skeptical character defect on my part.