Choices, Choices...The Elk Question

[Jay Edward (deceased)]

So....

1) Do you shoot or not?

2) If so...which one?

3) And what is your best bullet placement?

[Gmoney]

Depends on the situation....these bulls do not have headgear that impressive....so it would depend on if you are meathunting, last day of the season....etc....I know a lot of folks that would never shoot two fighting males for ethics sake.....I would probably pass these two sparring dudes up and hold off for something a tad larger...

[m gardner]

I'd take the one facing away because the other elk presents a difficult task for any bullet. Penetrate alot of bone and muscle to get to the vitals. Shoot the one facing away and rake his vitals ( place the bullet to angle in between the front legs). He won't go far. God bless and good hunting.

[knuckledragger]

2 things come to mind as I see pictures like this of deer/elk/etc fighting.  

1.  You can see the method to natures madness with the way the tines protect eyes and vital neck veins/arteries.  I guess natural selection cleansed the gene pool of the ones that had stilletto horns.
 
2.  I wonder if the adage that meat from overly exerted critters is stronger becuase of the adrenaline and lactic acid.
 
Hey its early in the morning here, and I'm only on my 1st cup coffee.
 
KD

[Kanibal]

Lets say that this picture is in normal scale and not a zoom lense, that would put me about 25 yards away with bow at the ready with an arrow nocked.  Then yes I would shoot whichever one presented a shot first.  They are both excellent bulls for an archer to be proud of.  But, you must remember that these two are in the thick of it and moving around a bit so I may want to wait until they seperate a bit before taking a shot.  This close with an elk sized animal I should be able to make a very clean kill.

[gitano]

This is a very old post, but I missed it the first time, so I'll rejuvenate it.

I WOULD "take the shot", but my choice would be the far animal. I would aim so that the point of impact was RIGHT ON the 'point' of the shoulder joint. I have used that bullet placement for other "deer" quartering towards me, and it is devastating. Depending on the bullet, there could be as much as 5 lbs of meat lost, but I KNOW that the animal would drop at the shot, and it's not going to get up.

I would prefer a bullet of .338 caliber at the minimum, and a .358 or .375 would be preferred.

Paul

Upon continued examination, there is a second choice. It is a SECOND choice, but it is a CLOSE second. It is on the closer animal, and it would be just behind the left elbow. That shot would hit the heart, AND continue across the chest to the far-side shoulder, hopefully hitting the same point of the joint that the above shot was focused on.

Paul

[recoil junky]

Me'n old Buck have been puttin' the sneak on these guys for a good hour. Listenin' to 'em bugle and grunt, tearin' up the country side as they been joustin' for courtship rites has been quite a thrill.

Trouble is old Buck and me had us a comeupance about goin' through that last crick crossin' and the upshot of it is he fell down and landed on the 35 Whelen so I don't know where it's a gonna hit. All I have left is the SBH Hunter and it's loaded with 429421's on top of 18.4 grains of 2400 which at this range is a plenty for one 'o them boys Durn near used it on old Buck, but then I'd a had to walk back to camp and that's a good ten miles back.

That much bullet on top of that much powder should plow it's way plumb through and knock old wapiti on his keaster. They're bound to stop for a breather and the first one to turn broadside towards me is gonna find out.



But if'n they don't , that hind 'un is going to get drilled right where the red spot is, then me'n old Buck are going to have us a real set too when I try to load 'im as old Buck don't really care for havin' elk critters on his back. Never shoulda got rid of them mules!

RJ

[gitano]

The red spot is right where I was talkin' about. But like I said, I'd take the far one first. That would work out for the both of us.

Paul

[Hunterbug]

I'd take either of thoes shots with my 338 and it would be all over.

[JaDub]

Agreed X 2 with the above.  A  .270, .308, 30-06, 7mm mag or larger,  even at  200 yards,  should be a gimmie.  
 
  I`d call it a full freezer.  :)

[recoil junky]

As me'n Paul snuck up on'm first and he already picked the one on the left, we counted to three and



Stupid dadburn horse!!! He's never spooked at gunfire before!!!  Good thing I brought salt and pepper! I see Paul has taters and bacon in his pack and I got this'ere 10" aluminum skillet, so we're set 'til HB and Jadub get back with my stupid horse. :laugh:

Paul, you got any matches. . . . . . . . .

Paul?



RJ

[gitano]

I don't need no stinkin' matches! I can start a fire at the bottom of a lake in a snowstorm.

Start cuttin'.

Paul

[Alboy]

I don't need no stinkin' matches! I can start a fire at the bottom of a lake in a snowstorm.
 
Start cuttin'.
 
Paul

Oh yea. He is a sub-mariner, sailed beneath the seas with Capt Nemo on the Nautilus till the Capt caught him smoking fish down in the Mariana trench while they were supposed to be hiding.

[gitano]

That'd be submariner (sub - muh - REEN - er), a submarine sailor, not sub-mariner (sub - MAIR -en - er), which is some kind of low-rent gob that skims the surface in targets.

There are only two kinds of ships in the world: Submarines and targets.



Paul

[recoil junky]

I thought submereens were "boats"

RJ

[gitano]

They are, when referring to them specifically. However, in the same sentence with targets, they are ships.

Actually, there is a technical difference between "boats" and "ships". A boat can be put on a ship, a ship cannot be put on a boat. Once my boat had to have its screw, ("propeller" to landlubbers), replaced and we had to go into floating dry dock. It was truly impressive to see my boat out of the water. It looked like a watermelon with a playing card stuck on top of it. Point being, my "boat" was "on" a "ship".

Paul

[recoil junky]

Well git thet durn fire lit then and quit lollygaggin'!! EYEGAWD!!! (said like it's spelled)

Soon's HB and Jadub get back with that fool horse I got us a sooprise!!

RJ

[gitano]

Soon's HB and Jadub get back with that fool horse I got us a sooprise!!

Is it horse meat?

Paul

[recoil junky]

It would be if'n we didn't need 'im to carry most of our critters out.

RJ

[j0e_bl0ggs (deceased)]

Well if you lost that hoss over here it probly would be on a supermarket shelf already...

[gitano]

:D:D:D:D:D

A little late for the timeliness of jb's comment, but I still get the humor in proper context.

Paul

[recoil junky]

I got it too.

I ain't agin eatin' hoss. They have a pretty good life right there at the end. Feed 'em like butcher steers.

RJ