New Elk Hunter Needs Help

[longrangehunter]

i shoot a 7mm rem mag its my all around gun. 140 grn to 175 grn pending on animal i'm hunting. just remember what ever gun you go with pratice pratice pratice. so your gun and you become one, at the moment of truth you don't what second guess yourself. good luck

 

[DLS]

Jon, you've gotten a lot of good advice on here, and only a little that I would say is not so good. The advice on boots, binoculars and other ancillary gear is all good.

As to caliber, you can get by just fine with your .300 short mag. If you want a .338 and can shoot one well, it is an outstanding elk caliber, especially when you use 225 grain quality bullets in it. HOWEVER, if you can't handle the recoil (a lot of guys can't) then it is of no use to you. Do you need a .300 mag or .338? Not at all. The farthest elk I've ever killed, or ever will kill, I shot with a .270 and 130 grain bullets. I've also killed an Alaska Moose with that .270 and 150 grain bullets, so I know you can get by just fine with a smaller gun.

My idea of the ideal elk rifle is one that shoots a reasonably large caliber bullet of moderate to heavy weight. It has to be a rifle that a fellow can carry all day, and shoot accurately under difficult field conditions. I would not go with a real fancy rifle, as chances are it'll take a bit of a beating if you do much elk hunting.

Some calibers that should serve you very well would include .30-06, any of the .300 magnums, .338 winchester and one that is seldom mentioned but which is an excellent elk caliber...the .35 whelen. I absolutely WOULD NOT go with a .30-378 or .338-378 unless you are a very experienced rifleman and have a special need for an extreme long range caliber. The negatives those cannons bring for 99% of all hunters outweigh the positives, in my opinion. I am a fan of larger diameter bullets for elk, more than high velocity in any caliber. If I were going to buy another elk rifle, it would not be smaller than .30 caliber.

Remember that more than 90% of all elk killed are probably shot inside of 250 yards. You don't need a long range caliber for that, just one you can shoot well with a high quality bullet that is fairly heavy for the caliber.

 

[SoJo]

I think a number of people gave similar opinions. I bid for a guided hunt in Wyoming during a Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation in Manteca a few years ago. I applied for the pref point system and drew a tag last year. Missed a huge bull before full light, but ended up tagging out with a smaller 5x later in the day. When I won the auction I went out and purchased a .300win mag - Benelli R1 and put a 3x10 Pentax LightSeeker 30 on the rifle. I used 165gr bullets -- shot teh bull 50yds off my stand as it trekked up the mountain -- full double lung and left a gaping exit wound. .300win mag, even a .300wsm will do the trick. The guides I hunted with (been in business 50yrs) said they prefer hunters using .300win or below (.30-.06, .300wsm, .270)...they told me they don't understand when folks come into camp with full blown out top-end large calibers with muzzle breaks on them especially when hunting on horseback..too loud out the break...that was their opinion, and everyone has a right to their caliber of choice.

I also purchased an Eberlestock Dragonfly pack this year as I was hoofing it in Idaho and not on a horse. Great pack, very comfortable -- and as their marketing tagline says "go in light, come out heavy" -- very expandable when hauling meat out.

Just my $.02

 

[Sniper Chuck]

I suggest a rifle that you can shoot comfortably and accurately. Mags and big bores are great if you can handle the recoil without developing a flinch. You need to shoot it a lot before your hunt to feel confident of bullet placement. Therefore I suggest a .30-'06 or .270 Win. Practice with the ammo you will use on the hunt and practice a lot.

I lean towards a Savage, ugly to some, but pretty accurate out of the box. Not as expensive as some rifles. Don't spend a ton of money on a expensive rifle and put on a cheap scope. I prefer a Leupold VX-3 in 2.5-8 power. Light wieght and great for low light conditions. I hardly ever use the higher powers and use the 2.5 power for still hunting timber.
For Binos, buy good ones, they'll last a life time. I prefer Swarovski SLC 8x30 WB's, some like Steiner or Zeiss. Again lighter weight is better. There are times you may have to run to keep up with your guide. He lives up there, you probably don't. Get in shape! Good luck