How thick are elk?

Lonnie

New member
I am going on my first rifle elk hunt and was wondereing if anyone knew how thick an elks chest is, top to bottom. Just in case I need to hold over on a long shot, it would help judge the amount. Thanks for any help.
 
Like el diablo said about 30 to 35 inches. More elk are missed by people holding too high and shooting over them than for any other reason. So HOLD ON HAIR! Then if you see the bullet kick up dirt under it then hold higher.
 
Yes they are slightly smaller but like everyone says "hold on hair." My theory is if its a longer shot around 300-400 I hold right on the back. If it drops I hit vitals. If its not as far as I thought I hit spine and drop it in its tracks. Don't hold high. I almost always aim where I want to hit though. With elk I assume(preseason) a 200-300 yard shot and site my gun in for such. I'm dead on at 275 and then it starts dropping. I should hit chest cavity all the way out to 400.
 
Lonnie,

Adult cow elk are smaller than mature bulls, but, an adult cow will be larger and yield more meat than a spike(1 1/2 year old bull) A big cow will be close to the same size as a younger raghorn bull. Like said above, elk are big, so don't hold over unless your certain the elk is quite far away.

Good luck on your hunt. If you bag a nice fat cow it will be some very fine eating for you and your family this winter.
 
I got my .270 out today and zeroed at 300. It shoots 5" high at 100, 5" high at 200, 14" low at 400 and 40" low at 500. I'll stick to the advice about holding it on hair. I have shot over a lot of coyotes with the 22-250 thinking that they were farther than they were. Thanks for the help.
 
Congrats on the elk tag. I have a bull tag this year as well. For some friendly advice, many say hold on the hair. That's good advice if you're not over 300 yds. As for me, I zero my cross at 250yds/25yds, mainly because a long shot comes more often than not. Basically that'll eliminate your guessing as to range and more than not, you'll get a vital shot.

Best of luck to ya. P.S. Where did you draw???
I drew in 7E Arizona. Best bulls in the world baby /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Sorry for another response but one more thing. Elk are big. I'm sure you know that. Practice your reponse to reload and action quickness. It's better to land two rounds into an elk than one. I'm sure you know that. I lost an elk about 7 years back because I was "sure" that I got that one vital shot needed. Good blood, until it stopped.
 
BuckFever is 100% correct. I learned the same lesson the same way. There was hair spread out in a 3' circle but some how the elk got up and ran off. So, keep shooting untill it's down for good but make sure that you're shooting at the same elk! More than one person has killed multiple elk because the first one didn't drop on the spot so they shot at a different one.
 
Lonnie be careful shooting out there too far with that .270 it really looses its effectiveness out there past 300 yards. I shoot a .270 and have taken many elk with it. I have a hard time justifing shots beyond 300 yards. It is not an accuracy thing. However the energy they loose at that range is considerable. I hunt big country in NW Colorado and seldome do I need a shot beyoen 200 yards. Also take in account that you will heading up in elevation, meaning you'll be more winded and probale way excited. My first mule deer I shot was at just over 400yds with my 270 nailed him in the shoulder, however the bullet which was a good quality bullet never made it past the shoulder bone. Luckily the buck layed down. Elk do not they will run for ever and an animal with 3 legs can cover some ground. Please just watch you ranges. The 270 is a great gun. But it has its limits...
 
Lonnie, It's just my opinion but I think you are zeroed too high for most elk hunting. Being 5" high at 100 yards is going to put you near 7" high at 150 or so. I know we've all told you how big elk are but, I think you should back that down to 2-3" high at 100. I have hunted elk for many years and don't know anyone who is zeroed more than 3" high at 100, no matter what the caliber is. A steep downhill or uphill shot at 150 yards could result in putting a round right over a cows back. Especially when a guy is breathing hard and the nerves kick in. You could well get a shot that is no more than 100-200 yards also. Lots of elk are shot under 200 yards even in open country.

Just my experience but most often game is overshot rather than undershot.
 
One last thing. I agree with Lonny. 5" high at 100 yds is a little much, you'll still be guessing at where to aim. The key point to 3" high at a hundred yards is you don;t have to guess. When you aim, aim right where you would if it was a 1oo yd shot and you were zeroed in there. You'll hit 3" high(still a vital shot)4" high at 200(still a vital shot), about 3" low at 300(still a vital shot), and 5-7" low at 400 yds(still a vital shot)

And the last thing you want to worry about but the first thing that will hit your fingers is your nerves. Once you see an elk up close and personal, it's a whole different ball game.

Last but not least, not to be a stickler but as ELKS said, be careful with that .270 out past 300 yds. A 300 yds shoulder shot on a nice mature cow will just piss it off and get it running. 270 is an excellent gun for deer but on the elk side you're trying to push a lighter bullet at a slower speed through more tissue, denser bone(if that's what you hit), etc. More headache than you want. My suggestion would be to shop around for a used 300 Win Mag or at bottom line, a 30-06. You're packing a little larger bullet in diameter plus more variety of weights. Take a look at this sight for some mroe needs, it's a big help to the beginner:

http://members.tripod.com/~elkhunter2/

Again, good luck with your hunt...
 
I was a little off with the 3" high. You'll be zeroed in at 300 yds and hit about 3" low at 350. So on and so forth. The website I posted has an actual target with an example of this.
 
Lonnie-
Hey Man, a friend and I are hunting 76 also! We leave a week from Thursday and will be staying at the Snowshoe Motel in Creede. Originally we were planning on hunting Week 2 but my friend accidently wrote "Week 3" on his application and since it is my first time hunting Elk, I elected to copy the information straight from his application. Luckily, I did that otherwise he would be hunting alone. We were originally slated to stay at a ranch North of Creede but now have to stay in a motel. We didn't discover our error until we received our tags. Once we received them, it was too late to find space in any of the ranches or lodges. Oh, well. This is supposed to be a decent motel. I really hope you have a great time in CO. Let us know if the Elk are down from the Highlands. I think that it is colder than last year which will help tremendously. Be careful- Brook

P.S. I hear that Long Ridge is a great place to shoot the women and children. We have antlerless tags, too! Good Luck!
 


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