.300 Weatherby Mag on a whitetail -- yup, thats gonna blow a hole in it. Big hole! Hamburger, anyone?
.300 Win Mag is just about right for an elk. I tend to use heavier grain bullets and take 100-200 yrd shots. A lot of guys use 160gr bullets and will reach out 400-600yrds.
I prefer to get them in close and hit them HARD with a larger bullet. I feel it's safer and I just don't want to risk wounding an animal and then have to track it for miles or even days. I know guys who have taken loing shots and lost a wounded animal. Elk are FAST and they can cover enormous distances in a very short time. They can run for 10 minutes and it would take you 2 HARD days of hiking to even get near it again. They will bolt straight up a mountain and over the top of a ridge. And your sitting there 1/2 mile away as the crow flies, but to actually hike over there-it's 3 or 4 miles of hard work at 12,000' elevation.
I have been scouting a herd all summer. I know exactly where they will be on opening day. I hunt the same herd every year. Start hiking at about 2am or 3am. We are usually spotting them just before daybreak. We wait and scout, creep among the boulders and stalk the animals we want to shoot. When the sun comes up -- BOOM! "Let's go home boys." :mrgreen:
One of my friends shoots a Weatherby .30-378 with 250gr bullets. When he hits an elk -- it folds up -- instantly. But, I've never seen him take a shot more than 100--150yrds. Lot of lead for such a short shot, but it drops them.
I do enjoy the hunt and the meat. But, I don't get a thrill out of actually seeing them die. Killing has never been a "turn-on" for me. The sound that bullet makes (THWUMP!!) when it hits flesh and bone--enough to make me wanna throw up. I hunt because I enjoy the meat, the wilderness and the friendship with my hunting buddies. First time I shot an elk, I was shocked at how big they are. They look big, but when you walk up to a dead one and realize just HOW BIG they really are--it's a bit scary.
I'm thinking to myself,
"Great, the friggin' truck is 7 miles away. I'm in 4' of snow with snow shoes. This SOB must weigh 600-700 pounds. And I'm gonna end up packing about 1/2 that weight out of here in my backpack. Gonna take about 5 trips. I'm such an idiot. Try and shoot one a little closer to the truck next time, you dumbass!!" :grumble:
Confucius says:
When elk hunting -- the fun starts AFTER you pull the trigger. :shock: