Shoot or No Shot 2018, Episode #2

[WapitiTalk1]

Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal in the area you’re hunting.
Hunt: Solo Hunt
Date: Third week of Elktember (wilderness rifle hunt)
Time: 0845
Tag: Rifle/Any Bull

Nice job on getting here! While hunting from your basecamp on the edge of a wilderness area in MT or ID, you’ve successfully worked the wind and gotten to within 75 yards of the plump young bull that stands before you now. You’re pretty sure he is a satellite on the outskirts of a small herd (you heard two bulls bugling above you on your way up the side hill from camp) and now, you’re on the bench that you figured the critters were heading to from their sound trail. As you cleared the fir patch, behind you now, you saw the bull raking the huckleberry brush and moved in pretty quickly to the spot that you figured you “may” have a shot when he had his head down….. which is where you stand now (yellow X). Thermals as shown (red arrows). Shoot or no shot here? If you're not shooting now, what is your plan to try and take this elk home for dinner?

Elk 4 2-Mark up.jpg (126.7 KiB) Viewed 7004 times

If you're shooting, save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, then place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg or png and add the marked up pic with your post.

[Elkduds]

Is this bull @ 40 yds, 400 yds, what range?

[WapitiTalk1]

Is this bull @ 40 yds, 400 yds, what range?

"you’ve successfully worked the wind and gotten to within 75 yards of the plump young bull that stands before you now".

[>>>---WW---->]

If you are standing right where your yellow X is, he will see you if you blink an eye. If there was any chance at all of not being seen, I'd punch him right under the jaw bone. No tracking job needed. But as in the picture He is going to see you for sure.

[lamrith]

I am passing on that one. Not a fan of headshots personally and shrubs are covering where I want to shoot him. Holding, crossing fingers he puts head down again so I can shift left some, or he walks forward a step or two

[Swede]

Elk%204%202-Mark%20up.jpg (124.1 KiB) Viewed 6984 times

If I have any way of resting my gun against something solid, I am shooting.

Note: By holding where the red dot is, my bullet will hit two inches low at 75 yards as the gun is sighted in for 200 yards..

[Joe Schmo]

Solo...wilderness...how far am I from my truck?

[Lefty]

I may or may not take that shot, Do I have enough meat in the freezer,. Enough time to pack out or did I need to get home. If I have a large bullet! There is good testing bullets dont deflect like arrows do, Im shooting through leaves and maybe a twig
A feeding elk I may wait,..to see if there is something better. The wind is right and there is time.
this is the shot I would take.

elk.jpg (1.71 MiB) Viewed 6978 times

[Elkduds]

Is this bull @ 40 yds, 400 yds, what range?

"you’ve successfully worked the wind and gotten to within 75 yards of the plump young bull that stands before you now".

I'm so ashamed. Hell, I even read it twice before I asked! I like Swede's spot for CNS, quick kill. But if I can't read what's in front of me, I'll unload my gun and hunt w the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

[WapitiTalk1]

Is this bull @ 40 yds, 400 yds, what range?

"you’ve successfully worked the wind and gotten to within 75 yards of the plump young bull that stands before you now".

I'm so ashamed. Hell, I even read it twice before I asked! I like Swede's spot for CNS, quick kill. But if I can't read what's in front of me, I'll unload my gun and hunt w the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

"Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it"

[Swede]

Great post Elkduds. You and RJ gave me a good laugh.

[Elkhunttoo]

... I wouldn't hesitate to take this shot at 75 yards with a rest. I'm aiming a little below Swedes red dot and to the right just a bit but not quite as far as lefty's. But, with a rifle tag in my pocket this bull could be 20 yards and a perfect shot and he could feel safe with me around. No way I shoot this bull unless it's the evening of the last day, even then I still might let him walk

[Indian Summer]

Dead bull walking. I don’t even need a rest. I’m aiming straight above Lefty’s mark where I can see hide and not brush.

[elkstalker]

If that bull met my goal for that particular hunt I would not hesitate to take that shot. I'm with lefty and Indian as far as placement goes, however at 75 yards I would not be adverse to a neck shot.

[Old school]

elk shot.jpg (101.13 KiB) Viewed 6914 times

I'm taking the shot - boom! Hoofs up

--Mitch

[Tigger]

Indian Summer and I are on the exact same page on this one. The only question is who mashes the trigger first....

[>>>---WW---->]

elk shot.jpg

I'm taking the shot - boom! Hoofs up

--Mitch

There ya go Mitch. That's the below the jaw bone shot I was talking about. They won't even finch. Just drop right on the spot and no meat ruined at all.

[Lefty]

elk shot.jpg

I'm taking the shot - boom! Hoofs up--Mitch

There ya go Mitch. That's the below the jaw bone shot I was talking about. They won't even finch. Just drop right on the spot and no meat ruined at all.

that is a shot Ive never taken,.. tell me more about it. seems like the better of the two neck shots to me.
Ive only done neck spine from a going away shot ( not a Texas shot )

[WapitiTalk1]

They're shooting at the neck/spine. Definitely a killer shot but its gotta be on the mark. Here's a couple of reference images......

bones.jpg (28.52 KiB) Viewed 6891 times

blood.jpg (30.95 KiB) Viewed 6891 times

[Indian Summer]

Deadly yes as long as you hit the dot. I’m a hardcore realist so I prefer shots where you can um.... miss a little and still get the job done.

[Swede]

I took an off hand shot at a deer years ago and hit the neck at about 100 yards. It did a complete summersault and was hoofs up. Holt fairly high on the neck. Where the bullet goes in the hole is small. Where it comes out it will be much larger. Depending on the gun and the bullet, the exit hole can be massive. The point is don't think of a bullet like it is a fast arrow.

[Old school]

Deciding factor for me was I don’t like shooting thru any brush and it’s a 75 yard shot. I haven’t ever neck shot an elk but the whitetails fold up like a cheap suit when you hit where my dot is. Figure an elk would do the same with a 180 gr Barnes out of a .300 Win Mag.

-Mitch

[Swede]

Mitch: You don't happen to know much about cheap suits do you?

[Old school]

Swede - Nope, not at all

-Mitch

[Roosiebull]

I may or may not take that shot, Do I have enough meat in the freezer,. Enough time to pack out or did I need to get home. If I have a large bullet! There is good testing bullets dont deflect like arrows do, Im shooting through leaves and maybe a twig
A feeding elk I may wait,..to see if there is something better. The wind is right and there is time.
this is the shot I would take.

elk.jpg

i'm pretty much with you, but i would let him take one more step. i hate shooting through shoulders, especially close range with a rifle. if i was packing a 45-70, i would shoot now, but any high velocity elk cartridge, i'm waiting for it to open up a bit. i love neck shots on deer, but i'm not taking one off hand at an elks neck, probably work out, but i want a little bigger target.

if it doesn't work out, there are still bulls bugling, so no biggie. i would shoot that bull on any "normal tag" 3.5yr olds (which he looks to be) are perfect, you get some antlers, body mass, and still tender eating

[Roosiebull]

you sure come up with some cool scenarios Mr Wapiti! pretty realistic situations, fun off season talk.