Post
by timmy » Tue May 25, 2010 12:48 pm
There's nothing wrong with the 30-06, as others have said. Beyond that, and beyond your recoil tolerance, you should consider where you are hunting -- what the terrain is like.
Elk are not woods/forest animals. They are plains animals -- grazers -- who have adapted to the forest due to population pressures. They are not like deer, which are browsers. They are grazing plains animals.
Elk will range much more than Whitetail or even Mule deer. They will move around, taking weeks to complete their movements and return. Often, the will bed down during the day on the edges of forest clear cuts, staying just far enough into the wood to see out, but not be seen. They will often graze during a full moon, so hunting can be less productive during those times.
Regarding their eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell: If you see, hear, or smell and elk, you are too late, because they have long since sensed you in the same way. They are much much smarter than deer!
If you are mainly hunting in open country or relatively open forests, then you want something that has a flatter trajectory and can reach out there. On the other hand, if you are hunting in heavily forested areas, you will want something heavier that will give you better performance through the trees.
Often, out West in the forests, one will encounter what we called "dog's hair pine," which is a stand of young lodgepole pine. Such a stand will consist of trees from 1 to 2 inches in diameter and 10 to 20 feet high. You will have a heck of a time getting through such a stand, as some will be bent or broken from the weight of winter snows.
Mr. Bull Elk likes dogs hair pine stands. He can get in them and you will smell him, but not see him. Where you have terrible problems getting through these trees, Mr. Bull Elk will just lay back that huge 6 point or royal rack of his and light up the afterburners, bashing through the woods with such a noise that you may wish you had an extra pair of underwear with you.
In this sort of hunting, you may want something like 338 or even 45-70. Some guys love the old BARs in 338 for this sort of thing.
So you really might want to think of where you are hunting, as well as what sort of recoil you want to deal with.
For instance, in Montana, some of the largest bulls can be found around the Ft Peck reservoir. This is open high dry plains country. The bulls are very large for Montana, and it is hard to draw a tag in this area because of the hunting competition. But this is the sort of open country where a 7mm Mag might be a better choice than a 30 06.
If you are going to come over and hunt without a guide, you are kidding yourself. Successful elk hunters have scoped the area they intend to hunt and know the regular movements of the elk herds and the paths they take. They will get into position and will generally have a good idea of when the elk are going to be in a certain area, and they will be there waiting for them. If you think you will show up for a weekend or a week and claim your trophy on land that you are unfamiliar with, and have not scouted and reconnoitered well, you are kidding yourself and wasting a pile of dough for the trip. In a case like this, you won't need to worry about what rifle to pack -- just take a few rocks to throw, and you'll be just about as likely to take a bull.
Areas that are not as heavily hunted by the locals will be very far up into wilderness areas, which can make horses almost necessary, another thing that makes a guide a good choice for the non-resident elk hunter.
“Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.”
saying in the British Royal Navy
