2022 Elk Rifle Training

I have taken many elk. My rifle will shoot 3" high at 100 yards and I leave the dials alone, I hike with the scope set at 6X, I turn the scope power to 10X or 12X only if there is a longer shot and ample time.

Elk hunting is done with lungs and legs.
 
It is 100% possible to shoot an elk in poor physical condition, and with a max range of 150y. But every yard you add to your range, and every mile you add to your ability to get into the woods and pack out of them, increases your odds. It's silly but I think of myself (in my own mind, and on random forums only) as an athlete. I train all year with my equipment and my body. But, I'm obsessed with elk, not everyone has to be.

Why not train your body year round? Whether you hunt elk or not, a healthy strong body will always be a benefit. And if you want to shoot elk, why not practice with the bow or rifle as much as you can? This is different for everyone but I see no harm in physical exercise for every human being on earth. Each person can decide how much they do of each so not everyone has to do what I do...but why not do what you can to make yourself the best you can?
 
Seamaster said:
I have taken many elk. My rifle will shoot 3" high at 100 yards and I leave the dials alone, I hike with the scope set at 6X, I turn the scope power to 10X or 12X only if there is a longer shot and ample time.

Elk hunting is done with lungs and legs.
Click to expand...
This is the answer! I am exactly the same (well 2" high at 100y but that's just my rifle). 6x is great for 95% of elk hunting...I personally walk around with a 4-20 and love having the extra range...but that extra range has never been used outside of a range :)
 
I use MTNTOUGH workouts for building strength/endurance and lots of cardio with hills. I mixed cycling into my running and it has really helped too. If you have problems with burnout or motivation, sign up for a trail run, road race, Spartan race, triathlon, or whatever. I experience burnout in the off-season, so signing up for a race keeps me accountable and pushing forward. Something I need to work on more of is shooting. I don’t shoot anywhere near enough to be confident out to 400 yards or further. This is a great thread!


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You should be OK out to 400 with the scope you have if zero'd at 200. You've already looked up the drop and you just need to compare inches of drop to the distance between the top and bottom line of a elk. However, a BDC reticle would make it easier and quicker (but you will need to be at max magnification).

Before my elk hunt I dry fired every day at a 100 yd target offhand for a couple of months. This was in addition to my weekly range time practicing position shooting and fast follow-up. You never know when that elk of a lifetime might step out a lot closer than you expect. For me it was easy because it is 100 yds from my back door to the barn where my tractor is parked. My target was the orange slow moving vehicle placard on the tractor, but you can put an orange target sticker up in your house and use that or use something in the yard beyond your window. Squeeze off a shot and immediately cycle the bolt. Make the motion of chambering that next round habitual.
 
If you live in the city and are unable to hike often, I would highly recommend checking out the MTN Tough app and programs. They are fantastic programs for conditioning your body to deal with the mountains and they have a good selection of programs from body weight, weighted pack, to gym based programs. I’ve done it for years now and feel better in the mountains every single year.
 
Seamaster said:
I have taken many elk. My rifle will shoot 3" high at 100 yards and I leave the dials alone, I hike with the scope set at 6X, I turn the scope power to 10X or 12X only if there is a longer shot and ample time.
Click to expand...
I hunted and killed elk and deer for years with only a 3x9 scope that rarely ever got set above 3x. Rifle sighted at 200. My original elk rifle is over 40 years old and probably has less than 250 rounds down the barrel.
 
Alegault said:
Oof- now second guessing the plan.

I was hoping the 2x a week weighted pack lunges and running would supplement the hiking. I live in the city so might have to work harder to find some closer hikes I can do more often.

And yes, 1 inch rings.
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Not sure where you live but that workout regimen sounds similar to mine last year and I was fine covering 5 to 10 miles a day with 2 to 3000 feet of elevation change at about 10,000 feet. Only thing I would recommend are step ups on a box, I think that made a huge difference for me.
 
gajda888 said:
How much weight do you guys train with in your pack? I currently do 40lbs.
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I start at 20 as that’s about my pack weight in the field. I ruck in the neighborhood for a full hour and push to keep a 3.5 mph pace (with Kenetrek Mountain Extremes on). Once a week I hit this one mountain with my rifle and full ammo compliment with the same weighted pack. Not the nastiest mountain but no stopping until I hit the top; time myself up and down. Once I can hit 3.75 mph rucking at the house and not be trashed, I add 10 pounds. Rinse and repeat until I hit 50 pounds (simulate fly-in).

No real reason for 3.5-3.75 mph other than it’s a fast pace walk and just below a slow job. It’s also is enough to get the heart pumping for me; at least when compared to most of my jogs.

When traveling (which is often) I jog (5 mph or better for 5 miles) and/or hit a stair climber keeping the same pace as I do when rucking at home. Either way it’s for an hour.

I don’t go higher than 50 due to concerns about potentially getting injured. But once 50 pounds gets comfortable at speed and distance, coming out heavy isn’t as bad (relative). I just go slow and steady with whatever breaks I need. Most I’ve don’t in one trip was pushing 100#. Wasn’t fun but I got it done.

Lesson learned from Kodiak: this year I’ll work on improving my balance with a weighted pack. It’s a hoot waking a knife ridge with a heavy pack when there’s a nice “breeze”.
 
I think you’ve got a good mix on your workout schedule. I wouldn’t add more cardio at this point, I would wait till you are about 1-1.5 moths from your hunt and then up the cardio. I live in Idaho and work as a wildland firefighter. About 5 years ago all I did was run, then I started mixing in some lifting which greatly improved my performance in the field for work and play.

If you don’t have the ability to hike with a weighted pack regularly you can substitute weighted step ups. Just be careful with your knees.
 
Thankful for all the feedback and support here guys. Love the idea of throwing in some box step ups and ramping up the cardio as we get closer to the season. I think I will incorporate that. Still leaning towards keeping my 3-9 scope.

Accountability from the weekend:

Did a 7 mile hike (total) to fish for steelhead. No real elevation, but plenty of bushwhacking. Probably only 10lbs in the pack.

Friday was a travel day (I think counts as a missed training day) to the river and sunday a rest day.

Dry fire and lifting today.
 
Great advice. Agree with cardio/legs/core. One thought- rucking/weights/cardio don't simulate the endless off balance, off kilter slog through knee high downed trees needed to get to those stinky beasts. How you would simulate other than doing it I have yet to figure out.
 
EdP said:
You should be OK out to 400 with the scope you have if zero'd at 200. You've already looked up the drop and you just need to compare inches of drop to the distance between the top and bottom line of a elk. However, a BDC reticle would make it easier and quicker (but you will need to be at max magnification).
Click to expand...
The bold statement is 100% dependent on the scope. If you're using a second focal plane scope this is true and I ran into this issue with the Burris 4-12x I traded. The MOA hashes were only accurate at 12x.

If you get a first focal plane variable power scope (like the SWFA MQ 3-9x or MQ 3-15x) the hashes are accurate across all magnifications. Sight in at 100 yards and use the dials or reticle to do the rest. Sighting in at 100 is ideal because you are able reduce the impact of wind drift and other environmental factors. This is covered at length by @Formidilosus in some other threads.
 
I normally use second focal plane scopes for hunting and if the target is far enough away to justify the use of the hashes I will have turned the scope up in power, so no problem. If you are holding for wind or elevation at different magnifications then FFP is the ticket. On the FFP scopes the width of the reticle (subtension) changes with the power adjustment. On some FFP scopes the crosshairs are pretty thin at low power, and a bit thick at high power. Both SFP and FFP scopes have their place.
 
W my 30-06, I sighted at 250 yards w 150 gr, 2,900 fps - rise was 3 inches at 150 and drop at 350 yds was around 9 inches, 400 yds was 16 inches if I remember right. Used it in 2017 to shoot 2 yearling antelope - 25 yards and 350 yards, on hair both times, never worried about rise or drop. Have a VX-2 3-9x40 on it. You don't need another scope.

Have a BDC 3-9x40 Diamondback and it isn't a bad scope - pretty clear & crisp for these old eyes (roughly 30 minutes before and after sun rise/set kind of scope). It sits on a 350 Legend and is figured out to 250 yards but don't have a longer range to shoot on. Out to 225, I don't need the hash marks. At 250 the first hash mark is within a couple inches. Not worth the effort if staying inside 250 yards w that gun.

Just keep shooting your rifle, the groups will tighten up and your confidence will grow. Point blank range setting is the easiest thing to use hunting - you won't be thinking something like dialing or calculating hold over at 200-300-350 yards. No way would I dial for a shot on an elk inside 400 yards - just know where your gun shoots and let him eat lead.

There was a story where a guy sees a bull elk at 200 yards, tries to shoot off his pack but that was not working, then he's dialing his scope to compensate for the 2 or 3 inch bullet drop, then this, then that, and finally the elk wanders off. Guy was real argumentative when told he didn't need to adjust his scope settings w 308 at 200 yards from 100 yd zero. Felt for him, but only to a point. He shoulda knew his weapon and his ammo. 200 yards is not a far shot out west and he shoulda practiced for that and 300 and probably 400. But he didn't and he went home empty handed. You need to train with the idea that you will have 1 shot opp during your trip - you need to be confident that you'll make it.

When shooting say 300 with a 200 yard zero - you are not trying to hit the "x", you want to shoot a group. If the group is say 4 inches low, then you know exactly where bullet hits at 300. Then if you want to destroy the heart, you aim a tad bit above the heart as opposed to fiddling with the scope. If not, just center on the lungs and tear em up.

Don't overthink stuff. Have fun. Gonna be a great trip!!! You are on the right track.
 
Rich M said:
But he didn't and he went home empty handed. You need to train with the idea that you will have 1 shot opp during your trip - you need to be confident that you'll make it.
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Agree with you 100%, espeically if you're a NR spending several hundred or several thousand dollars on a hunt. Last fall I zeroed my .308 at 200 yards and practiced well beyond that with a range finder, estimating bullet drop and holdover with the reticle using the method you described. I killed my bull at 80 yards fortunately, and didn't need to worry about holdover or kentucky windage.

That all being said, I think we can always improve our shooting technique and skills to be better hunters. After reading various threads on here including the .223, .243 vs. .25-06, etc..., I learned a lot, and acknowledged my own personal opportunities for improvement. The SWFA scopes I referred to have dials and reticle hashes. If a guy doesn't want to fiddle with dials, he can very easily use the reticle hashes for the same effect and level of precision. This is better than simply "aiming a tad bit above..." because you have deliberate aiming points based on your trajectory. This significantly reduces estimation and guesswork and leads to better hits and cleaner kills. This is especially true if the animal isn't perfectly broadside and the normal vital zone shrinks in size.

This fall I'm taking my 17 year old daughter on her first cow hunt. I swapped the Burris for the SWFA, because I want her to be absolutely confident in her shot placement, even if we need to stretch the legs of my .308 to 400 and beyond. I want to control as many vairables as possible and empower her to maximize her accuracy. Speaking for myself alone, giving her deliberate aiming points or being able to dial the scope at longer ranges will increase her odds of success vs. aiming a little high or God forbid having to aim over the top of its back.
 
jjohnsonElknewbie said:
Agree with you 100%, espeically if you're a NR spending several hundred or several thousand dollars on a hunt. Last fall I zeroed my .308 at 200 yards and practiced well beyond that with a range finder, estimating bullet drop and holdover with the reticle using the method you described. I killed my bull at 80 yards fortunately, and didn't need to worry about holdover or kentucky windage.

That all being said, I think we can always improve our shooting technique and skills to be better hunters. After reading various threads on here including the .223, .243 vs. .25-06, etc..., I learned a lot, and acknowledged my own personal opportunities for improvement. The SWFA scopes I referred to have dials and reticle hashes. If a guy doesn't want to fiddle with dials, he can very easily use the reticle hashes for the same effect and level of precision. This is better than simply "aiming a tad bit above..." because you have deliberate aiming points based on your trajectory. This significantly reduces estimation and guesswork and leads to better hits and cleaner kills. This is especially true if the animal isn't perfectly broadside and the normal vital zone shrinks in size.

This fall I'm taking my 17 year old daughter on her first cow hunt. I swapped the Burris for the SWFA, because I want her to be absolutely confident in her shot placement, even if we need to stretch the legs of my .308 to 400 and beyond. I want to control as many vairables as possible and empower her to maximize her accuracy. Speaking for myself alone, giving her deliberate aiming points or being able to dial the scope at longer ranges will increase her odds of success vs. aiming a little high or God forbid having to aim over the top of its back.
Click to expand...
Im in the traveling NR group. Costs about $3k per trip and i drive.

W my 3006, can aim on hair on an elk out to 400. In the name of less things for me to mess up, the point blank range technique has been great. just want to know where the bullet lands at xxx yards and can drill it. Rifle is a 1-inch at 250 yd gun, so threading the needle is possible.

Nothing against anyone who wants fixed points to aim with/at. Bdc is excellent and todays dial scopes are awesome. Best way for newbies to learn.

I’ve got a head of grey hair and set in my ways.
 
Rich M said:
Im in the traveling NR group. Costs about $3k per trip and i drive.

W my 3006, can aim on hair on an elk out to 400. In the name of less things for me to mess up, the point blank range technique has been great. just want to know where the bullet lands at xxx yards and can drill it. Rifle is a 1-inch at 250 yd gun, so threading the needle is possible.

Nothing against anyone who wants fixed points to aim with/at. Bdc is excellent and todays dial scopes are awesome. Best way for newbies to learn.

I’ve got a head of grey hair and set in my ways.
Click to expand...
Roger that my man, and I have no hair, and been swallowing my pride after reading some of these threads. However, if you have a method that your comfortable/confident with I say if it aint broke don't fix it
 
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