2025 elk meat pole

[ZAP035]

I can finally post something on here after years of striking out!!! I got my first elk, a cow (good size I think). 6.5 PRC, 307 yard shot on an opposite ridge bedded and facing uphill away from me. Put the 147 ELDM through the paunch, both lungs, exited just forward of offside shoulder. She stood, leaned forward, and tipped over.

 

[deerlick]

Washington spike unit

 

[Rogue Bay]

Washington spike unit

The Holy Grail of spike hunting! Congrats!

 

[IDbrushswimmer]

Washington spike unit

That’s friggin awesome

 

[Diced]

Washington spike unit

That may be the most impressive bull in this thread

 

[MT3LK]

Finally got it done on my first bull this weekend. 3 years in the making and damn does it feel good. Shot him in the timber at ~45 yards with 7 rem mag shooting 162 eldx and dropped in less than 100 yards. Pretty surreal.

 

[Call.me.porter]

Opening day in MT for my wife's first bull. She ran a masterclass on mental toughness after a nearly 21 mile, 2 round trip circuit between her bull and camp. Turns out you can kill elk in horse country, you just have to be stupid or crazy and have just enough grit.

 

[tracker12]

My best Wyoming bull to date, had a great hunt trying to get to the herd bull within a group of over 50 elk, we bumped several satellite bulls a couple times and thought we were done, but got up and went after them again and got into them. The most exhilarating 2 hours I’ve spent hunting in my life. No idea what he’ll score but he’s got some mass and length, 50.5” left beam, 53” right beam.

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Beautiful counrty

 

[shootnrun]

 

[voltage]

7PRC, 175 Berger EH, 2,850 MV at 830 ft (faster at 7,500 ft) estimated impact velocity 2,400.

Altitude changes MV?

 

[eamyrick]

Colorado OTC. Several years of Western hunting and it all seems to be coming together. Bull ate 3 30-06 Eld-x through heart and lungs at 400 and I caught him moving downhill at 75 yards and put him down. Buddy shot a cow 200 yards away so we had a long 24 hours of packing meat.

 

[roosiebull]

Thanks, I'm still absolutely buzzing from the whole experience! I nearly melted into a puddle after I dropped everything off at the processor.

I went with a Tikka T3x .308. I figured I needed a ton of practice to get ready, so I didn't want something that would wreck my shoulder or make me flinch. Also I knew I wouldn't be attempting anything long range for my first elk (I set a 250yd limit), so the .308 seemed a good choice for my situation. I put a 175 grain Terminal Ascent right on target and he staggered about 20 yds and went down. I walked up to him less than 5 minutes later (I now know this wasn't the best move) but luckily he was already dead. Passed through both lungs with a large exit wound.

Congrats!

I generally don’t wait long after the shot with a rifle, turn scope power all the way down and sneak over at the ready, it’s not like archery where you might sneak up too early, see him standing there 70yds still alive and sees you and bolts… with a rifle in that scenario you just put another round in him, but if the first shot is good, it’s generally dead already

Where I might wait is if I think there is a way to get a vantage, I will probably try that first, just because

 

[roosiebull]

Washington spike unit

That’s freaking awesome!

 

[suda0402]

Had a blast hunting rutting elk on Halloween.

 

[BackcountryWanderer]

Little late to the party but this is from early archery season. Frontal shot at maybe 15 yards. 1st elk

 

[patagonialuke]

After 50+ days across the past two years, I was extremely grateful to harvest my first big game animal this weekend. Packing in a bit farther and higher than the rest of the boot tracks paid off with a 150-yd shot and quick kill at first light. Spent the next 16 hours dealing with the other realities of that strategy, but I sure am psyched to have a full freezer this year.

 

[Bachto]

Filled my quality elk tag here in Washington on a good one. 18 points to draw. Had to take a good ol wide angle shot.

 

[Rogue Bay]

Filled my quality elk tag here in Washington on a good one. 18 points to draw. Had to take a good ol wide angle shot.
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Congrats on a great bull! The third on that right side is next level.

 

[PoniBoy]

2025 Montana general rifle elk. 35 yard offhand shot from a kneeling position. 6mm CM with Hornady 103 gr ELD-X dumped him where he stood.

 

[Bachto]

Congrats on a great bull! The third on that right side is next level.

Thanks! I had some buddies with me and when we glassed it up we all noticed that giant 3rd and we knew we had to kill that bull.