Different bullets for cow elk

[Chris_in_Idaho]

With your two choices, I'd use the 108TMK.

I realize you probably meant ELD-M, but dang wouldn't it be cool if there was a 108 TMK...

I ended up not seeing anything there and went to a different spot. I took the 7RM because the scope is a lot brighter at last light.
Got my cow at end of light at 25 yards. Took a lung shot, she ran 50 yards and done. 1 1/2” entrance with shattered rib and 3/4” exit

Very nice! Now, if you had used the 108 people would have said "the 7 Mag would have dropped it DRT..."
Either way congrats on the cow!

 

[Tmac]

I realize you probably meant ELD-M, but dang wouldn't it be cool if there was a 108 TMK...



Very nice! Now, if you had used the 108 people would have said "the 7 Mag would have dropped it DRT..."
Either way congrats on the cow!

Ya, oops.

 

[270quest]

Daughter just killed a cow elk yesterday with my 7 rem mag, 150 scenars at 3200 FPS....That is now the 27th animal that rifle/bullet combo has killed - including 8-9 elk. Scenars impress me more and more everytime we kill another animal.

 

[BKM]

I think if dropping it fast was the biggest concern I’d shoot a .223 77gr tmk in a AR

I wouldn’t stop pulling the trigger until it hit dirt. 3-5 shots with a tmk will do way more damage than 1 shot with a big recoiling cartridge.

Meat damage would be extreme though

 

[farmermail]

My opinion probably will be frowned upon. But if we are talking 100-200yds. I am shooting her in the head with whatever gun/bullet combo is the most accurate.

@KsRancher, your opinion is popular with me. Head shot, neck shot all day long on a cow hunt. If one's rifle can't group well at 300 (well defined as under 3 inches), rethink the set up (you, rifle, bullet, whatever). A cow's head is much larger than 3 inches. Unlike bull elk hunts where the number of targets is limited (X% of the herd) and a miss could be the only shot of the season, cow hunts have many, many more targets running around. Be patient, find the right shot/rest, boom. With a head shot, bullet/caliber does not matter at all. Zero wasted meat.

Bonus: If you miss, well, you have most likely missed the whole animal and therefore no injured game to track. If you hit, such a high percent that it will drop immediately, and still no tracking.

Note: For new hunters or kids, yes, shoulder shot of course. Head shot frame of reference is experienced hunters.

OP, congrats on a successful hunt!

 

[35WhelenAI]

With respect, head shot is a nasty wounding shot if not successful. Seen animals in the field with jaws hanging and the animal starving. Head is constantly moving. Cow or bull should be considered the same. If there's a shot you'd take on one to determine the outcome of a hunt, then it shouldn't be a shot that would not be taken on the other.

 

[Chris_in_Idaho]

With respect, head shot is a nasty wounding shot if not successful. Seen animals in the field with jaws hanging and the animal starving. Head is constantly moving. Cow or bull should be considered the same. If there's a shot you'd take on one to determine the outcome of a hunt, then it shouldn't be a shot that would not be taken on the other.

I agree that if a shot is ethical for one it's ethical for the other, but I think some of the "I'd only head shoot a cow" comes from wanting to preserve the bull's face for a mount.

 

[35WhelenAI]

I can appreciate what you're saying, but I am taking a hard pass on head shots. Haven't had an animal in 30 yrs where a shot to the vastly larger vital area would have been more risky than a head shot. If the head shot is all a person has, sometimes it's not all about us, living creatures deserve some consideration to.

 

[Upwolf]

Head shot IMO seems irresponsible. There is no "pro" to taking a headshot over a shot to the pocket. However, I've never really shot a cartridge that was too over powered for any given species, so meat loss isn't really ever that big of an issue.

 

[35WhelenAI]

Head shot IMO seems irresponsible. There is no "pro" to taking a headshot over a shot to the pocket. However, I've never really shot a cartridge that was too over powered for any given species, so meat loss isn't really ever that big of an issue.

Good post. Proper ethics is not about meat loss or gain in a living creature.

With that in mind would overpowered be a 7mm STW (large case, smaller caliber) or a 45/70 (smaller case, larger caliber). Meat loss isn't about the caliber or the or the case size, it's determined by how a bullet behaves on impact at a given velocity. Frangible bullets will ruin more across the board than monos or controlled expansion bullets. But good on you for not having an issue with meat loss based on your cartridge choice.

 

[KsRancher]

Good post. Proper ethics is not about meat loss or gain in a living creature.

With that in mind would overpowered be a 7mm STW (large case, smaller caliber) or a 45/70 (smaller case, larger caliber). Meat loss isn't about the caliber or the or the case size, it's determined by how a bullet behaves on impact at a given velocity. Frangible bullets will ruin more across the board than monos or controlled expansion bullets. But good on you for not having an issue with meat loss based on your cartridge choice.

I knew my opinion wouldn't be very popular. But I have no problem with shooting a doe or cow in the head (never shot a cow elk). In 20yrs of doing it I have never wounded or missed one. I might the next time I try it, who knows. But I look at it no different than a 20yd frontal shot with a bow. Target size about the same. And I can tell you one thing. I feel much more confident about a head shot with a rifle than I do a frontal with a bow. And I would have no problems shooting a frontal with a bow.

 

[35WhelenAI]

We all are comfortable with different ways to make a successful outcome, appreciate the good discussion!

 

[Jtb.kfd]

Thanks for the replies, the 223 shot placement thread was helpful. I’ll most likely take the 6 because it definitely messes stuff up inside . I’ll just be really picky on placement

My family took four elk this year, three of those were taken with 6 creedmor’s (103 ELDX), suppressed and yardages ranges from 200-470yds. All were shot through the ribs and none went more than 30yds before tipping over. The 6’s worked very well.