I don't hunt elk so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Firstly, when people refer to back tension release, it confuses me with what they mean. Is there a trend where people call a hinge a back tension release? I've seen people shoot indexes and thumbs with perfect back tension, and hinges with no back tension at all and using pure finger rotation. Similar can be same for a resistance release.
I've been shooting compound consistently since about November 2022, and while I've killed a couple of animals with thumb buttons, the overwhelming majority of animals I've killed in that time have been with hinge releases. The last time I killed an animal with an index release was maybe early 2019 when I initially picked up a compound, but I put them down around 2019 and shot trad mostly until now.
I have mates who told me a hinge for hunting might not be the best idea as they like the idea of being able to punch a shot off quickly if the opportunity presented.
Despite me being very comfortable with hinges I've kept trying thumb buttons because I feel like they give me some extra security when out hunting. I've also had moons move on me with my hinges when out hunting, so my distance to get to click, and then to fire, has shortened, and I've made some weird shots.
Fast forward to a few weeks back and I was shooting a local tournament on a very windy day. I took my Stan Onnex C, thinking I'd be able to get some shots off quicker if I needed to. I wouldn't necessarily say I get 'punchy' with a thumb, but I definitely get a little lazy compared to other releases. On the first round I shot my first B grade score in a VERY long time. A lady shooting with me was using a Stan PerfeX resistance release and doing just fine in the wind, taking her time, or letting down if need be. Many of my shots were stupid and I was just driving through quicker than I needed to, because I thought I could get away with it.
The second round I took out my Scott Ascent hinge, which I'd taken the click out of, and I shot a score reflective of how I normally shoot, even in the wind. The two rounds the following day I used my hinge again and shot well.
Fast forward another couple of weeks to starting to hunt the fallow deer rut. Even though I'd proven to myself I shoot a hinge better than a button (again, because I get lazy with a thumb and not necessarily because I get target panic) I took my button out. We rattled in a fallow buck and I got to my click on the thumb button as I started making noises to pull him up. As I pulled through, I drove harder than I needed to, and he hadn't quite stopped yet so he spun at the shot. It wasn't a good shot and I lost that deer, but ended up recovering his head two weeks later and he'd only gone 200 metres. The point is, as the shot went off I immediately knew I should have made a stronger shot.
The week after that happened, I took my hinge out. Fallow hunting in the rut can be fast and furious for a variety of reasons, but I figured I shoot a hinge well so it'd be fine. We rattled in a buck and he came in hard through the thick stuff and got to about 4 metres before he spooked and trotted away out to about 25 metres. I was at full draw for a little while with my thumb on the peg to keep the hinge from going off, and when he stopped at 25m I put my pin on his vitals and drove through my shot like I always do. It was a very strong shot, and I was holding steady because I pull into my backwall hard when I shoot my hinges. I hit him in the lungs and he piled up after about 30 metres and it felt amazing, as he was my first deer ever with a bow (except the one I shot the week before that I recovered the week after).
Bottom line for me is essentially I shoot hinges better. I stay in my shoot better, make stronger shots, and am ultimately more accurate. My friends think hunting with a hinge with no click is insane, but this is just what works for me.
I think I've probably killed over 30 animals with a hinge since November 2022 and I doubt I'll go to another style of release anytime soon.