Which of these cartridges should I take on my first elk hunt?

[Antlergeekadam]

The one you shoot the best under 300 should get the nod. I know a bunch of people love the Creed and for good reason, its a hell of a round...but on elk past 300 I'd go for something with more umph...

 

[Loper]

Well I got back from my hunt. No elk were harmed in the week I was there.

I ended up selling the Remington 700 in 30-06 and purchased a Browning A-Bolt II in 30-06 and put a limbsaver recoil pad on it. The recoil wasn’t terrible and I was able to shoot it a good bit and get comfortable with it before the hunt. Although I took both rifles, I ended up hunting with the 30-06 the whole time. I felt comfortable and confident in the rifle and I liked knowing that the caliber would do well given the ranges I would be shooting.

Thanks for everyone’s feedback and advice. Already looking forward to next year’s hunt.