What's your average Rifle shot range on an Elk?

[TRS_Montana]

I would say average 150 yds, but the ranges have been anywhere from 25 yds to maybe 350 yds.

My son took his paraplegic wheelchair-bound buddy up on a cow hunt last week. His disabled buddy is not shooting disabled however and is highly accurate at the long distance shooting he practices. He shot a cow elk at 600 yds with his trusted 270, then got into his wheelchair to assist in field dressing his elk. Clean shot right through the shoulder into the engine compartment ... just as he described before reaching the downed elk. It was a very inspiring hunt to help with.

That's awesome!

 

[Ben Long]

My average is inside 100, the nearest being inside 10 and the longest maybe 250. I hunt timbered country, which keeps things close. I have an old timer friend and he has been in on 100+ elk kills and kept notes on them all. If memory serves the average shot was about 125-150, but there were a few "curve breakers" of 400+ yards. I met a guy this fall with an enormous bull -- a massive 6x7 bull in his truck. He was at the bank on the way to the taxidermist. He packed in nine miles with horses and shot the bull at 896 yards. Almost exactly half a mile. That's fine for him, I guess, but I still like it inside 100. All my elk were killed with a 30-06 or a 308.

 

[HighWildFree]

Probably been in on close to a 100 elk now that I've guided and a few I've killed myself. Average shot is around 250. This is open country central mT. Closest was about 70 yds, farthest 800yd. Mine personal closest was 90, furthest 400

 

[Straight Arrow]

He was at the bank on the way to the taxidermist. He packed in nine miles with horses and shot the bull at 896 yards.

Riiiiigght! I think I meet him in the bar just before he went to the bank. He is an excellent story teller.

 

[plains2pines]

great thread. 18 elk. bulls and cows. .270 model 70 pre 64 for every single one except for one. the closest elk kill was 10 yards with a .338! haha just to much gun and not needed. average is like everyone else's at 150. furthest ill shoot is 400 and have taken 2 elk at that range. 140g rems kill animals out of that ole .270 kills them dead! never have had one run more than 50 yrd from shot sight. never needed a follow shot either. (luckily) huge fan of those old .270 not enough credit given to them.

 

[plains2pines]

That's awesome!

punched through shoulder at 600 from .270? that's awesome! what bullet was he using, barnes? that sounds like an awesome memorable hunt!

 

[mhkowalski]

7 elk since 2007; avg = 150 yds.

 

[Sawtooth]

All my elk have been shot with a .270 win. Distances ranged from 25 yards to 190 yards. Most in the 100-150 yard range. I hunt mostly thick timber and my comfort range is out to three hundred yards on animals. Practice on the range out to 400 yards.

 

[seahuntr]

30+ elk.
Longest shot 150 yds. Rarely over 100 yards. 30-06. 165 Gr partition. Pre 64 featherweight mod 70. Fixed 4x scope. Mostly hunt timber.

 

[belly-deep]

Probably half at 250+ and the other half at less.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I haven't shot any with my .22 but I'm obviously packing too much heat with my 270. I'm laughing out loud at that as it probably got more than a couple people fired up.
Average is about 150 yards

 

[stuckinthecitylife]

Just loving this thread. I need to tally everyone up, but I think we're still in the 150yd average bracket.

One of my points is this.. If a guy is going to get out and be successful Elk hunting, chances are he's not going to hail mary something from across the canyon. Most of the time a fella can get in closer, and make a good lethal, ethical shot.

A few years ago I hid behind a tree in the woods, while 4 dumb ass wanna-be hunters fired across a road, and up a hillside some 1200+ yds away. There were some 60+ shots from four different rifles, everything from a .223 to a .300 Win Mag. Just a horrible display. I should have called the Game Warden then. I waited it out, hunkered in until after dark, and the shots continued. It was a Spike Bull, that did eventually get wounded, and died the next day. Lousy SOB's.

It's great to hear the success stories from you all! Thanks!
- Joseph

 

[TheJason]

On a similar note, I was hunting in the Madison Range many years ago. It was brow tined bull only in that unit then, and I could see hundreds of elk across the face of the mountains. I was about 10-20 yards from having a clear 75 yard shot at one of the few legal bulls in the herd. A group of hunters on horseback came around the bench and started shooting from about 5-600 yards away because they thought they couldn't get any closer. It had taken me about 45 minutes, but I was able to work my way through a number of little bands of cows and close the gap from 500 yards to 75. I never was able to get a shot at the legal bulls, despite having about 30 spikes and forkies come walking by at about 30 yards.

There's hunting and then there's shooting.

 

[BuzzH]

I think the average distance of all 64 elk that I've killed, some with a bow, majority with a rifle, came to about 160ish yards.

The average range for me has increased dramatically since I moved to Wyoming from Montana. Just hunt a lot more open country here in Wyoming.

I would guess my average shot in Montana was probably closer to 100 yards, while Wyoming closer to 200-250.

 

[noharleyyet]

100, 330, and 60....in that order, all very different circumstances.

 

[Mthuntinfool]

only killed 2 so far,
Cow- 60 yards 165gr Hornady interbond 30-06 pre-64
Bull- 150ish yards 100 grain Speer BT .257 Roberts custom

 

[the nikster]

I get a bit impatient. My average is probably near 200 yards but no more than that. Not to say I have not shot further, I have. Just that my average is less than 200.

 

[Westernglory]

I debated this very question as I purchased my new 300 wsm. After 20 years and over a dozen elk I average 200-250 yrd. I did find a bull 2 seasons ago at 30 yards.

 

[ric]

42 elk, years hunting elk 46, average distance, 30 yds, Win. .270 featherweight, 150 gr hornady spirepoint, 51.5 gr 4350. I bow hunt with a rifle in the great central Idaho rainforest.

 

[csutton7]

#1 no range finder, but I'm guessing +450yds 4x5 rag horn .338 win mag thru the shoulder blades/spine fired 3 before I hit him because he was slightly further away than we thought(I was on one hill above him probably 100yds in elevation and he was coming down the hill opposite me, but he was a long ways off-you couldn't put horns on him with the naked eye--probably dumb of me to shoot at him, but I did and luckily succeeded)
#2 25 yds 6x6 .338 win mag forward raking shot--hit a branch had to follow up at 5yds neck shot 2 shots
#3 330 yds 6x6 .300 win mag lung shot 1 shot
#4 440yds 6x6 .338 win mag lung shot 1 shot

avg=311yds