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megalomaniac

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I've been shooting for the past 4 weeks getting back into form for my elk hunt at the end of August... I have no idea how it happens, but it seems every year in the off season, my bow changes a little, and I have to fine tune the rest ever so slightly.

Anyway, I'm now back to 2-3" groups at 35 yards, 3-4" groups at 45 yards and 5" groups at 55 yards. Arrows are flying true! Woe be to any elk giving me a quartering away or broadside shot at 50 yards and in!
 
Here's a group from this evening... first time I've really been impressed with a group. This was 4 arrows at 62 yards... a little over 2 inches for the group. Realistically, probably not enough kinetic energy at that distance to make an ethical shot, but it'll sure make the 25 yarders seem like chip shots!
IMG_0352.jpg
 
Good shooting. is this your first elk hunt? I'll share a little experience, and I'm sure there are a lot of guys with more elk experience out there than me.
I've taken five elk with bow, from 8 to 50 yards. All but the first were with 80 pound draw, fairly heavy arrows. I was shooting 2317 shafts and 125 grain broadheads. The first I killed was with a 60 pound bow at 15 yards and the arrow didn't pass through. I hit a big 6x6 at 10 yards almost directly below me once with that same bow and the arrow skidded along the outside of a rib. The elk reached around, pulled the arrow out and went back to feeding. After that I switched to the 80# bow and never had a problem. Actually shot clean through one at 50 yards.

I know the new bows are fast and all (I still shoot a PSE Mach 6 at 75#), but in my opinion, heavier is better for elk. Shoot as much bow as you can, they're tougher physically than a deer.

Hope this helps.
 
CZ, I don't have too much experience killing them, last year was my first elk kill. I used the same setup, smoked a 400-450lb cow quartering away at 50 yards. Rocket steelhead mechanical broadhead, 67# draw, Easton ACC 3-49 arrow. Entered behind the near shoulder, lodged underneath the skin in front of the offside shoulder- around 18" penetration. She went 60 yards straight downhill and died. Honestly, she fell within 3 or 4 seconds after she was hit.

I think the key to elk is making sure you get BOTH lungs. Due to life at very high altitudes, their lungs are HUGE... which means they can go for miles if you only get one. Take both of them out and they are dead. In other words, shot placement is king- you have got to avoid the scapula to get enough penetration for both lungs. I actually passed on a 320" 6x6 bull at 17 yards 2 years ago because he was quartering towards me and wouldn't turn :(

Everybody says you shouldn't use mechanicals either on elk...but again for me, it's all about shot placement. I've got full confidence steelheads will do the job on a broadside or quartering away shot as long as I can get it behind the scapula. And I've never been able to shoot fixed blades as accurately as the steelheads- so they get the nod.

I can easily pull and shoot 75-80 lbs on the range, but it's a whole different world at 12,000 ft when the pressure is on :)
 
I agree completely on getting the lungs, however one of the kills I have took the top of his heart out, he raised his head up, looked around and went back to feeding, fell not 5 yards from where I shot him. I've never had one go more than about 50 yards, if that.

My first kill was with a bear razorhead, all others with 125 grain Thunderheads. I switched to G5 Montecs the last two years and was very happy with how they flew and performed (five bowkills, all complete pass throughs, one blew through the off side scapula on a big doe and stuck in the ground). This year I finally switched to a release and carbon shafts, so am trying the 100 grain 4 blade Muzzys. If they don't work well, I'll go with Montecs again in 100 grain. I'm a big fan of fixed blades, especially resharpenable ones and the cut on contact feature. Bow must be tuned well to shoot the fixed blades in my experience.

Good luck. It's been a few years for me since elk hunting and I'm getting the bug again REAL bad.
 

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