I've been going elk hunting since the fall 2010 (took a 2 year break a few years ago). Got a huge cow my first year (15 yards) and a small 3 X 4 bull last year (25 yards). My first 3 years I carried a Remmington 700 in 300 WM. We usually do 25 - 40 miles during the 5 - 7 days we hunt. Not all of that is carrying a rifle though.

That 700 got to be quite heavy at the end of each day. 3 years ago I bought a Tikka T3 in 30-06. It was a tossup between the 308 and 30-06, but I got a deal on the 06, so that's what I got.

I like carrying the T3 way better than the 700. I think its a tad over 1 lb lighter. When you're humping 4 - 5 miles each day, the weight reduction is noticeable.

Good luck on your hunt. I'll be going Oct. 13 - 18 with (hopefully) an either sex tag or a cow tag. The unit never sells out.

quote:

Originally posted by redlickranch:
Thanks for the heads up on ammo. Going with a Remington 700 ADL in 7mm Rem Mag that my father had that has a VX 2 4x12x40 scope. Can't find a Browning BAR to at least look at so going to pass.

Just need to pick up some ammo and begin to practice.

I already have some nice hiking boots and the outfitter is packing out any kill so no need for a haul pack. Thanks for all the advice.

I guess ted for years and years with a 700adl in 270 and it worked just fine. Nothing wrong with that. If you decide you want a lighter gun to carry around, check out the kimber hunter and the tikka t3x lite rifles.

If I was going elk hunting tomorrow, I’d grab my kimber Montana 308 and shoot a 180g partition out of it. That gun with a nightforce shv 3-10 mounted with nightforce ultra light rings and a Talley 20moa rail weighs under 6.5lbs. Before I put the nightforce scope on it, I had it at 5lb, 11oz with a leupold vx3i 2.5-8x36 mounted with Talley lightweight rings.

Speaking of which, this vx3i 2.5-8x36 that’s just kicking around here might be a good excuse to get a rifle to put it on.

The Boonie Packer sling would make the rifle much easier to carry.

I was lucky and took a nice KY Elk this year. I ended up using Federal Premium 7mm Rem Mag 165 gr Sierra Gameking BTSP ammo. I was able to get two shots on it right behind the front shoulder and it didn't go 40 yards. The 25+ year old Remington ADL did it's job. All my gear worked great minus my Pentax Bino's which broke an hour into the hunt. I bought a new pair of Vortex Bino's since then.

Here is photo of my Bull.

For under 300 yards, the 308 is an easy choice. Cheap, pletiful, lots of bullet options, and can be had in a short action. If recoil is an issue but want something light just add a brake and call it a day.

Personally, and know it's not on the list, but I'm a fan of 338 federal and the wildcat 338-06 for larger game like elk and moose. But I also like more oddball rounds and would only suggest those if you just needed to have something different to round out hunting rifles.

Stick with heavier bullets and any round you suggested will do the job.

Very nice Bull redlick. KY seems to have the best elk herd/hunt East of the MS River. Not having to deal with wolves(and bears) killing most if the calves must help.

Thank You...

The locals in the area talked like 10 years ago the elk were everywhere, but now not so much. Fish and Wildlife was doing a bunch of trapping in the area I was drawn for. I was told they are shipping a bunch of elk to Wisconsin. Since I am a "Cheesehead" I thought that was cool. Next year they are dropping the amount of tags available to help out with the herd numbers. Two days after I left I believe a new state record bull was killed.

I harvested my bull in about an hour. We got in before daylight and listed for bugles and heard two. We made it down to lower elevations and heard one that was close. After daylight they both shut up. We walked about a half a mile to a small field and came within 50 yards of this bull shredding a tree. i was able to get to my knees in small patch of bushes and he walked away turning broadside. What was crazy is that we could smell the bull from over 100 yards away, but didn't realize at the time how close we had gotten until we popped out of some thick brush. You can see from the photo how thick it was walking through this open area. Removed the head and horns for mounting and hanging weight was over 400 lbs.

Great hunt all in all.

Here is advice you might not hear.

The last 4 elk I’ve shot had absolutely no reaction to having been lethally hit, none. Secondly they bled very little externally as in 2 fell over insnow with not a drop around them.

Take your shot but pay very close attention to where he goes, as you might have a dead elk with little sign to work with.

I own a Benelli R1 synthetic stock in 30.06. It is a high quality reliable rifle. I have just a few warnings:

1. It is ammo sensitive. It really likes Federal 165 gr. rounds, which have provided the best accuracy to date, which is consistently better than 1.25" @ 100. I see little accuracy difference between the Game King, Fusion, Vital Shock, and Deer Thugs (price is different). I have tried other brands and weights with no success. The worst is Winchester 180 gr, which was ~ 6" @ 100 yards. I could not believe the results. I changed back to the 165 Federal and it tightened right back up.

2. Avoid hotter loads. When I was trailing ammo, I got some Underwood 165. Better than 75% of the rounds ejected the primer. Just too hot for the action.

I have not had many chances to hunt recently. I have taken just two animals with the rifle: smallish whitetail and a 370 lb boar hog. I ear holed the hog at 65 yards...dead right there.