Elk and Antelope caliber

Whichever one you like and shoot the best. Both will kill elk & antelope. 7mm-08 and that 6.5 creedmore round will work too - less recoil...

To argue over an inch or two of trajectory is useless - do a dope sheet and use that or get a good scope with dial turrets for your ammo of choice - use same ammo for elk & antelope.

I shot 2 antelope this year - 25 (yes, archery range) and 340 yards. Had 4 other shot opps in the 175-200 bracket. Used dead hold range and then dope sheet for drop. 30-06 150-gr 2900 fps - zeroed at 250, dead hold to 325, held a little up at 340 and drilled it.

HunterJoe24 said:

Yeah the 7mm mag. And no it won't. They make some 139g bullets that are designed just for those type of animals. Flat shooting and fast, which is what your looking for antelope. And the the 175g bullets wiull work for just about anything else, especially the partition. In my opinion, if I had one gun to hunt North America with it would either be a 7mm or a .338

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The Big 7 is the best all around big game caliber ever.

Just sayin'.

The traveling hunter going on a "trip of a lifetime" for a small window of time and seeking a trophy bull in that limited time

is much different than

A local hunter who has all season/mutiple hunts to have an ideal shot presented.....and many times those local hunters are just shooting cows for meat.

"Can you use X for Elk?" People use arrows to kill grizzly bears......the better question is what is best for your situation. I like the advice from Uptonogood and Rich K.

6.5 Creedmoor

atlashunter said:

6.5 Creedmoor

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That’s what I got for my trip to Wyoming. I filled my antelope tag, but was unsuccessful on the Elk. It was all diy hunting public land. I went with the Kimber Hunter, which weighs less than 7 lbs with optics. The lightweight of the gun is great for those 15 mile plus days. I loaded Nosler 142 gr accubonds and wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on an Elk out to 400 yards.

acurasquirrel said:

That’s what I got for my trip to Wyoming. I filled my antelope tag, but was unsuccessful on the Elk. It was all diy hunting public land. I went with the Kimber Hunter, which weighs less than 7 lbs with optics. The lightweight of the gun is great for those 15 mile plus days. I loaded Nosler 142 gr accubonds and wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on an Elk out to 400 yards.

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Been putting in for a Wyoming antelope tag 5 or 6 years now. Hopefully next year will be the year.

Having never hunted Elk, I'm not making a recommendation, only an observation. Some friends of mine live out west and their oldest son drops bulls in their tracks inside 200 with a 30-30 and his old man does the same with .308, both shooting 150gr loads (not sure which). Them things ain't as tough as they are made out to be.

atlashunter said:

Been putting in for a Wyoming antelope tag 5 or 6 years now. Hopefully next year will be the year.

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Tag prices went up for 2018 so that should reduce the number of applications. I didn't let not getting selected stop me though, my buddy and I picked up an over the counter tag and both got bucks. It wasn't your typical drive the roads, locate then stalk hunt though. Took 3 days to fill our tags and we probably hiked close to 40 miles. Used onxmaps to stay on public and got away from all the road hunters. Here are our two buck, nothing for the record books, but a great experience none the less.

jrickman said:

Having never hunted Elk, I'm not making a recommendation, only an observation. Some friends of mine live out west and their oldest son drops bulls in their tracks inside 200 with a 30-30 and his old man does the same with .308, both shooting 150gr loads (not sure which). Them things ain't as tough as they are made out to be.

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acurasquirrel said:

Tag prices went up for 2018 so that should reduce the number of applications. I didn't let not getting selected stop me though, my buddy and I picked up an over the counter tag and both got bucks. It wasn't your typical drive the roads, locate then stalk hunt though. Took 3 days to fill our tags and we probably hiked close to 40 miles. Used onxmaps to stay on public and got away from all the road hunters. Here are our two buck, nothing for the record books, but a great experience none the less.

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I have a few cousins that live in the Denver area and hunt Elk and Antelope with 30-30. I will be getting over the counter tags and hooking up with these guys. To be honest, I will either take my 30-30 or go with a Remington Model 700 CDL in .270

atlashunter said:

Been putting in for a Wyoming antelope tag 5 or 6 years now. Hopefully next year will be the year.

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There's some good units that you only need 1 point for. Not your stereotypical antelope habitat, but there still antelope in them

I think either the 270 or 308 would work just fine. The difference between them in power and trajectory isn't much. Put a lot of time in at the range from various positions. Instead of shooting off the bench, prop up on the post next to it. Or beside it on a pack. Basically get to where when the trigger breaks you know exactly where it's going. If I ever head west I'll probably take my old 7x57, I've got bigger and faster but not any deadlier.

Thunder Head said:

30-06
150 grain bullets for antelope.
180 grain for Elk.

The .270 will work. Shot placement will be a little more important when it comes to the elk though.

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This is what I've used on over 20 goats. BTW, most shots on goats have been < 100 yards. Get out of the truck and walk!

HunterJoe24 said:

There's some good units that you only need 1 point for. Not your stereotypical antelope habitat, but there still antelope in them

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Yeah I could have already gone but I'm holding out for a blue chip unit.

some 14 year old girl just shot a bull elk in MO with 1 shot from a 243 - thought it was a big buck... google it.

Rich M said:

some 14 year old girl just shot a bull elk in MO with 1 shot from a 243 - thought it was a big buck... google it.

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Yea, I saw the article. I also saw that she was using a .243. However, the biggest thing I took away from it was the lack of firearm safety. You should always have a positive id of your target.

Torre87 said:

Yea, I saw the article. I also saw that she was using a .243. However, the biggest thing I took away from it was the lack of firearm safety. You should always have a positive id of your target.

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I read that article too. Im not going to be too harsh on her because the author may have presented it differently than she said/meant it.

Throwback said:

I read that article too. Im not going to be too harsh on her because the author may have presented it differently than she said/meant it.

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I don't want to bash her, or be too harsh on her. However, the point is she wasn't sure what she was shooting at and decided to take the shot anyways.

Also, I think it is awesome that she took a big bull with a .243!

I'll also go on record saying that the kid should have known not to shoot the elk.

243's kill a lot of elk every year.

You are talking about two very very different animals here. Yes, both the 270 and the 308 kill elk and antelope every season. Either would be an excellent choice on pronghorn, although I'd lean towards a 270, which is what I'll be taking this August. For elk...that's a whole 'nuther animal there. They are big, tough animals that have a nasty habit of putting a lot of distance between you and him if wounded. I've taken a good number of bulls and my choice of calibers reflects my "risk averse" philosophy when hunting these big animals. You will have to be prepared for the worst, because Murphy's Law can accompany you any time on an elk hunt. You can't count on a 50 yard broadside shot, the bull just standing there posing. Most of the time it'll be a split second shot, quartering...last light, etc...you get the idea. You have to be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best as they say. I've shot elk with three different 300 magnums (300 Win, Jarrett, and RUM)and one 338. I can promise you, if the chips are down and you get that one and only shot...last light...last day...looking back at you from 275 yards away...getting ready to head up into the timber with his cows, you'll appreciate having a rifle with a bit more horsepower.

One caveat: shoot as much as you can to become proficient with your rifle. An elk wounded with the 270 reacts just the same as one wounded with a 338...they can run to the next zip code. Shot placement trumps everything else...no matter the caliber.

My last elk, taken this fall, was shot at last light, checking out the ladies, and was getting ready to head out. I got him at 342 yards with my 338 and never felt I was overgunned.

Wishing you the best of luck!

deers2ward said:

Great to hear from people with actual experience on trophy caliber elk. Thank you

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You're very welcome.