Gear Talk, Part 3: Elk

In the last installment of Gear Talk, I discussed the variables of antelope habitat and hunting, and how it would affect your gear selection. Antelope habitat does not vary nearly as much as deer or elk habitat, so this time we are going to have to cover a wider range of hunting scenarios and habitats when discussing elk. While there is no “normal” elk country, it can be lumped into a handful of habitat types, which usually have an effect on hunting techniques, which should dictate which gear you bring, and which you should leave at home.
By now you should have an idea of what the country looks like, even if you don’t know a proper name for it. Within an individual hunting unit, elk country varies by time of year, snow levels, slope, aspect, vegetation cover types, altitude, latitude, region of the country and individual microclimates. Within the Continental US, the further north you go, the more precipitation you have, and therefore the forests are denser and more shade tolerant. Within a given latitude, your north and east facing slopes will also be denser than your west and south facing slopes. So, the Southern Rockies in New Mexico typically have sparser Ponderosa Pine forests at an equal elevation and aspect compared to Northern Idaho and Montana’s dense spruce-fir habitats. Those sparse Ponderosa Pine forests have excellent shooting and sight lanes, but the dense Douglas Fir and Lodgepole Pine forests throughout the Northern Rockies leave very little for shooting lanes.
Altitude has a very large effect on habitat types. Within most elk country, you can have low elevation cold desert and farmland winter ranges all the way up past timberline in the summer time. Timberline changes with respect to slope, latitude, aspect and precipitation. In the Northwest, where you have high precipitation (snowfalls are what’s important here), and higher latitude than say, Southern Colorado, timberline is closer to 10,000 feet. On the drier slopes in Colorado, timberline is over 11,500 feet, sometimes exceeding 11,700. As elevation approaches the tree line, the timber gets sparser, growth becomes stunted and twisted forming what is called krummholz (German for twisted wood). Extending below this tree line and the krummholz are your dense spruce-fir forests. The higher altitude increases precipitation and retains snow for a longer period of time, growing larger, more shade tolerant trees. Below this band of spruces and firs will be your typical pine and aspen habitats, depending on the successional stage that the mountain is in.
Because pines tend to burn frequently, the stands may still be in aspens or mountain mahogany and other shrubs, but the climax species below the spruce-fir zone tend to be in less dense, shorter pines where you have decent sight lines. Below most pine zones in the Rockies, the vegetation communies tend to be either Pinyon-Juniper, scrub oaks or various mountain shrub species. These areas are often winter range and late season hunting areas, though in some canyon country these communities are found through the highest elevations. These habitats tend to be much more conducive to spot and stalk hunting than the spruce-fir zones, though the visibility isn’t quite as good as when hunting in alpine and krummholz habitats.
ELK GUNS:
Where and how you hunt should play a large factor in your elk gun selection or build criteria. A standard factory sporter-weight .30-06 with 180 grain soft points and a variable 3-9x40 scope will be more than adequate for most situations. But since this article is about specialized gear, I’ll go over some features to consider when looking for an excuse to tinker with what you’ve got, buy something new or build something a little more festive than what you’re packing now.
Most of us can’t hunt with a rifle when elk are still above timberline, so the highest habitats we’ll be rifle hunting are the krummholz and spruce-fir zones. It takes over a foot of snow to really force the bulk of the elk herds to migrate much below that. So the reality of most elk hunting, is that shots can be very short. However, you must still be capable of handling a long shot across a large, wet meadow. I find short barrels to be of no real ballistic disadvantage, but I also don’t find that shortening a barrel helps in the handling very much. Shortening the length of pull on your stock tends to be of more help in handling a quick shot. Also consider that you will likely be wearing bulky clothes in late October or November, so a shorter stock will shoulder much more easily. A longer barrel will help you swing with a moving target. So if you are trying to build the best handling gun you can, barrel length is a tough compromise. A short barrel might be nice if you prefer to still hunt or track elk and hope to take short, quick, but stationary shot. The actual length should depend on the contour of the barrel, but the balance point for those stalking the dense spruce-fir zones should be right around the front action screw on a bolt action rifle so that it will swing properly. If you aren’t comfortable with a moving shot, then bring the balance point back to the middle of the receiver. Don’t forget to factor in the scope weight and position when trying to determine where a good balance point for you would be. Forward mounting a scope on the barrel will help the balance if you choose to shorten the barrel severely. Overall weight is less important than balance in this situation.
There are only a few places where a true long range elk rifle serves much of a purpose. Any rifle that can hold 1.5 MOA out to 600 yards will easily remain within the vitals of an elk, provided the shooter is up to such a shot. The only places where I could see the use of dragging around a dedicated long range rig would be for late season hunts on winter range, Wyoming’s Red Desert country, and some sparse canyon country. In BLM-heavy canyon country, you can occasionally see elk from extremely long distance, and roads may quickly get you to the edge of a canyon, where you would lose sight of the elk if you attempted to cross it. The danger of building such a specialized rifle is that you lose the versatility needed to handle the majority of elk hunting situations. A 12 or 15 pound, 30 inch barreled .338 Lapua with a 20X Nightforce scope and McMillan A5 stock is a poor choice of rifle for sneaking through the woods and climbing the mountains.
I think it is far better to improve your abilities at extended ranges with a more versatile rifle than to intend to hunt with something that specialized. If you think the country you hunt will present you with a situation where a 500 plus yard shot is possible, you’ll be better off having practiced those shots with your current rifle than be caught holding something wholly unsuited for a quick shot in the timber as you approach your vantage point. A good compromise is to stay with a high comb, sporter-style stock and not too heavy of a barrel. I’ve killed 3 elk in quick situations at under 100 yards with a 27.5 inch #3 contour(0.625 at the muzzle) .264 Win Mag with a 15 inch length of pull. I designed it as a somewhat long range deer rig, but I tend to use that gun for almost everything, as it is versatile enough to not be a handicap for quick, short range situations. If the elk in your area will stay in and around the krummholz for rifle season, longer shots may be presented, but you aren’t going to want to carry a heavy gun up and over 12,000 foot ridges. You’ll be happiest with a lightweight rifle with some long range capability. Fluting, skeletonizing, restocking, using a smaller scope, switching to lighter scope mounts and shortening barrels will work to cut out a significant amount of weight from most guns without reducing effective range.
I find bipods to be of little use for elk. In most timbered elk country, you can find a rest if you need it for longer shots. And a little ingenuity will give you more options to get a steady rest above the vegetation than a bipod. A bipod designed to be used from prone will rarely be used in areas with decent grass length or substantial shrubs. Shooting sticks are more useful, but even your binoculars will make a decent rest if need be. For those you that sit meadows and trails, a sitting length bipod or shooting sticks will work well to minimize the amount of movement necessary for a longer shot. I would take the bipod off when you are moving between areas or still hunting the timber. A sling is crucial. Not just to free your hands up when navigating difficult terrain, but also for steadying a shot from any position. Really wide, fat slings are comfortable, but of little use when trying to tighten up for a shot. A rangefinder is useful when sitting a meadow, as it can be difficult to judge distance in places that have very little vegetation. However, most shots must be taken before you have the time to judge the range.
I feel bullet selection is more important than cartridge selection. My basic guidelines are to use premium, controlled expansion type bullets with magnum cartridges. Basic cup and core bullets were designed for standard velocities and impacts below 2800 fps generally. I prefer heavy for caliber spitzers when using cup and core bullets, and light for caliber bullets in the monometals. You can choose too tough of a bullet and cartridge combination, just as you can choose too soft of a combination. A .308 Winchester and 200 grain Barnes TSX combination with a 400 yard shot into soft tissue is asking for trouble due to poor expansion. A .300 Weatherby Magnum shooting a 125 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip shot into heavy bone at 50 yards is another disaster waiting to happen. Nearly anything can kill an elk, but to do so efficiently and properly requires some forethought and understanding of operating windows for the bullet selected. Along that same line of thinking, if you have to ask whether your bullet and cartridge combination is up to the task of a severe quartering shot, it probably isn’t and you’ll be left wishing you chose a better bullet. My favorite rifle is my .264 Win Mag, but using my 3700 fps 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip antelope loads on elk would be irresponsible. In my .358 Norma Magnum, I wouldn’t use bullets designed for the .35 Remington velocities either.
Regarding muzzleloaders for rut hunting, keep them short and handy. Front globe sights are great for precision shooting, but cumbersome at short range. A peep rear and small, bright front dot works well in most conditions, but a larger, brighter front sight is useful in the dense timber. In Colorado, sabots aren’t permitted, but I wouldn’t use them anyway. I’ll stick with a heavy, solid lead conical.
OPTICS:
When scoping an elk rifle, you’ll want to think about the likely distances and conditions involved in the habitats you’ll be hunting, as well keeping an eye on the effect of weight and balance with your rifle. As mentioned before, a versatile 3-9x40 will handle nearly any situation well, just make sure you keep the setting at 3X unless you have time to set up for a long shot. There’s very little a simple fixed 4x scope wouldn’t work well for. The field of view allows quick shots, and the magnification is just good enough to be precise with your placement. I personally don’t like fixed 6x scopes, as I find the field of view a little limiting on short shots. A 4.5-14x or 4-12x works well, as long you keep the setting at low power. In reality, most guys could err on the side of low power variables, such as a 2-7x or 1.75-6x and be very happy with their nice, lightweight scope. The mid elevation pine-aspen and low elevation scrub oak/winter range hunter will have more long distance shot opportunities than the high elevation spruce-fir elk hunter, and might better appreciate slightly higher magnifications.
I was once guiding a hunter for mule deer in Western Nebraska, and two does and a decent buck came up out of a timbered draw, with the buck dogging the a doe 75 yards away. I pointed the buck out to my hunter and she said, “I can’t find him!”, turns out her scope was on 9 power and the field of view didn’t allow her to find the buck before he went up and over the ridge less than 50 yards away. We never got back on that buck after discovering her error. In short, if you have a variable power scope, check it to make sure you are on low power when you arrive in your hunting error. It’s common to leave your scope at max power after sighting in at the range.
Thick crosshairs are best for most elk hunting. Timber hunting dictates you find your crosshairs quickly on moving objects or in heavy shadows. Thick crosshairs are also useful for hunting during the typical primetimes of dawn and dusk for the meadow and trail sitters. If you like bullet drop compensators, realize those are typically designed to be used at maximum power, so if you have to take the time to figure out bullet drop, take the time to crank up your magnification. For the long rangers, custom reticles matched to your bullet drop or turret adjustments are great. But for most elk hunting situations, those are superfluous. Good eye relief is another important factor in an elk riflescope. We tend to choose hard kicking rifles and it helps to be able to keep sharp aluminum tubes from banging into your nose and eyebrow. But more importantly, long eye relief is great for fast target acquisition without too much of the “staring down a black hole” feeling.
I find spotting scopes useful for only two types of hunting: Road hunting in areas where you can see long distances, and when hunting from ridges above timberline in the early seasons. I know, I know, I should condemn the road hunters, but let’s get real, in some places that’s called hunting smart, and a lot easier than bumbling around the ridges. For the timberline archer or rifleman, a compact spotting scope can save you miles of walking by determining whether or not the small herd of elk you’ve spotted has a legal bull or a bull up to your standards. They are also great for peering into the krummholz and edges of the spruces and firs from above, while looking for bedded elk.
For most people, binoculars are all that is necessary. The big timber spruce-fir rifle hunter and bowhunter will do fine with a medium power 6,7 or 8x with a wide field of view. High magnification cab be a detriment if you’ve snuck up on elk in the timber. If you can’t find the elk, focus your binos and get a steady view of the antlers or what’s behind your target, they are worthless. Those hunting sparser country can benefit from greater magnification. In large aspen stands or dense scrub oaks you can often pick elk out easily with the naked eye, but will need powerful binoculars to make out the sex and antler size against the twiggy background. I’ve always used cheap glass, but only recently have come to regret it. I left my binoculars in my pack with a leaking water bladder and now one barrel of the binoculars are permanently fogged. Don’t make that mistake.

Part 4, the continuation of elk gear, including clothing, footwear and camping gear will be coming soon…