First Elk Killing Weapon

[Swede]

What was the first weapon you used to kill an elk? I got mine with a converted old military 6.5X55 Swedish Mauser. I would consider it a little light now for elk, but it did the job at close range with no problem.

[Trophyhill]

Bowtech 82nd Airborne

[BrentLaBere]

Bear Archery Truth - Compound

[easeup]

Remington 742 1970 vintage auto loader 30-06.
Still have that carbine and still use it when I rifle hunt.

[rowdycwby1]

PSE Stinger 3g

[Shawn032]

High country extreme

[Lefty]

My father in laws Browning 7mm 39 yards raggy 5x6

[Fridaythe13th]

300 ultra mag with a 180 grain bullet. Had a 25-06 for a back up

[pointysticks]

winny M70 in 30.06. topped with a brand new (at the time) leupold VX3.

it was too easy at the time, and i vowed my next elk would be by bow. dumb dumb dumb vow..so difficult!

[Washington Wapiti]

Bowtech Vital Impact

[Wyo67]

Bow! - Diamond Outlaw

[elkmtngear]

Martin Pantera (bare bow, fingers)

[stykbow67]

Longbow

Steve

[stringunner]

Bow - Mathews

[Swede]

is interesting to see how many hunters killed their first elk with a bow. That may not seem odd now, but I remember when there was a lot of debate about allowing bows to hunt elk. Many people thought they would cause a lot of game to be wounded, and a lot would walk off and die days later. The argument was rather intense. I still remember hearing people say, " I believe you could kill an elk with a bow if you hit it just right." Someone would say sure, but the first old blunderbuss made the bow obsolete". Then in Oregon they opened a few small areas for archery elk hunting. I suspect it was an experiment and the game commission would have shut it off quickly if it became a problem. In recent years I hear the Department of Wildlife encouraging more people to go hunt with a bow. They believe they can offer more hunting opportunity (days) to bow hunters than they can to rifle hunters.

[WapitiTalk1]

An old Winchester pump 30-06. I think they were called a Model 6? That bull (calf) never knew what hit him

[Elkduds]

Dad's Remington 721 in 30.06, 1992, GMU 471 next to Aspen ski area. Thanks a million billion for getting me started hunting, Dad.

[baddaddy]

Howa 30-06.

[hornart]

A Mossberg model 800A in 308, it was my oldest brothers rifle

[Gselkhunter]

XI XRG 80lbs compound bow

[Bullwinkle]

300 weatherby mag.. only time I never felt my shoulder dislocate when pulling the trigger! Now I know why my grandpa took back his 7 mag

[under H2O hunter]

Belgium made Browning BAR 7mm Mag with a 160 grain Federal partition Nosler spike bull at 200 yards.

[JJ Overkill]

bowtech destroyer 350. last yr

[Csrbowhunter]

Bowtech allegiance three years ago.Its amazing how many people use a Bowtech. Hopefully I kill one this year with my new Hoyt carbon spyder!

[Washington Wapiti]

is interesting to see how many hunters killed their first elk with a bow. That may not seem odd now, but I remember when there was a lot of debate about allowing bows to hunt elk. Many people thought they would cause a lot of game to be wounded, and a lot would walk off and die days later. The argument was rather intense. I still remember hearing people say, " I believe you could kill an elk with a bow if you hit it just right." Someone would say sure, but the first old blunderbuss made the bow obsolete". Then in Oregon they opened a few small areas for archery elk hunting. I suspect it was an experiment and the game commission would have shut it off quickly if it became a problem. In recent years I hear the Department of Wildlife encouraging more people to go hunt with a bow. They believe they can offer more hunting opportunity (days) to bow hunters than they can to rifle hunters.

It is strange to think that a weapon choice which is so commonplace now, was ever a point of contention. Those of us that began bowhunting after-the-fact have no idea.I like shooting firearms, but the bow is just what made sense to me and what I was drawn to for most of my hunting. I love being in close and there is just something primitive-feeling about shooting an elk (or anything for that matter) with stick and string. It is cool that you have been there to see that evolution Swede.

[Screaming_btf]

.54 cal muzzleloader

[Seminole]

Hoyt Pro Tec... But I would have not got it done if it were not for Elknut's advice!!!! He is an amazing hunter and a better friend!

[one_elk]

Winchester model 1895 30-40 krag….Supposedly the same gun that John Plute, who was a local miner used to harvest his big bull in 1899 the story goes that Plute traded game meat for rent and other expenses. After shooting this giant bull—which scored 442 3/8 B&C and occupies the No. 12 spot all time—Plute boned it out and typical of the day, left the antlers with the carcass…..of course my first elk score was probably closer to 44 2/3 but I was 16, using my granddads gun and was amazed I gotten an elk at all….

[Elkduds]

Plute killed his huge bull in the Dark Canyon of Anthracite Creek, CO, just west of Crested Butte where he lived and mined. The rack tours w RMEF, and otherwise hangs in the office of the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce. It was B&C #1 typical elk until 1986, and is still a sight to behold. Local rumor has it the rack is taxidermied onto a cow elk head, as that was the biggest head the taxidermist could find.

[WapitiTalk1]

Winchester model 1895 30-40 krag….Supposedly the same gun that John Plute, who was a local miner used to harvest his big bull in 1899 the story goes that Plute traded game meat for rent and other expenses. After shooting this giant bull—which scored 442 3/8 B&C and occupies the No. 12 spot all time—Plute boned it out and typical of the day, left the antlers with the carcass…..of course my first elk score was probably closer to 44 2/3 but I was 16, using my granddads gun and was amazed I gotten an elk at all….

Not trying to derail your thread Swede but I found this story about John Plute so interesting that I pulled up an old photo. I guess this is a pretty decent bull

JohnPlute.jpg (72.91 KiB) Viewed 35787 times

[Swamp Buck]

Last Year's bow season. Unbelievable experience . Martin Bengal

[ishy]

PSE fastflight? I think thats what it was called.

[Yotkilr]

Hoyt Carbon Element

[idahoghost]

Browning Safari Grade Belgium made .270 my father gave me when I was eleven. Still use it. That would have been in 1969.

[JerryYong]

Bear Polar LTD (with about 8 pulleys!)

[husky390]

Interarms Whitworth Express 375 H&H Magnum.

[JerryYong]

is interesting to see how many hunters killed their first elk with a bow. That may not seem odd now, but I remember when there was a lot of debate about allowing bows to hunt elk. Many people thought they would cause a lot of game to be wounded, and a lot would walk off and die days later. The argument was rather intense. I still remember hearing people say, " I believe you could kill an elk with a bow if you hit it just right." Someone would say sure, but the first old blunderbuss made the bow obsolete". Then in Oregon they opened a few small areas for archery elk hunting. I suspect it was an experiment and the game commission would have shut it off quickly if it became a problem. In recent years I hear the Department of Wildlife encouraging more people to go hunt with a bow. They believe they can offer more hunting opportunity (days) to bow hunters than they can to rifle hunters.

Interesting that you mentioned Oregon had limited archery elk hunts in the early days, Swede. My Dad killed a spike bull with a longbow in Oregon around 1962 or 1963 somewhere in the Tillamook burn and as a kid I can still remember the heated debates he had with my Uncles every time we got together. Until they themselves took up bowhunting in the late 70's and started killing their own elk, they always called my Dad's kill a total fluke. There was even a local game warden that checked my Dad's elk who wasn't totally convinced he had actually killed it with a bow and from that day on seemed to always happen to be in my Dad's neck of the woods every year when he went hunting. Dad never liked that guy much!

[Indian Summer]

Bear Polar LTD (with about 8 pulleys!)

LOL, I owned one of those. So many wheels you could almost drive it to work.

My first: Remington model 700L in 7mm Rem Mag and a 165 gr Nosler Partition (or maybe 160 grain)

[ThinAir]

Bear Polar LTD for me also with Satellite 3 blade 125 grain and Gamegetter aluminum arrow.

[elkmule123]

7mm Rem mag with 160 accubond tip.

[Broken arrow]

Jeffries royal hunter recurve Douglas fir arrow and old bear greenie.

[COElkFreak]

Remington .257 Roberts

[husky390]

Remington .257 Roberts

What distance and what ammo were you using?

[Trophyhill]

bowtech destroyer 350. last yr

What did you do with that bow Jeremy?

[JJ Overkill]

bowtech destroyer 350. last yr

What did you do with that bow Jeremy?

I sold it for my target bow, gave a heck of a deal to a young guy at work who's just gotten into archery hunting. I really had a hard time letting go of my first bow. but with the staff position I really couldn't use it for hunting or targets. I know it went to a good home. I may have had a tear in my eye when I handed it over

[luvelkhunt]

Hoyt CRX 32.