Elk are reasonably predictable creatures. You can rely on them to be aloof, at least during hunting season, and that means your only shot might be from a longer distance. With Norma’s BONDSTRIKE and practice, you can confidently make these shots.
Few elk hunters live in elk country. The very private nature of these magnificent animals means they tend to avoid populated areas, but that doesn’t mean observing their habits has to be complicated.
In the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, for example, elk will often summer off the mesas and hang out in the shade of the cottonwoods that span irrigation ditches. In the deepest cold of winter, they park on back-road asphalt where the blacktop absorbs some warmth from the winter sun.
These animals are evasive. Yet hunting season comes with one of nature’s great vanishing acts. That’s when you have to go to them.
An elk can cover much more ground than you. Still, they are predictable. Like water, they seek the path of least resistance. While you may find elk in dense undergrowth or on steep slopes, it is more common to find them near water and on the edges of large meadows.
If you have the opportunity, set out on foot before your hunt and see what you can find. Pay attention to the direction of the wind, and how far you might have to detour to get around a herd to avoid detection. Put a laser on every landmark you can find. Make a game of it—guess the distance before you push the button on the rangefinder.
If you travel to where you hunt (and if you don’t), practice is crucial. If you are limited to 300-yard shots, then that’s what you have to work with. Some hunters have difficulty taking shots past 100 yards, yet some Elk habitat allows for shots at much greater distances.
Do you take a shot at 500 yards, or work to get closer? Elk can be amazingly alert during hunting season. They hear incredibly well. They can smell, too. And many hunters end up breathing hard and sweating it up, just to get within to the 400-yard mark. Can you hit at 400 when you’re winded?
Test your skills at the longest available range you have. Study the ballistic performance of your ammunition. Many American hunters hunt with a .308, but not all .308 ammunition is up to the task. Check out Norma’s BONDSTRIKE. These bullets shoot like boat-tailed match grade ammo, but expand like hollow points—even at 400 yards (and actually much further).
Norma is offering BONDSTRIKE in .30 calibers.
- .308 Win 180gr BONDSTRIKE Extreme
- .30-06 180gr BONDSTRIKE Extreme
- .300 Win Mag 180gr BONDSTRIKE Extreme
- .300 WSM 180gr BONDSTRIKE Extreme
- .300 RUM 180gr BONDSTRIKE Extreme
Practice. I can’t stress that enough. Hike like your hunt depends on it. Shoot until you can put rounds in a 8” circle at 500 yards. Study those maps. Learn to read the wind, and the water. When the time comes, your gear will do its part, and you will do yours.