How to Hunt Elk

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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Elk are huge animals found chiefly in the northwestern part of the United States. You will require a rifle, patience, stamina and strength to successfully hunt elk.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Scent cover
Rifle with scope
Camouflage clothing

Fool the Elk's Senses

Step 1

Wear camouflage clothing where it is legal to do so. This will break up your outline and make it more difficult for the elk to see you.
Step 2

Bathe with unscented soap and shampoo before you go out to hunt. Cosmetic scents do not occur in the wild, and they can easily give you away.
Step 3

Use a commercially available scent cover. This will mask your scent with the scent of another animal. Use it liberally on your clothing, boots and hat.
Step 4

Bring along some household scent eliminator. You can use this on your hat as the hunt goes on and you begin to sweat. It will keep your scent from leaking out as you perspire.

Bring the Right Rifle

Step 1

Consider a .270 caliber rifle. This caliber rifle is relatively easy to shoot due to its light weight and low kick.
Step 2

Decide on a .30--.06 caliber rifle. This offers more fire power and a greater variety of ammunition strength than the .270 caliber.
Step 3

Opt for a bolt action rifle, regardless of the caliber. Bolt action rifles are those where you manually slide back the bolt to chamber a round of ammunition. Experienced elk hunters find that bolt action rifles are the most reliable.

Draw Out the Elk

Step 1

Study elk calls before you go on the hunt. Because elk calls are unique, it may take you quite a bit of practice to get the basics down.
Step 2

Try using the calls of the young elk. Many hunters use only adult elk calls. Since few hunters think to use the calls of young elk, these may be more successful.

Aim to Kill Quickly

Step 1

Aim for the shoulder or chest area. This will provide the most damage to the elk's internal organs. Done properly, these shots should kill or at least drop the elk quickly.
Step 2

Shoot through the neck when it is possible to do so. This shot will nearly always drop the elk, but you are unlikely to hit correctly unless you are a very good shot.
Step 3

Avoid head shots. It is quite easy to miss a shot aimed at the head. Additionally, these shots often cause injury, but not enough to cause the elk to drop.