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The Best Bow Setup For Elk

Ethan Smith

January 30, 2024

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Video best elk hunting bow

Elk are big and magnificent, and each year legions of bowhunters — some of who travel thousands of miles — hit the mountains in search of wapiti nirvana. You want your bow, arrow, and accessory combo to perform when you earn your opportunity. Heed these tips, and it will.

Jace Bauserman

Elk are one of the West’s most sought-after species and for good reason. Besides having monstrous bodies and heavy headgear, they make excellent table fare and dwell in jaw-dropping landscapes. They are extremely vocal and can turn small pines into toothpicks in seconds. In short, they are hard to ignore.

Thousands of bowhunters — western dwellers and many east of the Mississippi — hit the Rockies each year. Earning a chance at a bull is the goal; when the opportunity is earned, you don’t want to squander it. Now is the time to ensure your bow, arrow, and accessories are Western-ready and capable of putting down a heavy-boned bull in seconds.

Bow Length & Bare Weight

Bowhunting for elk is a close-range game, and unless you’re sneaking on a bull in an open meadow, sage-dotted hillside, or alpine basin, shots are typically 40 yards and in. For this reason, I like a light, maneuverable bow that carries well in hand and can be lashed to a backpack.

My elk rigs typically measure between 29 and 31 inches axle-to-axle and have a bare-bow weight of less than 4.5 pounds. The mountains aren’t forgiving; you can count on extreme accents and descents daily. If your bow is a boat anchor, toting it around the hills gets old fast.

Maneuverability should also be considered. When strapped to a backpack, a longer axle-to-axle bow tends to contact more overhanging pine boughs and dead limbs. Plus, when you’re weaving through a maze of fox pines to cut the distance on a bull, you want to move efficiently, and three or four extra inches of bow length can make the task of creeping close a bit more complicated.

I don’t dislike longer axle-to-axle bows, but with the advancements in bow technology and knowing that my 31-inch axle-to-axle Hoyt VTM will drive tacks beyond 80 yards, I stay short and light.

Bow Poundage

You don’t need to pull 80 pounds to kill a bull elk. Check your ego at the door. Be sure from a standing, kneeling, or flat-on-your-butt position; you can hold your bow straight out and bring the string straight back. Less movement means a reduced risk of a bull catching you as you come to full draw.

I shoot 68 pounds and have blown through elk with expandable broadheads at 60 yards. I have two elk hunting buddies — one pulls 60 pounds and the other 58 — that punch lungs without a problem. The goal should be a double-lung shot, and to achieve this, you don’t have to have a complete pass-through. Instead, you will need about 15 inches to get through one lung and into the next.

See also .25-06 Remington for Mule Deer Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Mule Deer Hunt Hunting Calibers 04 Apr, 2020 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors Is the .25-06 Remington a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for mule deer hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .25-06 Remington is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest mule deer. As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the mule deer, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the mule deer in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on. [Click Here to Shop .25-06 Remington Ammo]What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a mule deer in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically. Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .25-06 Remington within the ideal range of suitable calibers for mule deer hunting?” our answer is: Yes, the .25-06 Remington is A GOOD CHOICE for mule deer hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table. Assumption Value Caliber .25-06 Remington Animal Species Mule Deer Muzzle Energy 2360 foot-pounds Animal Weight 225 lbs Shot Distance 150 yardsWhat is the average muzzle energy for a .25-06 Remington? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .25-06 Remington round is approximately 2360 foot-pounds. What is the average weight of an adult male mule deer? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male mule deer is approximately 225 lbs. [Click Here to Shop .25-06 Remington Ammo]What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in mule deer hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for mule deer to be approximately 150 yards. What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .25-06 Remington. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the mule deer being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.Various calibersA common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions. Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .25-06 Remington is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest mule deer - and to this question, the response again is yes, the .25-06 Remington is A GOOD CHOICE for mule deer hunting. [Click Here to Shop .25-06 Remington Ammo]This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below. Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting mule deer to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

While I recommend all bowhunters take a broadside or quartering-away shot, it’s essential for those pulling lower poundage to wait for these two shot angles to materialize.

For those pulling less than 55 pounds of draw weight, I recommend training hard in the months ahead and getting your bow poundage to a minimum of 55 pounds of draw weight. If this isn’t possible, and you’ll be pulling under 55 pounds, keep reading and pay close attention to the Arrow & Broadhead section. I believe the bowhunting sweet spot poundage for elk is between 60 and 70 pounds.

Arrow & Broadhead

Those pulling less poundage or with shorter draw lengths should consider a micro-diameter arrow like Easton’s Axis 4MM Long Range or other top-tier arrows with a smaller diameter. I also recommend that bowhunters pulling less poundage or those with shorter draw lengths opt for a fixed-blade broadhead like QAD’s Exodus or Muzzy’s Trocar.

Why?

A properly spined-for-the-draw-weight arrow tipped with a razor-sharp broadhead will lose less energy on impact, and the micro-diameter build of the arrow will create less contact with flesh, organs, and bone as it tracks behind the cutting channel of the broadhead. This will boost your penetration. In addition, a micro-diameter arrow will be less affected by the wind — side-to-side and head-on — which means increased accuracy and less energy lost.

Longer draw archers (28 inches or longer) pulling north of 60 pounds should also consider a micro-diameter arrow for the above mentioned reasons. Still, archers in this draw weight and draw length range can get away with a standard-diameter arrow. The key is ensuring the projectile weight for this group of elk hunters is not much below 400 grains. I shoot 68 pounds of draw weight and a draw length of 29 inches, and my finished arrows with attached 100-grain SEVR 1.5 broadheads weigh 418 grains.

Bowhunters pulling between 60 and 70 pounds of draw weight can get away with an expandable broadhead or a mechanical make.

I have shot my last three bulls with SEVR’s 1.5, which is a pivoting expandable, and all three bulls have expired less than 150 yards from the location the arrow impacted them. I prefer the precision of an expandable broadhead and the boosted cutting surface; however, if you’re comfortable with a fixed-blade head, they are excellent for elk as long as they are ultra-sharp.

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Many bowhunters will note that shooting an expandable broadhead should be taboo for elk, but I disagree. Hit an elk straight in the shoulder with any broadhead, and you will not recover that elk. Bowhunters get too caught up in being able to punch through bone, but side of the scapula and ribs, which I’ve blown through with expandable broadheads many times, I don’t plan on hitting bone and neither should you.

Fletching

Three or four fletches it doesn’t make much difference for elk. I add this section for those pulling less poundage or with a short draw length. Penetration matters, and you want to avoid a tall, rigid fletch option that will grab more wind and recklessly track behind a broadhead.

I like a longer, low-profile vane that will steer my arrow and track right behind the broadhead as it passes through the animal. The lower the vanes profile, the less contact it will have with flesh, organs, and bone. I like the Silent Knights from Flex-Fletch and AAE’s Hybrid 23s.

Stabilizer

I went the front and back-bar route for a while for elk but found it unnecessary. I discovered that a 12-inch front bar and 10-inch back bar added weight, made my bow tougher to carry, and changed how I had to strap my bow to my pack or put it in a bow scabbard when using horses.

There is nothing wrong with a front- and back-bar system, and I run one often when hunting pronghorn and mule deer in open country, but I want elk in screaming in my face, and for this reason, I run a 12-inch or less front bar and no back bar. I have also hunted with only Hoyt’s 2.25-inch Short Stop Stabilizer, which works wonderfully.

The shorter the stabilizer, the more maneuverable your elk bow will be, and again, if you’re like me, a shorter stab keeps bow weight down.

Quiver

This piece of gear gets overlooked often, and it shouldn’t, especially if wapiti is on the menu. I’m all for taking off your quiver when sitting in a ground blind or treestand, but I want my quiver on my bow when hunting elk at eye level.

I have seen, too many times, a hunter trying to get their quiver off only to have the bull charge in and bust them. Once, I removed my quiver, then moved 40 yards up the hill to get in a better position. I was barging ahead, caught my arrow between a pair of close-together pines, and snapped it. Before I could get back to my quiver and back up the hill, the bull passed by.

Elk are big and magnificent, and each year legions of bowhunters — some of who travel thousands of miles — hit the mountains in search of wapiti nirvana. You want your bow, arrow, and accessory combo to perform when you earn your opportunity. Heed these tips, and it will.

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