# Elk setup



## nkybuck (Feb 16, 2009)

Just would like to hear what some of you are using on elk. I'm taking my wife to Colorado in September. Interested in draw length, poundage, arrow type and broadhead. Any info is much appreciated. Thanks


----------



## doegirl (Sep 22, 2004)

I know you specifically ask input from those who've hunted or better yet, taken elk. But please let me put in my 2 non-elk hunting pennies. 
If I were to go on elk hunt, the only broadhead I would consider is the Silver Flame.
Penetration would be my #1 concern on an elk and the Silver Flame will help maximize that.
Yeah they're expensive, but I feel I owe it to the animal...


----------



## Montana girl (Jun 16, 2008)

I hunted elk this past year with my PSE EVO at 58lb, 26 1/2 draw, and Grim Reaper Hades for broadheads. My friend shot an elk last year with 48lb and a 25' draw and i believe she used G5 Broadheads And we both shoot Carbon Express Hot Prusit Mahayms.


----------



## ABQ_Chica (Oct 29, 2009)

Awesome! That should be a great trip! Does your wife shoot archery now?
Although I didn't take an elk during my hunt last year, I worked with a lot of fellow elk hunters to make sure I had the best set up possible. For most women (but not all), the biggest disadvantages are obviously DL and DW. That doesn't bar us from taking big game, but does mean we have to work within our limits and focus extra hard on lethal shot placement. Given my setup, I decided I would only take a clean broadside shot at 25 yards or less, even though I practice out 40 yards and from different angles. That's a very personal decision though, and many would probably feel comfortable with longer shots. I also made a point to practice the widest variety of shooting positions possible (upslope, downslope, standing, on two knees, completely kneeling, bending around a tree, etc.)
Bow: Martin Crossfire and Martin P3 (backup bow)
DL: 24"
DW: 48#
Arrows: Gold Tip XT Hunter 3555
BH: G5 Montec 85gr.
Wish I could say I was speaking from lethal experience, but I hope this helps!


----------



## ABQ_Chica (Oct 29, 2009)

Almost forgot: You can also ask an elk hunting legend of sorts--"elknut1" here on AT. You may already know him. He posts frequently in the Western Bowhunting forum, and you can find his Website by searching for "elknut." I had a long and invaluable conversation with him, and he reassured that my set up was more than enough to take an elk if I was realistic about my accuracy and yardage and used a very sharp cut-on-contact BH. I believe his son took his first elk with a 40# traditional bow, and I know several trad hunters who are very successful elk hunters with similar setups. He's very helpful, for what it's worth...


----------



## nag (Jun 13, 2007)

I lived in Colorado for 28 years and yes, hunted Elk.
Unfortunately, my several kills were with rifle and not bow, although I have hunted with a bow too....just never had a good shot opportunity.

Western hunting, can mean longer shots, so being sighted in to 50 -60 yards is not a bad thing.
Question is will there be enough K.E. at that distance?

The Colorado D.O.W. says 51 ft lbs of kinetic energy is minimum for Elk. And the kill ratio is 1 in 4.

At the time I was bow hunting Elk, I was pulling 63 lbs @ 25"...so I never worried about the K.E.

Try to work in teams, with the caller behind and off to the side of the shooter; and hope your Elk comes to the call, overlooking the shooter.

Keep it close and she should do OK......watch the wind...Elk spook real easy!


----------



## dickey48 (Oct 13, 2009)

I'm shooting 57# @ 25" draw . Goldtip XT 5575 with a 100 gr NAP hellrazor. In 2010 i shot a cow at 40 yds and the only reason it didn't pass thru was the left shoulder blade stopped it. Dead within 30 yds. Placement is everything.


----------



## sdavey10 (Dec 26, 2011)

i hunt elk and deer. i pull 50lbs, 26.5" dl about 300 fps. my arrows are 55/75 gold tip expedition hunters with slick trick broadheads. i'm comfortable out to 50 yds right now, working on 60 but i agree with everyone else, placement is EVERYTHING! nothing can take the place of practice (we shoot everyday, year round) and dont take shots you know wont have a chance of dropping the animal. hope this helps!


----------



## dickey48 (Oct 13, 2009)

sdavey10 said:


> i hunt elk and deer. i pull 50lbs, 26.5" dl about 300 fps. my arrows are 55/75 gold tip expedition hunters with slick trick broadheads. i'm comfortable out to 50 yds right now, working on 60 but i agree with everyone else, placement is EVERYTHING! nothing can take the place of practice (we shoot everyday, year round) and dont take shots you know wont have a chance of dropping the animal. hope this helps!


How are you getting 300fps? I'm getting 260fps with 25"/56# with the same arrow. Shooting a Vendetta XS.


----------



## mtnmutt (Apr 4, 2010)

I have not yet harvested an elk. I have been elk bowhunting in Colorado for 2 seasons. I did survey other bow elk hunters before I went out on my first day to make sure my setup was good enough.

My initial setup was:
2010 Martin Leopard 50# @40DW, 24DL
85 grain Thunderhead broadheads
25" Goldtip Expedition Hunter 3555 blazer vanes. 313 grain
I did not crono this setup but it was probably <200 fps which is pretty bad for elk hunting IMHO.

I knew I could not ethically shoot an elk at more than 20 yards because my setup just did not have good enough kinetic energy. I discussed this with other elk bowhunters before I went out the first time.

Most elk are taken at 25 yards or less. There is a lot of dense (dark) forest here.

For 3 seasons, I helped call for someone else and never had one come in close enough for a shot. So, I had it in my mind that I would never call in an elk at 20yds or less. This was a recipe for disaster.

Luck would have it...I called in a 2-4 yr old bull elk on my 1st season opening day. All alone there with an elk at 16 yards, I initially had the shakes and could not pull my bow. He stood there in a wide open broadside shot at 16 yards forever. I finally calmed down, mistakenly aimed high on his vitals and he dropped 5 inches from hearing the release. I watched as my arrow just barely went over his shoulder.

I did call him back, but now he was dead down wind at 23 yards and sniffing the air. He was obviously about to bolt. He was outside my range and I would have had to twist my body to shoot from my sitting position. I just sat there and observed and turned it into a learning experience. Overall, it was my most successful day of hunting because I learned from my mistakes and I had an extremely close encounter with a magnificent animal.

Before my 2nd season this past September, I had spent 9 months going from 40DW to 50DW. I also spent all summer practicing on 3Ds from standing and sitting positions.

Unfortunately, the best I did this past season was a 6x6 monster walking past me at 40 yards. He just looked at me and kept on going. It was an extremely hot season and calling was not working this past season. I only cow call.

Here are the things that I failed to do for my 1st season:
I did not practice on 3D
I did not practice from a sitting position. I noticed that elk can't understand what you are as well if you are sitting. I did NOT have a decoy at the time.
I did not practice in my mind making the shot. Visualization is very effect in many things. Visualize and you will be successful.
I did not quiet down my bow. Ask for help. I have a severe hearing loss and I did not know how loud mine was.

Things I did do:
I had sharp broadheads and I made sure the bow was tuned to them.
I knew my effective range for me and my bow and stood by it
I did successfully aim on the vitals but it was high on the vitals.
I had practiced smoothly drawing my bow and holding it at full draw for 30-60 seconds. Longer would be better.

Although Colorado law minimum DW is 35#, I personally with my short DL of 24" (fps goes down with DL), would not do less than 45#. If you have a faster bow and longer DL, maybe 40# would be fine. Depends on complete setup and bow.

I have surveyed many elk bowhunters here in CO and they say these are the most critical items:
Shot placement is critical
Sharp broadheads are critical - I switched from 85 gr to 100 gr because I have doubts on 85 gr for elk.

Knowing your effective range is critical. This is based on your abilities and your bow/arrow setup. You need good kinetic energy to get the arrow through an elk.

My Current setup
2010 Martin Leopard 50# @52.5 DW, 24"DL (new string helped get it >50#)
G5 Montec CS 100 grains, I may switch back to replacement blades because I can't get these fixed blades sharp
25" Goldtip Expedition Hunter 3555 blazer vanes. 328 grain
219 fps

Even with the increase in fps going to 52.5 DW, I will only limit my shots to 25 yards. It is obvious to me that my kinetic energy is low. I have not calculated it, but I can tell.

I am currently trying out new bows to increase my fps. Because of shoulder issues, I don't think I will pull >50#. I will play a little with my arrow weight (lower it), but I know a heavier arrow is more likely to penetrate an elk.

Good luck, have lots of fun hunting in Colorado and pray for a colder September than this past year.


----------



## sdavey10 (Dec 26, 2011)

@dickey48 i was at our proshop about 3 weeks ago and they checked it out and said thats what it was.


----------



## ABQ_Chica (Oct 29, 2009)

mtnmutt, thanks for sharing your experience and setup. It's kind of a relief to know I'm not the only one who limits my shot range. 
I was hoping to get over 50#, too, but that just doesn't seem likely no matter what I do or how much I practice. Especially when I'm trying to draw in the freezing cold. So 25 yards it is. 
We may not have the same chances that others do, but on the bright side, a lot of elk are taken at 25 yards or even much less, so there's hope!


----------



## mtnmutt (Apr 4, 2010)

ABQ_Chica
While I am standing or sitting waiting for the elk to show up, I draw and let down my bow every 10-15 minutes to keep my muscles warm. This also minimizes surprises like dew/water in your peep when you do draw on an elk. If I am cow calling, I do the draw and let down before I call just in case an elk pops into view right after the call. 

Despite a very hot August/September 2011, it was still is cold at 6 am. 52.5# is hard for me to pull when it is 20-30 degrees outside, but keeping my muscles warm helps.

You obviously have practiced a lot of scenarios which builds your confidence. Confidence at the longer shots will get you your elk at the shorter distance.

The young elk really do come in that close if they can't smell you, distinguish you as a person or hear you make human noises. Older elk will more likely circle you to catch your scent. I hunt for meat and enjoyment of being outdoors, so younger elk are okay with me.

My young bull at 16 yards stared right at me for a very long time. I was sitting in a hole without a decoy with my torso fully visible. He had a plain view of me and really could not figure out what I was. I was really surprised he did not bolt when I had to move the end of my arrow around a tree and when I went to full draw. It was almost hilarious for the time he spent staring at me. I know that this was an unusual situation and it is not likely to happen again.

I wish you all the best for next season. Most of all, have fun.


----------



## dickey48 (Oct 13, 2009)

sdavey10 said:


> @dickey48 i was at our proshop about 3 weeks ago and they checked it out and said thats what it was.


Guess I may have to have look at the Heartbreaker.


----------



## ABQ_Chica (Oct 29, 2009)

mtnmutt, thanks for the tips. Even though it was a very hot summer, our early September hunt turned out to be in cold, rain, and hail. I try to do isometric muscle contractions to stay warm, but will also try drawing periodically. And drawing/letting down just before calling. Good ideas! I'll try those for turkey hunting, too. 

Having good baselayers (like 100% wool) also makes a huge difference--I learned that the hard way last year. Wet cotton does not keep you warm...

Although the goal is to fill a freezer one of these years, I love simply being out there among the wild things.
Best of luck to you, too.


----------



## jmann28 (Nov 22, 2010)

MR6 66lbs 29DL
Gold Tip Ultralight Pro's w/ 50 grain added to insert for better FOC
Slick Trick Magnums 100's 
Arrows wiegh in at just over 430grains. 
Gettings somewhere over 310fps. Perfect setup in my opinion lol


----------



## doegirl (Sep 22, 2004)

I would be really concerned with using a Montec or that style broadhead. It's a wedge style broadhead and takes alot of KE to penetrate, since it "pushes" rather than slicing through flesh. I have yet to see a setup here (including mine) that should be using anything other than a 2 blade cut on contact broadhead for elk. The husband and I have spent thousands of our own money and time testing broadheads and at one time had a website before it became to expensive to continue testing.
Some heads to give serious consideration is the 100 grain Magnus Stinger, Carbon Express XT w/o the forward bleeder (the "poor mans Silver Flame"), and of course, the Silver Flame. 
I've also being experimenting with traditional style heads like the Zwickey Eskilite and Eclipse broadheads.
They require going up in spine to compensate for the head weight. But I have been very impressed with especially the Zwickeys....


----------



## trimantrekokc (May 16, 2006)

sdavey10 said:


> i hunt elk and deer. i pull 50lbs, 26.5" dl about 300 fps. my arrows are 55/75 gold tip expedition hunters with slick trick broadheads. i'm comfortable out to 50 yds right now, working on 60 but i agree with everyone else, placement is EVERYTHING! nothing can take the place of practice (we shoot everyday, year round) and dont take shots you know wont have a chance of dropping the animal. hope this helps!


you might want to have the shop recalibrate their chrony....you've got minimum of 340gr if using a 100 gr point...which at 50 # is almost 7gr per #...or 90 gr over IBO...the bow IBO's at 27" at 305...which puts you .5" short and 90 gr heavy...would equal 305- 5 (dl)=300- (90/3)30=270fps - weight of peep/loop/silencers i would expect about 260-265fps


----------



## mtnmutt (Apr 4, 2010)

doegirl, Thank you for your comments. You made an excellent point about KE.

Do you know the FOC for your arrows? Other information like your arrows, grain, etc may also help us.


----------



## threetoe (May 13, 2011)

sdavey10 said:


> i hunt elk and deer. i pull 50lbs, 26.5" dl about 300 fps. my arrows are 55/75 gold tip expedition hunters with slick trick broadheads. i'm comfortable out to 50 yds right now, working on 60 but i agree with everyone else, placement is EVERYTHING! nothing can take the place of practice (we shoot everyday, year round) and dont take shots you know wont have a chance of dropping the animal. hope this helps!


OK...I know that's not right.
Maybe I'm splitting hairs here.

The Heartbreaker is NOT capable of throwing a minimum (5g) weight 250 grain arrow shot from a bow with 26.5" and 50 pounds at 300 FPS! 
To achieve that speed it would require the bow to produce a relative IBO of 350 ! 
It is my observation from experience that the Heartbreaker produces a relative IBO more like 333. 
This (realistically) would push that 250 g arrow at about 280 FPS.

Also...
The 5575 spine (.400) is compatible with 60-70 pounds draw weight at 27" arrow length. 
For 50 pounds draw its way over spined. 
For 50 pounds one should use a 3555 .500 spine. 

Make the total arrow weigh 325 grains and you'll get 260 FPS at 48KE. 

(the experts recommend no less than 51 KE for Elk)

I do like the Slick Tricks !!


----------



## doegirl (Sep 22, 2004)

mtnmutt said:


> doegirl, Thank you for your comments. You made an excellent point about KE.
> 
> Do you know the FOC for your arrows? Other information like your arrows, grain, etc may also help us.




I've done penetration tests with 255 grain to 667grain arrows. 8% to almost 21% FOC. Just my opinions on what I would use:
1. I'd go middle of the road on arrow weight. A durable arrow that will maximize your KE while still maintaining reasonable trajectory. To me, that's about 8 grains per pound. I really like the looks of those Victory Armor Piercing arrows. After seeing my husband zip a 300grain arrow through a 1000lbs bison with a 60lb bow, I don't put much reliance into the momentum theories.
2. I'm more concerned with perfect flight than trying to achieve a certain FOC. That being said, those cut on contact heads do like a little more FOC (13-15%). I use 4-3" feathers offset to minimize tuning issues.
3. The closer the better:wink:


----------



## nkybuck (Feb 16, 2009)

Thanx for all of the input I'll b doing some shopping and testing soon. Good to hear from you Doegirl you should get on the other site and at least say hi now and then.


----------



## nkybuck (Feb 16, 2009)

ABQ_Chica said:


> Awesome! That should be a great trip! Does your wife shoot archery now?


Yes she does this year she has taken 5 deer one being a 200lb 9pt.She's been shooting for about 8yrs and hunting for 6.


----------



## ABQ_Chica (Oct 29, 2009)

doegirl, thanks for the BH info. Would you be hesitant to use a Montec or wedge-style BH even for shots <20 yards?


----------



## threetoe (May 13, 2011)

If I can add.

Try the Slick Trick.

Try it, you'll like it. Even poorly tuned bows shoot them well. Properly tuned bows digest these like field points.

my 0.02


----------



## doegirl (Sep 22, 2004)

nkybuck said:


> Thanx for all of the input I'll b doing some shopping and testing soon. Good to hear from you Doegirl you should get on the other site and at least say hi now and then.


Yes, I should do that...


----------



## Shezabowhunter (Dec 7, 2013)

I live in Colorado and have bowhunted elk for years..AND IM A GIRL. I've killed five bulls and a cow... most recently last year in an open unit... yes it's an addiction and I don't think a day goes by that I don't think about it... I shoot 53 lbs, only to 35 yards although all of my shots have been under 20 yds. .. I love NAP HELLRAZORS 100 GRN CUT ON CONTACT. I Killed my bull and a nice buck with that broadhead this year. I shoot Bowtech Assassin, carbon arrows, but the thing is get in shape for high altitude, learn how to cow call well, and get a decoy!!! then go and HAVE A BLAST! let me know if you need more info...tell her to use scent free makeup,deterrent, laundry detergent, shampoo creme rinse perfume anything and scentshield on everything, especially the bottom of your boots...


----------



## outdoorsdude (Jul 4, 2013)

_ Interested in draw length, poundage, arrow type and broadhead. Any info is much appreciated. Thanks _

For six years, My wife accompanied me afield with out a tag; finally I attached her to my archery app. and last year she went with tag in hand for the first time.

her DL is 26" and DW 43# producing 43KE. Not exactly ideal for Elk, but: I am convinced with self imposed parameters of 30yds. or less and broadside only, it is attainable. I have seen elk hit wrongly both with bow and rifle; excess power doesn't matter! When they are hit correctly- wow! huge difference. Placement, placement and placement!

She shoots an Axis .600 spine for an arrow, with a weight tube from Three Rivers in it for 389gr total. Still not as ideal as say my 510gr, but it flies perfectly from her set up- no wasted energy. After a short discussion with Mike Sohme at Magnus, it was tipped with a 85gr Buzzcut with bleeders. At 7/8in width it would provide less resistance in cutting width. And I strop these until they are as sharp as my straight razor! Now, she did not harvest due to the self set parameters but I and she have full confidence in this set-up.

Best of luck-


----------

