The "perfect elk cartridge" may be the most often-wrote gun-writer topic next to the "perfect whitetail rifle." Oddly, many of the cartridges mentioned in both articles may be the same. When you consider most whitetails weigh less than 200 pounds and many elk go considerably over 500, you would think that far more powerful guns would be necessary for elk. More power for these bigger animals is often preferable but not always necessary. Most elk outfitters and guides want their clients to bring the most powerful guns they can shoot comfortably and well. If you can handle the weight and the recoil, big cartridges like the .338 and .300 Winchester magnums add options, range and assurance to your elk hunting. On the other hand, deer-class cartridges, such as the .308, .270 and ..30-06, will certainly bag a big bull when used for reasonable shots at reasonable range. If you shoot your "deer" rifle well and a magnum poorly, you're better off with less gun.

Once you have taken a gobbler, the next dilemma is what to do about it. Turkey, like all poultry meats, is fragile and prone to spoilage. This is particularly true in the warm temperatures of late spring turkey seasons. Field dress the bird immediately. Make a circular cut around the anal vent, being careful not to sever the intestine. Now the entire entrail system may be carefully pulled out. Next, enlarge the opening and reach up to pull out the liver, heart, gizzard and lungs. (The liver and heart are great eating; wild turkey gizzards are very tough.) Finally, cut the trachea and esophagus as high as you can reach. You are working by feel so be careful not to cut yourself. With the body cavity cleaned out, insert a sturdy, empty plastic bag. Next drop ice into the bag until the cavity is filled. This starts the cooling process from the inside out. The bird is now ready for the trip home.

Elk hunting has become much like whitetail deer hunting. Both animals possess great natural defense systems, including wonderful noses for trouble and the ability to ghost away when a hunter's scent drifts by. Elk are smart and wary. They have responded to increasing hunting pressure in many of the same ways as whitetails. Both like heavy cover and use it to hide from hordes of hunters. Going nocturnal is no problem for either whitetails or wapiti. Night feeding and night movement are common survival characteristics for today's elk. The greatest difference between modern elk hunting and deer hunting is in the extent and nature of elk habitat. Deer are homebodies and hang out in small areas, despite heavy hunting pressure. Elk are semi-migratory anyway and have no reservations about putting large chunks of rugged real estate between themselves and hunter harassment. When you spook a big buck, you've put him on his guard. When you spook a big bull, you may have put him over the next mountain.

Elk calling has reached epidemic proportions. It is the most dramatic way to hunt elk. It has all the appeal of turkey calling with the added adrenaline rush of calling a massively-antlered, brush-ripping trophy bull right up to you. The bugle is the loudest and most dramatic elk call. The high-pitched, keening whistle of a mature bull has real ear appeal, whether it is made by you or, even better, by a big bull in the black timber, answering you. However, bugling can be overdone and often is. Many hunters bugle all the time and the bulls get both tired and wary of it. Also, it can drive sub-dominant bulls away and cause harem bosses to take their cows and leave. Cow calling is far more subtle and subdued. The mews and chirps made by cow elk (bulls make these same sounds but less frequently) are "confidence calls" that assure all is well. Most elk, including bulls, will investigate cow calls. even after the bugling season is over.

When you bowhunt for elk, you are magnifying your archery challenge. Obviously elk are bigger and tougher than deer. Unlike gun hunters, bowhunters can't simply step up to a more powerful magnum weapon. In order to maximize trajectory, range and penetration, most archers are already shooting as much bow as they can handle for deer. That's fine. Arrows kill by hemorrhage, not by shock. If your bow can put a razor-sharp broadhead deep into an elk's heart/lung area, it will bag the bull. The point is the point. Elk hunting broadheads should be strong, tough and top quality. The edges must be razor sharp. The point should be designed for maximum penetration. Two-blade broadheads penetrate efficiently but three-blade designs do almost as well and offer more total cutting surface. Wide heads offer even more width of cut but sacrifice considerable penetration. With good, sharp, high-penetration broadheads, you will be able to shoot through a broadside elk with a reasonably powerful "deer-class" bow.