I thought I'd close the loop on this post and let you all know how we did. First off, I really appreciate two MM guys for being willing to PM me with some advice on this area. Working in a hospital during the Covid pandemic really made it difficult to scout this year. Their feedback was really a difference maker for us. We hunted Dec 19th and 20th. We hiked hard and were able to get the job done the morning of the second day. The lack of snow made it difficult to locate the elk within 2 miles of any road.
The best part of this hunt was being with my daughter. She loves hunting, but most importantly - being successful while hunting. So, I put a lot of pressure on myself to get the job done.
We spotted 6-7 cows and calves about 800 yards away feeding in some sparse cedars and PJs. We were only able to get to 396 yards when we found ourselves losing cover. I told my daughter that I had to shoot from here. She looked a little unsure. Luckily, I have put in some time shooting out to 500 yards with my trusty Winchester Model 70 (.270 caliber). I set up prone with a solid set up. The cows had no idea we were there. I pushed off any pressure that I was feeling to make the shot and squeezed one off. I heard the familiar thud of the bullet impacting the cow. She stood firm as the rest of the cows looked around thoroughly confused. I lined up for another shot. I could see blood trickling down from her vitals as she still stood. I shot again. She still stood firm. As a cranked in the 3rd bullet and looked through the scope, I saw her fall.
My daughter sure was happy that she was with me on this, her first elk hunt and that we were successful. She was adamant that I let her carry some meat on the packing trips out. Luckily, we were only 0.9 miles from the ATV. She packed out both loins and a boned-out front shoulder. She sure was proud that she helped her old man with the packing duties. She definitely earned herself one of the ivories. We are getting the hide tanned, but the memories of the experience will be the true "trophy" for the both of us.
As a side note, both shots hit the lung and heart (impacting 5 inches apart). I was surprised to see that both shots broke ribs going in and completely passed through (between ribs) exiting the elk. They were Winchester Extreme Point bullets (130 grain), not the pricey stuff.
