>>2677243Didn't get to post while the elk hunting thread was still up but I killed my first Elk this year in New Mexico, shot with a Browning Lever-action Rifle chambered in 7mm-08. The wind was great going in, at my face the whole time, and was going to climb up on an old volcano and glass the valley. When I was halfway up climbing the volcano, the wind totally switched and was blowing straight towards where I was hunting. This demoralized me and I questioned whether I should even keep climbing but I went ahead. Was sitting on the ridge and spotted them about 1k yards in the valley. The wind had just switched in my favor again after 20 minutes of tailwind. They were in the direction of the setting sun and I was lit up, very few trees. So I ran down the ridge from bush to bush and ran across the mostly open field. There was a small swell hill between me and them and when I got near it I saw dust coming over the hill. Heard the bull bugle which was really cool. Got behind a bush about 3 feet tall and wide and they came towards me at an angle in a procession, 180 yards away. I was shooting in a very awkward position, on my knees bent over and leaning to the right and shooting freehand. I had so much adrenaline that I had to lower the gun 3 times to try to calm my breathing. I still wasn't super still but I let off a round and the bull stood still. Quickly worked the action and fired another within a second or two. The sun was blinding me and I couldn't see the bull, I got up and ran towards him and found him on the ground trying to get up. Put another 2 rounds in his neck and he died. When I gutted him I saw that both of my initial shots were in the heart a couple inches apart. By far the most fun hunt I've ever had.
