Some tips for you as you try hunting elk for the first time. I live in the West, but I suspect elk in Saskatchewan behave a lot like elk in Ontario. Our Saskatchewan elk hunting does not require long range shooting. Just because you can see an elk a long way off does not mean you have a "shot". Don't believe the videos and marketing hype. Real experienced hunters get closer. Good, effective range is the range you can consistently put ALL your shots, from field positions, not a bench, in a group the size of a paper plate. That distance varies with skill and experience and to a limited extent with equipment. But I have consistently observed that long distance shooting leads to a lot of wounding for most hunters, especially inexperienced ones. I have killed an elk every year for I think 26 years now, except the year I went caribou hunting instead. Our group of friends and family have taken three or four times that many. The average distance that all those elk were shot is pretty close to 90 yards. The guys who shoot at long range and wound elk don't get invited back to our camp.
Scout a lot before the season. On foot. Elk hate vehicle traffic and will move a long ways off to avoid it. Quad traffic is immensely disruptive in elk country. So ride in carefully and at an "elk inactive" time of mid day. Determine bedding and feeding areas. The most effective elk hunting I have found is to (very quietly and from down wind) position yourself before dawn on a corridor between the bedding and feeding areas. The trails are really obvious. By hunting this in - between country, bedding areas remain undisturbed. Bust an elk from its bedding area and they will move 5 KM and most patterns of movement are disrupted for 3-4 days. So don't do that. Elk feed mostly at night when hunted much. After the first day or two of the season, don't expect a lot of opportunity where they feed either.
If you have a season at the right time of year, calling can be very effective. But bugling like a bull is seldom the right choice. Learn to talk like a cow. Cow chirps can calm a spooked elk, call in a a curious and horny young bull, or make a big bull act possessive. Pre-rut, archery season bull bugles can be effective as bulls sort out breeding dominance. But later on, Bull bugles seldom work when you have a dominant bull that already has a harem. Few of those herd bulls figure fighting is a better option than sneaking them away. Cow calls also work on cows and really well on calves. Don't call too much.
Ideal elk rifles are not much different than ideal moose rifles. Use most any rifle of 7mm caliber and bigger, with heavy for caliber premium bullets. Elk are not a good candidate for Bergers, or "extreme range" quick opening plastic tipped cup and core bullets. All copper, bonded, or heavy thick jackets are called for. I've seen the humerus/ scapula joint stop or deflect bullets from some big, powerful rifles. A mid lung shot is always effective, but the elk will do a 50 yard death dash. An exit wound is always welcome when tracking a hit elk in thick timber. So I like bigger rifles and tougher bullets than is absolutely necessary.
Elk meat is the best! plan for success. Don't think you're going to pack / drag out a whole elk. You might get lucky, and shoot an elk in a ditch or open field, but you need a plan for the rest. Pack frames, meat bags, stout cord, and a bone saw should be standard part of your kit. If it's warm, you will need to hang the elk immediately, access to a cooler is ideal.
Best of luck on your elk hunting edventures!
