Excalibur for elk

[wapiti_wacker]

Hi my name is Mark and i have been hunting elk with a compound for over 11 years , I hunt alone mostly and every September i get at least one good chance to get a shot of at an elk with my compound bow . It usually ends when i attempt to draw my bow back , so i have decided to go with a Excalibur Exocet cross bow this September , wich I will be purchasing sometime early this week with the Shadow zone package.
My questions are? what would be the best grains and bolts? , as well as broad heads for the Exocet ? I do not want to find out in September this year that I should have made a better choice on my equipment as I am new to the Crossbow,s .
I have done allot of research on deciding on Excalibur , and have allready decided that it would be the best and most reliable , and accurate crossbow for me . I can not seem to find much information on crossbow hunting for elk . I would like to make the right decision's so i don't end up wounding an elk needlesly due to my lack of knowledge as they are very tough animals , and i don't want to waste money on bolt's and broadheads that wont work well for taking down an elk .

Any and all information will be greatly appreciated ......

Thank's in advance Mark

[georgiaboy]

Welcome to the forum!!
Congrats on your excal!!
Although I know nothing about hunting elk I have shot a few hogs and they are equally as tough.
I would shoot a good fixed blade broadhead and keep my arrow and broadhead combo over 400 grains. The slicktrick mag would be my choice of broadhead. If you use the excal firebolt arrows I would use their boltcutter broadhead, that would get you in around 418 grains.
Good luck!!

[CanuckBen]

Welcome aboard Mark.

As Elk's are pretty tough game, I'd go with Excal's Firebolts and their bolt cutter BH in as GeorgiaBoy previously said. Proven and reliable. There are many great products out there as well.

You'll see when you practice with your xbow that your range will be shorten by quite a bit, especially since you’ve been a vertical compound bow hunter for many years.

Cheers

[vixenmaster]

I cast a vote fer the Razortrick BH 125gr & total weight 400gr or more

[Shotnbeer]

Your crossbow will work fine. Where are you hunting and is it during the rut. If you got busted with your compound you may have set up wrong. Are you going to have a buddy with you? I have shot a fair amount of elk and once you get it down its pretty reliable but not fool poof. I've missed my share also. The gear recomendations you'll get on here are right on. Practice is also the key. Don't get a false sense of security thinking a crossbow will make it easier. Good luck.

[nchunterkw]

Welcome to the forum.
I'd go with something in the 450 - 500 gr total weight range and a good fixed blade head. Also keep your FOC in the 17% - 20% range as that should help with penetration. My setup for bison is Easton FMJ bolts, brass insert, 100 gr head. 17% FOC. I recently just got a Montec CS head. The marketing claim is "25% sharper" and I tend to believe it. I think that would work well on elk, but there are lots of good heads.

[LongCarbine]

If the ONLY reason you are going with a x-bow because it seams easier to shoot at elk ,you might be in for a little surprise. Last year was my first with a x-bow I went from 50yd limit with v-bow to 40yard with x-bow and I still made mistakes at that range, They sneak around in the brush harder, they are heavier to carry and yes you will need to shoot it alot to be good with it out to 40yards just like any other weapon. You will also have to find a broadhead, arrow and fletching combo that works for your set up. My set up is firebolts ,brass inserts ,blazer vanes and now slicktricks and illuminocs ,My brother -in-law has same bow his setup is firebolts, blazers , muzzys Mine are 490gr. his 380gr. Mine passed thru a deer and the last I saw the arrow it was flying thru the woods his went thru and was laying on the other side of the deer. What ever you choose make sure the head is sharp and you practice,practice practice, Oh yeah I forgot the must important part, have fun doing it! I sure do.

[muskyman454]

where i live in ky there are elk all over and i see them all the time.but have never hunted them.but i would use a fire bolt and boltcutter broadhead with out a worry.

[Big58cal]

Welcome to the Excalibur family Mark! And congrats on your new bow!

Part of the fun of shooting an Excalibur is in trying different combinations. Try different shaft/vane/insert/broadhead combinations and find one that works best for you and that you're happy with. You may also want to consider Swhacker broadheads.

[j.krug]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new Exocet. I shoot a Vortex with Firebolts tipped with Rage mechanical broadheads. A very deadly package. You will get many different answers on what the "best" combo is as every hunter has his or her own favourite setup and weight. As mentioned by a few above the Firebolt/Boltcutter combo will work very well for you. Good luck and happy wapiti hunting.

[wapiti_wacker]

Thanks for all of the responses !!!! I hunt the southwest corner of Wyoming by myself during the rut . My range for my compound is 45 yards max as i shot a golden eagle compound that is a slow dog cam bow . I will probably go with the firebolts with inserts , and boltcutter broadheads as it seems to get allot of good reviews . I will try some of the other combinations as well and try and find the combination that works good for me as far as accuracy . My new exo should be here early next week and i can't wait .

What is the effect of shooting a crossbow downhill? is it like a vert bow as far as compensation?
Most all of my shots fall around 20 to 40 yards . Would taking a good open shot out to 40 yards be to much of a risk for elk with a crossbow ?


Thank's for all of your help

[vixenmaster]

Thanks for all of the responses !!!! I hunt the southwest corner of Wyoming by myself during the rut . My range for my compound is 45 yards max as i shot a golden eagle compound that is a slow dog cam bow . I will probably go with the firebolts with inserts , and boltcutter broadheads as it seems to get allot of good reviews . I will try some of the other combinations as well and try and find the combination that works good for me as far as accuracy . My new exo should be here early next week and i can't wait .

What is the effect of shooting a crossbow downhill? is it like a vert bow as far as compensation?
Most all of my shots fall around 20 to 40 yards . Would taking a good open shot out to 40 yards be to much of a risk for elk with a crossbow ?


Thank's for all of your help

Downhill shots will shoot high just like a compound. Open 40 yds is certainly doable, although elk are big n tuff they ain't as fast as whitetails about dropping down to run

[nchunterkw]

Shooting uphill or downhill any weapon will shoot high. Without getting too nerdy.....sharp uphill or downhill angles result in the distance to the target being longer than the distance gravity will act on the projectile, so the POI is for the shorter distance. This link explains the physics pretty well.

http://www.loadammo.com/Topics/April04.htm

[CanuckBen]

In the same line as Keith's, a short article from Chuck Hawks on shooting uphill or downhill (not as well detailed though)

http://www.chuckhawks.com/shooting_uphill.htm

[wapiti_wacker]

Thank's for all of the information . It has helped me allot ....

My new EXOCET showed up today and man am I impressed I love the way it looks and feels the scope is awesome as well ....
I have not been able to take it out and shoot it yet as i need to build me a new target to shoot at .... But i will take it out early next week unless i get time between then .
Also got me a Flemish string to put on once i get used to the bow the the way it is as i have read allot of good about them...

Thank's Mark

Glad to be part of the Excal family