I wasn't arguing with success in fact I wasn't arguing at all but the choice to take that shot at that range with that caliber is one the majority of responsible hunters would not have taken. Like you said look at the number of animals lost so why increase the chances 10x? Just to say you did it? Why not work in on it to a more reasonable distance for the cal or pass and find a better set up? Bottom line I've lived in elk country all my life and I've seen more elk before, during and after the kill than alot of people and I've seen properly hit elk with proper calibers pack alot of lead. That elk was still spined whether the bullet hit high in the shoulder or not it's the same affect it either broke or shocked the spine and as Dan said earlier that is a very low percentage shot but probably the only one that would have worked with that gun at that range. When I lived in Rocky Mtn elk country I knew of several people that hunted elk with nothing but 243's but since I've been in Roosevelt country I've only ever heard one guy even mention it and he was literally laughed out of one of the local gun stores, of course he was a city boy from Portland that had never hunted elk.