Elk season is right around the corner. Consider these four excellent projectiles if you want a new quiver filler.
Hunters tend to get carried away when discussing the weight of an elk. I’ve heard elk-goers tell me that the massive bull they saw or killed was over 1,200 pounds.
Unlikely.
Elk are undeniably large creatures, with a monstrous bull typically weighing around 900 pounds and a sizeable cow weighing 600 pounds.
Elk are formidable creatures with their Schwarzenegger-like muscle structure and thick, dense bones. While they may not weigh over 1,200 pounds or be the size of a horse, as commonly slugged, the right arrow and broadhead are crucial if you aim to bring down a bull or a cow with an arrow. As an experienced elk hunter, I can attest to the importance of this selection.
I’ve harvested multiple bulls and cows with stick-and-string tackle during my elk tenure. Early in my bowhunting career, I opted for the cheapest arrow/broadhead combination I could find when my bank account was in the red. However, I did my research. My budget combo was recommended by a local pro shop. Plus, I made sure to match the spine size to my bow’s poundage, and took the pro shop’s fletch orientation advice.
Today, I regularly test arrows. Oddly enough, it’s part of my job as an outdoor writer, and I love it. I get raw shafts from the most outstanding arrow manufacturers in various spine sizes yearly and go to work. I test these shafts with various fletch orientations for accuracy, durability, wind resistance, noise in flight, and penetration.
The to-come elk arrow advice stems from years of testing, tinkering, and hunting these impressive creatures. Enjoy the arrow/broadhead advice; if something excites you, I recommend pulling out the plastic and purchasing. Now is the time to sharpen your shooting skills and make sure your wapiti ready. September, friends, is right around the corner.
Best Overall Elk Arrow: Easton 4mm Axis Long Range
Best Budget Elk Arrow: Gold Tip Hunter XT Hunting Arrows
Best Durable Elk Arrow: Carbon Express Maxima RED SD
Best Newcomer Elk Arrow: Easton X10 Parallel Pro
Best Overall Elk Arrow: Easton 4mm Axis Long Range
I’ve shot many elk arrows during my wapiti tenure. Still, none have proved better than Easton’s 4MM Axis Long Range. In 2022, on the brink of serious back surgery, I sent a SEVR-tipped 4mm into the lungs of a slightly quartering-to-Colorado five-point. The shot was 43 yards, my 37-pound ALPS pack was on my back, and I didn’t see the arrow impact when the shot broke. It was low light. The bull’s reaction told me the arrow hit him hard, and as I frantically tried to load another arrow, my hunting buddy looked at me and said, “Dude, you zipped him. Don’t shoot him again; he’ll build adrenaline and run into the timber. He doesn’t know what happened. He’s going to fall right there.”
If an elk stands in range of my bow or rifle and isn’t falling over, I shoot them again. I planned to ignore my friend, but the bull tipped over before I could load my arrow and come to full draw. That was my fourth one-shot kill with these fantastic arrows.
The micro-diameter 100 percent ACU-Carbon fiber build boosts velocity. If spine size is properly matched to your elk rig, you get increased speed in a micro-diameter shaft, which allows the arrow to track directly behind the broadhead with less friction. This means more pass-throughs. Also, when shooting in the western winds, the arrow’s slim build gives Mother Nature’s breath less surface area to press against. That means less wind drift and increased accuracy.
The arrow comes with pre-installed Microlite nocks and is compatible with 8-32 broadheads and field points. The shafts also come with 55-grain 4MM Match Grade Half-out inserts. However, Easton sells additional Aluminum/Steel (75 grains), Titanium/Steel (100 grains), and Steel/Steel (150 grains), so you can tinker and further customize your elk arrow.
While I hope to run SEVR’s new-for-2024 Hybrid 1.5 through and elk in the coming months, I’ve yet to do it, so I can’t report any true elk-killing power, so I won’t. However, I’ve killed a slug of bulls with SEVR’s Titanium 1.5 head threaded into my 4MM Axis Long Range arrows. The sleek, low-profile head flies like a field point and helps maximize arrow accuracy, especially at long distances. The Lock-and-Pivot Blades remain fully contained in the ferrule and lock open on impact but pivot around the bone to keep the arrow driving straight through.
Best Budget Elk Arrow: Gold Tip Hunter XT Hunting
One of the most versatile and best-selling arrows ever created, Gold Tip’s Hunter XT comes in multiple spine sizes, which means there’s an XT for every bowhunter, and prices range from $79.99-$189.99. This is the budget elk arrow my pro shop recommended all those years ago, and it served me well.
The arrow boasts a straightness tolerance of +/- .003, a weight tolerance of +/- 2 grains, and it can be purchased as bare shafts or with 2-inch Rapt X-Vanes or 4-inch feathers. The Gold Tip Hunter XT arrows are tough as nails. I’ve blown through bone, and wood and even shot them into concrete. The arrow sports a standard .246 inner diameter, and is fitted with a GT Nock. The .246 insert glues easily into the shaft and is remarkably durable. These arrows will take on any game species anywhere.
I recommend pairing your Hunter XT arrows with a fixed-blade broadhead like Muzzy’s Trocar or Trocar TI. Both broadheads are field-proven and work exceptionally well on elk. My first-ever elk, a big cow, was harvested at 24 yards quartering to with a Gold Tip Hunter XT and an original 3-Blade Muzzy. The broadhead entered through the scapula and stuck out the opposite side behind the last rib. The 540-pound cow went 20 yards before tipping over.
Best Durable Elk Arrow: Carbon Express Maxima RED SD
The Maxima RED series needs no introduction. Sporting Tri-Spine/RED ZONE Technology, these are offered in many spine sizes. The shafts are a patented three-spine arrow that ensures less than one-third of the oscillation compared to a single-spine arrow. Carbon Express also dubs the arrows four times more accurate than single-spine makes, and while I have found the Maxima RED SD to be a downrange tack driver, I’m most impressed with their durability. I’ve hit the shoulder, blasted through bones and ribs, and sent shafts after passing through elk, into trees, rocks, etc. They are bulletproof.
Why?
BuffTuff Plus, BuffTuff, and Diamond Weave construction are on different thirds of each arrow. These patented outer layer construction types and 100 percent high-modulus carbon weave ensure maximum strength. They also promise excellent spine consistency, and ultimate stiffness. I also applaud the BullDog Nock Collars, which are made from aircraft-grade aluminum to further prevent rear impact damage. These arrows are whisper quiet in flight, pull easily from foam targets, and hit like a ton of bricks.
CX Maxima RED SD arrows showcase a small .203 inside diameter, come in spine sizes 250, 350, and 450, and come in fletch and raw options.
I recommend pairing this tough-as-nails arrow with QAD’s Exodus Broadhead. This head is compact, and the razor-sharp blade trio extends back over the shaft for field-point-like accuracy. Made from heavy-duty SST material, the blades hold up to anything they encounter.
Best Newcomer Elk Arrow & Best For Low-Poundage Shooters: Easton X10 Parallel Pro
Heralded as a competition arrow, the X10 has won more World and Olympic titles than any other arrow since jumping on the scene at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Easton, a forward-thinking company, decided to bring the X10 platform to hunters. Enter the X10 Parallel Pro. I’ve been testing this arrow for nearly a year and find it closely related to the 4MM Axis Long Range regarding accuracy, finished weight, and durability.
I will note that when combined with SEVR’s all-new Hybrid 1.5, this is the most accurate arrow combination I’ve ever tested. The X10 Parallel Pros wearing this head consistently find the 12-ring on my 3D targets close and far.
High-strength carbon fiber bonded to a 7075 alloy core, you get the best of the tested-true AXIS and FMJ lines in an easy-tuning lightweight arrow that promises precision. The weight-coded shafts pair with Easton’s 4mm points, nocks, pins, halfouts, and collar systems (all sold separately). Best of all, Easton builds an X10 Parallel Pro for every elk hunter. A quick search on Easton’s website and you’ll find 15 different X10 Parallel Pro spine sizes ranging from a 10.8 grains-per-inch 250 spine down to a 5.5 grains-per-inch 1150 spine.
Final Thoughts
There you have it: four excellent elk arrows for 2024. When considering what elk arrow is right for you, consider your bow’s poundage and draw length. If you don’t match your spine size to your draw weight, you’ll never experience accuracy like you should. Second, think about where you hunt. If you’re like me and like to hunt elk in sparsely timbered areas where you can glass them from afar and stalk in, you may want an arrow build focused on long-range accuracy. On the flip side, if you find yourself calling elk in deep, dark timber and shots are typically under 40 yards, you can go with a standard-size inside-diameter shaft that weighs a little more and hits like a ton of bricks.
