[stephen426]

I'd say a lot of it would have to do with what caliber gun you are shooting and what type of bullet you are carrying. With a heavy powerful bullet, insufficient penetration would be less of a concern. The cross hairs are placed on the elk's right shoulder and it is quartered towards you. If I were to shoot it, I would probably go down and to the right a little to put it through the chest cavity and maybe break the left shoulder or go for a throat shot and try to sever the spinal chord. Of course the best thing to do would to wait a little to see if he presents a better shot.