[huntinaz]

As a resident elk hunter in Flagstaff AZ (love this town), I'd say go ahead and get a 300 Mag or WSM if you are leaning towards one anyway. A 308 or 30-06 will do the job, but if you are already thinking about shooting elk at 500 yards you might as well have the extra oompf.

I've killed most of my elk with a 30-06 inside 300 yards (most under 200 yards). I decided to build a rifle awhile back for long range fun, deer and occaisionally elk. I had settled on a 270 or 7mm magnum at one point thinking it'd be mostly a deer rifle but I knew the that if I ever lined up a nice bull at 500 yards, I'd want something bigger. So I opted for a 300 WSM.

A 308 or '06 will certainly do the job for at least awhile and you can decide whether or not to go bigger from there. In my opinion, mostly due to the terrain differences I hunt deer and elk in, I think elk are easier to get closer shots on than deer. I hunt elk in pines or pinon/junipers which provide better cover for pulling sneaks as opposed to deer who are often in more open country full of smaller trees and bushes.