I have never neck shot an Elk, but more deer than I care to remember, I keep it simple, all less than 100 yards, face on or from the rear, never side on, too risky side on, you can just hit the windpipe and it will run off and have a slow death, and you will just think, damn I missed.
I had a busy day yesterday, teaching a father and his 2 son's to fly fish, after 3 hours to they had picked up the basics, off came the wool on went the flies.....damn it took a while for me to figure out what they were rising to, the obvious was a huge caddis hatch, but no it was a small olive...
It is to someone who doesn't have a 'off season', I feel for you all, but it does, as you say, provide entertainment, and has done since I joined over 10 years ago. Not long to go now chaps ;)
I have eaten lots, but cooked zero, my 94 year old mother-in-law (or as I have her in my phone on speed dial, monster-in-law, she know's it and likes a joke) makes a lovely pie, she makes it along similar lines of this recipe
She uses cod, for the smoked fish its mainly haddock, but sometimes...