44 mag handgun on ELK?

Sorry but the closest I would come to carrying a pistol/revolver for elk would be an ultra light rifle. Shooting at an elk with something like a revolver doesn't make sense to me. I see no reason for taking a chance at wounding such a magnificant animal. I believe that a .44 revolver would be much deadlier than shooting sticks (arrows) but there is no way I would think of doing that.
I respect elk and I suspect most people that hunt them do also. It is just beyond my understanding why a person would do such a thing?

The 44MAg, 45LC, and 454 Casual all will reliably drop elk when using hardcast bullets heart/lung shot.
For those I know who consistenly use the 44 they usually put a max limit of 100 yards. The Casual can go further performance wise. AS mentioned, one's skill with iron sights and field rests can be an equally determining factor depending on the style of hunting, terrain, and physical condition and state of mind of the hunter.

As for scoped revolvers or single shot specialty handguns it is a preference of style.
They are harder & slower to use in the field than a rifle, but that is part of challenge I enjoy. When I do use a revolver for hunting deer and or elk (FA 454 C) I have used a 2x LER scope. My personal limit with my FA 454 was 125 yards under good conditions (300 grainer 1775 fps).

xphunter, I have seen a lot of elk shot using all sorts of weapons. You can preach whatever you like, but a 44 mag is no elk weapon. I shoot a 300g Sierra in my Dan Wesson and would never even attempt to use it. The problem is not that the cartridge will not kill the animal. The problem is that it lacks enough energy to drop it on the spot and the projectile will not leave a decent exit hole for tracking purposes. Elk tend to go a long ways when not hit with enough energy. Tracking can be tough even when they are shot using a normal elk cartridge from a rifle. The key to success is to have an exit hole in order to leave a decent blood trail. I absolutely can not agree with your reasoning at all. I'm not entirely sure how many elk you have shot or have seen shot, but I do not agree with your reasoning based on my experience. Misleading information has been responsible for a lot lost Elk and will continue to account for lost animals as long as hunters are convinced to use inadequate weapons. The animals deserve better than that. Certainly, a 44 Mag under ideal circumstances will kill the animal, but we seldom get ideal circumstances in the real wild hunting world where we offer fair chase. Of course, shot placement is the key to success, but that isn't the only consideration here.

I'm not about to say I have taken elk with a 4 Mag., because I haven't, but I have taken a number with specialty handguns and witnessed a number of others with like or the same SP I was using. IMO those that religously use big more revolvers to hunt elk with are not stunt shooters and they probably lose less animals % wise than rifle hunters, since they know the limits and they use the right bullets (hard cast designs) that fully penetrate.
Concerning specialty pistols:
Even though these are rifle cartridges they will run about 250-300 fps slower than the same cartridge in a rifle. So you can do the math on the MV's. I may have left one or two out but these are the elk that myself & my hunting partners who use SP's have taken. most of these are mine since Steve (most years) hunts elk with a bow, and Mitch and Marc have only taken one a piece
2 cows 260 Rem. MOA, 75 yards (1-shot kills/120 bullet complete pentration with good expansion)
6.5-284 XP two cow elk beyond 200 yards 140 grain bullet 1 shot kills
284 Win XP 2 bulls and 5 or 6 cows 140NP (Found at far side under hide or exited) couple were 200 yards but the rest were further. I put more than one shot in one of the bulls because my first was a tad far back, but he couldn't wouldn't move and the other was kill shot on a wounded cow from a 338 WM rifle.
3 cows 7.82 Patriot XP ( 150 NBT & 180 SGK-all exited). One these cows I put three shots into. She didn't move after the first shot (heard meat report) and I sent two others. While cleaning we found all the entrance hole were under 3" in diameter, so in essence the 2nd and 3rd shot were not doing all that much more damage. I have missed shooting at elk before, but to date I have not lost anything I have connected with. The majority have been one shot kills or the animal was dead and didn't know it yet, so I kept sending them. I go for double lung shots and am very careful about presentation.
My choice of SP's is what I enjoy and it is very capable of cleanly killing what I hunt. It takes me more time to set-up and make a shot (primarily prone and sometimes sitting or kneeling), but once I am set up I feel no disadvantage to a rifle hunter as far as my ability to put the bullet in the right place. I do not attempt snap-shots or moving shots. I recognize with my style those are shots I cannot be sure of.

I surely don't think a 44 magnum would be my preferred Elk medicine, in revolver or rifle. Living here in the east, Elk hunts are a luxury. So if I was to venture west, I'd choose something more appropriate.

But, if I was fortunate to live in Elk country I'd probably have to harvest an Elk with my 44 magnum. I'm thinking maybe if I had lots of time, could hunt close to home where I knew the country and the Elk, and more than likely a cow would be my target with my Super Blackhawk.

As far as power, I'm pretty darned sure I wouldn't be dropping even a cow in it's tracks. But I think with proper bullet choice, and placement, I could have two holes to form a blood trail. A good hardcast Keith style, 300 grains, ought to poke through both sides if you don't take on the shoulder bone. Of course the range would have to be sensible, under 75 yards.

Cal,
You make a good point. The practice it takes to be proficient with a Revolver at that distance can be time consuming. When I use a revolver I want either a 2x or 4x LER scope. I am near sighted and so using iron at further distances is not my desire since field conditions don't always work out the way you want.
And at that range, I sure wouldn't be shooting off-hand and I would have practiced in field conditions beyond that range to ensure I was capable of making a clean shot.

I am wayyyyy beyond attempting to hunt with an open sighted revolver. True, it's a bigger challenge, but my eyes and open sights don't seem to get along any more.

My Super Blackhawk is the Hunter Model, with integral scope rings. I never fired it without it's 2x Leupold sitting on top of it. With that scope it will keep it's shots right around 2" at 75 yards, which should suffice for any shooting I'll ever do. As far as off-hand, I don't even like to shoot a rifle off-hand at any distance. If I was taking on an Elk with a 44 Magnum, I would be well situated with a steady rest.

A pursuit such as handgun hunting takes planning and preperation. I too would think a hunter to be a little goofy if he just went out wandering around the mountains looking for an Elk to blaze away at, offhand, with his shiny new revolver. Realisticly though, I think you will find most handgun hunters to be very dedicated and well prepared. And part of that preperation is knowing your guns limitations, and making sure you keep within those limitations.