Mr Yukon said it all. I'm very taken with the idea of using your father's bow and making even more special memories with it. However.....the statements he made about perfect placement of a super sharp bhd and heavy arrow are especially important with a bow of this weight. For deer, absolutely, yes, do it. For elk......all the above have to be done right. They're not african buffalo, but they do have a significantly bigger structure than deer. Your bow will not shoot a heavy arrow with a very flat trajectory. You have to compensate by putting it exactly where you are aiming. That's even harder with such a short bow....but there are guys who've done it over and over again. Depending on your draw length (relative to your father), & your level of experience, a good alternate plan might be to develop your form with a longer bow, get more expertise, and then make the memories you want with your father's bow. Either way, I wish you well(I'd love to have the memories of my dad that you have with yours.)