Just as important is the size of target that the game animal that your hunting presents to you, typically standing broadside, exposing heart and lung area.
Varmint size animals: 2 inch target zone = 1 inch mid range bullet height.
Deer size animals: 4 inch target zone = 2 inch mid-range bullet height.
Elk size animals: 6 inch target zone = 3 inch mid-range bullet height.
Moose size animals: 6 inch target zone = 3 inch mid-range bullet height.
 Before the bullet is down-range and on target, you have to know whether the bullet will have enough energy retention to cleanly harvest the animal.

 Ammunition manufacturers for the 308 Winchester cartridge have really begun to extract the full potential of the 308 Win. in the last ten years or so bringing it up in performance, via, felt recoil reduction and flatter trajectories.

 Below are several ballistics charts for 308 Win. ammunition that categorize this ammunition to its practical use on various game animals for hunting and always remember the fastest way to reduce felt recoil in any rifle is to shoot a lighter weight bullet.

Ballistics:
Rifle Barrel Length Used For Ballistics: 24 Inches.
Ammuntion Used For Ballistics: Hornady Superformance 165 Grain.

This is a ballistics chart for the 308 Winchester: (Rifle Zero 210 Yds.)
Bullet diameter: .308 inch. Bullet weight: 165 grains. Bullet ballistic coeffecient: .447. Bullet muzzle velocity: 2,840 feet per second. Bullet muzzle energy: 2,955 foot pounds.
This is a bullet velocity chart for the 308 Winchester:
Range	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	600 yds.	Yards
Bullet Velocity:	2,636	2,440	2,253	2,074	1,904	1,743	fps.
This is a bullet trajectory chart for the 308 Winchester:
Range	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	600 yds.	Yards
Bullet Drop:	+ 2.0"	+ 0.5"	- 6.9"	- 21.1"	- 43.5"	- 75.5"	in.
This is a bullet energy chart for the 308 Winchester:
Range	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	600 yds.	Yards
Bullet Energy:	2,545	2,182	1,860	1,577	1,328	1,113	ft. lbs.
Effective bullet energy hunting range for the following animal sizes: Deer Size Animals: Antelope, Blacktail, Hogs, Javelina, Mule & Whitetail. Elk Size Animals: Caribou, Black Bear, Sheep & Elk. Moose Size Animals: Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear & Moose.
Range	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	600 yds.	Yards
Deer Size:	+	+	+	+	+	-	-
Elk Size:	+	+	+	-	-	-	-
Moose Size:	+	+	-	-	-	-	-

.308 Winchester Trajectory and Energy Charts:
Winchesters 150 Grain 308 Winchester XP3 Factory Ammunition:
This is a down range bullet trajectory chart for the 308 Winchester cartridge with the scope mounted 1.5 inches above the bore center line. Bullet diameter .308". Bullet weight 150 grains. Bullet ballistic coeffecient .437. Bullet muzzle velocity 2,825 feet per second. Bullet muzzle energy 2,658 foot pounds.
Range	50 yds.	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	Yards
Bullet Drop	+ .6"	+ 1.5"	- .6"	- 8.6"	- 23.7"	- 47.0"	Inches
This is a down range bullet energy chart for the above 308 Winchester cartridge and its effective energy range for the following game animals. Varmint and Predator Size Game: such as Bobcat, Cougar and Coyote. Deer Size Game: such as Antelope, Black Bear, Black-Tailed Deer, Hogs, Javelina, Mule Deer and White-Tailed Deer. Elk Size Game: such as Caribou, Elk and Sheep. Moose Size Game: such as Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear and Moose.
Range	50 yds.	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	Yards
Bullet Energy	2,463	2,280	1,947	1,652	1,394	1,168	Ft. Lbs.
Varmint	+	+	+	+	+	+	-
Deer	+	+	+	+	+	-	-
Elk	+	+	+	-	-	-	-
Moose	+	+	-	-	-	-	-
The .308 Winchester Is An Excellent Cartridge For All Of North America Hunting!

308 Winchester Ballistics For Moose Size Game:

The 308 Winchester chambering is more than capable of taking out moose and big bears, but the best possible energy range for this round on these large game animals is 175 yards, so your shots will be up close and personal. Only broadside shots should be taken to maximize bullet effect on these animals, having said that the 308 winchester will put them down.
 The winchester XP3 cartridges in 308 winchester, 150 grain bullet weight, are rated by winchester for use on the following game animals: Antelope, White-Tailed Deer, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Caribou, Elk, Moose, Grizzly Bear and Brown Bear. The winchester XP3 308 ammunition delivers almost a ton of energy at 200 yards and it takes about a ton of energy to dispatch moose and big bears.
Note: If you ever have a chance to hunt one of the great northern bears and you connect with your 308 winchester and for some reason the bear comes after you, DO NOT RUN just wait till it is within easy second shot range, this is probably going to be under a hundred yards (most likely under fifty) and shoot for the center of its head, if you miss that shot you will most likely hit it in the spine and it will drop right there. (Big bears do stop when hit with a bullet delivering a ton of energy to their spine, hit them anywhere else, not so much, and I don't care what you shoot them with, they are just flat out tough.)
 The 308 Winchester cartridge is more than capable of taking all of the game animals that roam in North America.

308 Winchester Ballistics For Elk Size Game:
The 308 Winchester chambering is more than adequate for elk hunting in open and wooded elk country. The 308 winchester is good for elk out to about 250 yards with most factory 150 grain ammunition. The reason I say this is, it takes about 1,800 foot pounds of energy to effectively dispatch an elk with a single shot in the vitals. Winchester has been steadily improving their ammunition lines for years and one of their best loads for elk is the one I have in the above trajectory table and it is a load with only a 150 grain bullet. That same load can be used to hunt African thin skinned animals as well with the 308 winchester.
 The one important thing when hunting any big game animal is knowing you and your rifles limitation, having said that making a hero shot beyond the rifles limits is just plain foolish and should be avoided, the 308 winchester with the right factory ammunition is a very effective elk cartridge out to 250 yards.

308 Winchester Ballistics For Deer Size Game:
The 308 Winchester chambering is an excellent choice for deer in all of North Americas deer hunting. This cartridge has more to offer than most realize for deer hunting. The majority of people that use the 308 for deer use mostly 150 grain bullets for their hunt. While this is a good choice, much better performance can be readily had because of the very slow twist rate in the barrel. If you handload your own ammunition for the 308 winchester and you know that the twist rate in your barrel is 1 In 12" you can load 130 grain bullets and use them on deer with a devastating effect. For the 308 winchester handloader, 130 grain bullets can be loaded to near or at 3,000 feet per second with the right bullet, nosler makes an excellent 125 grainer that will stay together out of a 1 in 12" twist barrel in the 308 winchester without bullet blow-up when it impacts something, which extends the useful range of your deer rifle with a much flatter trajectory to 300 yards.
 The 308 Winchester has good range of about 400 yards for deer hunting just using factory ammunition as it is, handloads could extend that range a little more, it takes about 1,200 foot pounds of bullet energy to effectively anchor deer sized game.

 Hornady Superformance factory ammunition offers a little more range to the 308 winchester as well, with their SST loading.

.308 Winchester Trajectory and Energy Charts:
Hornadys 150 Grain 308 Winchester SST Factory Ammunition:
This is a down range bullet trajectory chart for the 308 Winchester cartridge with the scope mounted 1.5 inches above the bore center line. Bullet diameter .308". Bullet weight 150 grains. Bullet ballistic coeffecient .415. Bullet muzzle velocity 3,000 feet per second. Bullet muzzle energy 2,997 foot pounds.
Range	50 yds.	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	Yards
Bullet Drop	+ .5"	+ 1.5"	0"	- 6.8"	- 19.9"	- 40.6"	Inches
This is a down range bullet energy chart for the above 308 Winchester cartridge and its effective energy range for the following game animals. Varmint and Predator Size Game: such as Bobcat, Cougar and Coyote. Deer Size Game: such as Antelope, Black Bear, Black-Tailed Deer, Hogs, Javelina, Mule Deer and White-Tailed Deer. Elk Size Game: such as Caribou, Elk and Sheep. Moose Size Game: such as Brown Bear, Grizzly Bear and Moose.
Range	50 yds.	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	Yards
Bullet Energy	2,771	2,559	2,175	1,838	1,543	1,286	Ft. Lbs.
Varmint	+	+	+	+	+	+	-
Deer	+	+	+	+	+	+	-
Elk	+	+	+	+	-	-	-
Moose	+	+	+	-	-	-	-
The .308 Winchester Is An Excellent Cartridge For All Of North America Hunting!

308 Winchester Ballistics For Varmint Size Game:
The .308 Winchester was never intended to be a varmint cartridge, however with the excellent bullet selections today the 308 winchester can get the job done. Loaded with light-weight bullets the 308 winchester rifle can be put to use year round and the rifles commercially chambered for it tend to shoot light bullets very well.
 The 308 winchester probably seems to be the furthest thing from a varmint rifle there is, but do to its rifling twist rate it handles stubby bullets at a good velocity quite well which allows the owners of these rifles some extra shooting time through the summer months.
 The 308 Winchester can be used as a true dual purpose cartridge effectively.

308 Win. Ballistics: Rifle Barrel Length: 24 Inches. Ammuntion: Hornady, 308 Win., TAP FPD, 110 Grain Bullet. Bullet Diameter: .308 Inch. Bullet Weight: 110 Grains. Bullet Ballistic Coeffecient: .290. Note: FPS. = Feet Per Second, FT. LBS. = Foot Pounds & IN. = Inches.
Range	Muzzle	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.	500 yds.	Yards
Bullet Velocity:	3,165	2,830	2,519	2,228	1,959	1,708	FPS.
Bullet Energy:	2,446	1,956	1,549	1,212	935	712	FT. LBS.
Bullet Trajectory:	- 1.5"	+ 1.4"	0"	- 6.9"	- 20.9"	- 44.1"	IN.