Hunting Out West

[mcdavis85]

What caliber would you take for an elk and a mule deer hunt out west? Not a combo hunt. I’m leaning toward a .300 win mag.

 

[LatterVersion]

Depending on where you are going and the type of hunting, I would select a gun more based on weight of the rifle than a specific caliber. Hiking up and down steep ridges at high elevation is 99.99% of your time hunting trip, so lugging around a heavy magnum rifle can get really old really fast. Most hunting out west is spot and stock style hunting and you spot the herd several thousand yards away and you have to hike in to get to them. If you have a guided hunt, that might be different, and they might truck you out to a spot so maybe the weight is not as much of a concern. I remember seeing people lugging around big packs and 15lb rifle setups and it never made sense to me. I never saw any of those guys back in where the elk were though.

300 win mag is good for elk but very large for mule deer. A light pack and light weight 7mm08 or 308 did everything very well out to about 300 yards for both elk and deer. As long as you are above 1200 ft lbs of energy at impact and make a good shot it will kill an elk.

 

[Bamapilot010]

I can recommend the 7mm08 for mule deer and elk; as well as for whitetail, hog, coyote, and paper. It’s what I’ve hunted with since I was a kid, and I’m comfortable with it.

As with everything, shot placement on elk is a little more paramount. I used 140gr Winchester ballistic silvertips on my hunts when stationed out in Wy and Wa, which worked well. Most shots I had available were within 300yds, and we’ll presented. I enjoyed that my rifle only weighed 7lbs when having to hike the mountain trails; even more so when packing meat out.

If you’re thinking about just static tripod/stand/ground blind hunting and need more range then maybe a magnum would be fine. However if you’re gonna hike/stalk give some thought to a lighter rifle. Just one personal opinion, use what you’re most comfortable and proficient with.