Caribou hunting

12 pointer · 01-20-2005, 03:05 PM

I going to Canada in september and i am debating on what to hunt with. I just got a new .50 cal Omega which i will take, probably using 250 grain tc shockwave sabots. I also have a .270 winchester that i will also take. I would like to know recommended loads for both of the guns, but especially the 270. Do i need to use a 130 or 150 grain bullet? Which kind is best? I like Hornady ammo personally, but what are your opinions? Thanks for the help!

rrules · 01-20-2005, 03:11 PM

I would take the Winchester and use 150 grain bullets.

TerryM · 01-20-2005, 05:19 PM

If you are hunting caribou in September then you are likely doing a fly in hunt on the tundra. Shots can be occasionally long. The best animal you see all week could be walking a shoreline 400 yds away. Muzzleloader would not help you much in that situation. As for size, a big bull is near 350 lbs in September so the heavier bullet would be a better choice in case you have to take a bad angle shot.

Buckslayer1 · 01-20-2005, 05:51 PM

I bagged my 2 bulls with my 270 and 150 gr. bullets. My buddy took his muzzleloader and a rifle hunted 3 days in the tundra. He couldn't get close enough with the MZ. So he bagged his bulls with his 300 mag.

Pygmy · 01-20-2005, 06:04 PM

Don't lose too much sleep over which bullet to use in your rifle... Use whatever it shoots best, as long as it is a bullet designed with big game in mind rather than varmints, and I believe all 130 and 150 grain .270 bullets are designed for big game.....I don't think that you or the caribou would ever know the difference.... With either load sight in about 3" high at 100 yards and don't hold off hair no matter how far away you think they are, at least for the first shot...

Good luck..Caribou are beautiful creatures and are lots of fun to hunt.. They make a gorgeous mount.. They are also my favorite big game meat..I like caribou better than deer, moose or elk.. I wish I could afford to hunt them every year..

What outfitter are you going with in Quebec..??

rost495 · 01-20-2005, 07:23 PM

300 yards with a scoped MZ wouldn't be a problem. But having hunted them and watched more than a few shows, the wind could put an end to any long MZ shot. I'm totally confident out to 300 though 400 would be stretching it a bit. Thats why you would be wise to take a rifle or borrow one also.

I took my recurve in 2003 to Alaska and never got closer than about 60 yards and not closer than 150 on a decent bull. In the end I borrowed my buddies 338 and had to take a really long shot on the last day. Even though he didn't believe I could hit, it worked out. A huge plus was the evening was dead calm.

Jeff

12 pointer · 01-21-2005, 04:43 PM

I hope to shoot a lot this summer and be able to kill one from at least 250 with my ml, and I dont know what my range is with the 270. The farthest i have shot in my backyard is 200 yards, but i know the gun is capable of much more than that. Some people say they will be good out to about 450+ yards, but i wouldnt feel comfortable shooting past probably 300. I wont make a shot that i am not completely sure of. I am going to Twin River lodge in schefferville... www.twinriverlodge.com I cant wait, its my first hunting trip as i am only 17. Thanks!

Don K · 01-22-2005, 01:48 PM

Using a muzzleoader im wondering how you guys get the powder flown in to camp? Are you allowed to bring this on the plane?

Pygmy · 01-22-2005, 05:03 PM

The small private airplanes do not have the same restrictions that airliners do...

For instance, bottled propane cannot be taken aboard a commercial airliner, but it's OK in a float plane or a supercub in Alaska... I rode in a supercub with my rifle held between my legs butt down on the floor..Try THAT in a commercial airliner.....

I'm not sure what rules the airliners that serve Schefflerville and Kuujuac from Montreal fall under, but the security is not nearly as stringent as airports in the US...90% of the passengers are hunters, and they don't go through metal detectors...Many of the guys wore thier hunting knives on thier belts aboard the 727...

Don K · 01-23-2005, 01:00 PM

Pygmy,

Thats what im wondering is the airlines from Montreal to Schefflerville and Kuujuac allow. I understand that the float and bush planes are different just wondering how guys do it.

Thanks

Don