Lots of opions out there these days about calibers, bullets, self imposed limitations etc. for elk hunting. I'm thinking the boys that go year after year should go ahead and post the guns that were in this years camp up on the board as you and your parties are the ones that have gone time and time again..just curious as to what shows up !!

Unit 25/26 near the flat tops...Black timber, aspen groves,open meadows, sage flats, canyons, all within 3 miles...

Our camp last year..
1-.270
1-30/06
1-7mm rem
1-7mm stw
1-7mm ultramag
3-300 ultramags

Southern Wy..
.300 Win.
7mm Rem Mag.
300 Win and .35 Whelen

Wyoming last year:

1 .243
1 25/06
1 7mm RM
3 30/06

Think this duplicates an earlier thread, but I'll post anyway.

White River below the Flat Tops, first rifle hunt:

Two 7mm Rem Mags
One .338 Win Mag
One 9.3x74R
One .300 Wby

Here in SW Colorado
4---30/06 all using 180 grain "Core-lokt"

1 cow & 2 bulls taken----all 1 shot kills

In Wyoming this year:

.338wm (Rem AWR)
.308win (Rem mtn)
.300wm (Rem Sendero) X2
7rem mag (Rem APR)
.257wthby (Wthby Mark V)
7rem mag (Ruger)

30-06
30-06
30-06
270W
25-06
243W

I have a small camp.

2011....Hawken .54 cal round ball. 1 dead elk.


2012....270.

small camp in southern colorado in 2011. my 270 win and my bud's 7mmremmag. 2 dead elk. a guide i ran in to was toting a ruger s/s in 280 rem.

300 RUM
300 WSM
7mm Mag
30-06 AI
270 Win

IMHO 300 WSM is about perfect for these parts.

In WY
280AI
300WSM
338-06

In NM
50 TC muzzleloader

1 - 7mm Rem Mag
1 - 7mm Rem Mag
1 - 30-06

.45-70
.54 rb
.25-06

2009 Elk Camp-

30-06
30-06
.54 Flinty
25-06
300 Win.
308 Win.
270 Win.

2010 Elk Camp:

30-06
30-06
308 Win
300 Savage

2009 Wyoming
300 Win mag
30:06
Idaho
300 Win Mag
30:006
7mm Mag

2010
Wyoming
300 win mag
O6 and 06
Idaho
300 win mag

2011 Wyoming
Same

Oregon
35 Whelen
300 Um
300 win Mag

Idaho
300 win mag

2010 WA
.50 cal black powder
.54 cal black powder

2011
2 .338win mag 1 250gr Nosler, 1 180 or 185gr Federal Vital Shock
7mm Rem Mag

Could have carried a .22lr! Only live game we saw was a racoon!

Last season, southern Colorado......

7mm REM Mag (scored the only elk, mature bull)
.338 WM
.270WSM
.300WM
7MM WSM
.416 Ruger as a spare open sight bad weather stand by.

wyoming
300 win mag
340 b

I was hunting with two bowhunters and I had the only rifle, it was .50 caliber.

7mmRM
7mmRM
7mmRM
.30-06

For elk, used the .270 Winchester a couple decades and then switched over to the .375 H&H during the past few years.

Our camp had a 35 whelen,7mm mag, 300winmag and a 270. Backup was 264wm.

30-06
30-06
7-08
257 Rob
284 Win
270 WSM
300 HH

Montana last couple of years-
243
6mm Remington
25-06
30-06
300WSM

Colorado and Wyoming

1 270 Win
2 270 WSM

Colorado 49

25-06
7mm Rem
270
340 Wby

My nephew hunted Montana last fall with 2 others -

338 Fed
300 WSM
280 Rem

Wyoming
Savage 99,- 300 Savage
Winchester M 70,- 338M

Wyoming--
7mm RUM
7mm SAUM
300 RUM
30-06

45/70
.338 WM
.270 Win

1-6.5X55- Uncle Jeff's custom toy and from this point on only his to use.
1-30-06- I bought this for my nephews' to use. If they drop, bump, bury in the snow, etc. I won't cringe!

elkivory,
We only had two (2) hunters at our camp,my wife and I. She hunts with .338 Win. Mag. with 225 grn. Barnes, And I use .375 AI with 270 grn. Barnes. She took a pretty nice 6x6 Bull and a small Black Bear, And I got a pretty good 6x6 as well.
memtb

.300WM (1903-A3 custom w/ Weaver K4, son-in-law, a gift from his granddad)
.30-06 (Ruger MKII w/ Burris FF-II/Ballistic Plex 4.5-14x, mine, on right))
.338WM (Ruger MKII smi-custom w/ Burris FF-II/Ballistic Plex 3-9x, mine, on left)



Here's another pic of the .338...


Here's a pic of my son-in-law's .300WM, from last year:

To date :
36 different chamberings (called all muzzle loaders as one) in 145 different guns..
Top three chamberings :
30-06 ..16%
7mmrem...13%
300win..10%
If you want to lump things together, say all 30 caliber magnums, all 7mm mags vs. 30-06..then it goes just the opposite....
#1-30 caliber mag
#2-7mm mag
#3 30-06
........
Another observation is diameters..61% use .30 caliber or larger

I'm not drawing any conclusions since you can talley things up in a variety of different ways and make a case for what ever your particular bias might be

You limited your question to Wyoming and Colorado hunters..How do they compare to Montana and Idaho hunters?

Do you really think Colorado and Wyoming hunters hunt more than Montana or Idaho hunters?

Seems your question limited experiences to two states.

Jayco

brain fart on my part..
was selfishly thinking of my neck of the woods when i posted and didnt put as much thought in it as i could have...just for fun logcutter, why dont you throw up a similar thread and see if things change much in those northern areas...obviously the montana and idaho guys can chime in here ,but a new thread might be more likely to grab their attention !

I hunt near elkivory, Units 23/24 in Colorado, same terrain, aspen, patches of dark timber, canyons.
2- 45-70
1- 300 wsm (me)
2- 30-06
1 375 H&H (he uses it for sentimental sake only)
2- 270

6.5-284,300wsm,280AI,300WM,And 7x57AI.

(1)340wby
(1)450 marlin
(3) 35 whelens
(1) 30/06


this year

I should have added to my post,I doubt it would change much...The responses to your question are spot on and adding two more states wouldn't change much.

Jayco

There were three of us hunting out of our property this year I like small hunting parties 2-3 people.

300 wm & 45-70 ( Hunting buddy )
7mm Rem mag ( Me ) & 45-70
7mm-08 ( my 12yr daughter)
I am ditching my 7mm for next season though

7mm-08 & .270 Win, WY elk hunt.

338 RUM, 300 RUM, and 308 win.

280
30-06
30-06 Imp
300 Wsm
300 Ultra Mag

Just 2 of us in colorado last year.
300 H&H
7 rem.mag.

Hmmmmmmm been following this thread since it started,funny thing is that a good number of the same calibers show up in the northeast whitetail camp i hunt in.....Just saying.

Muzzy 100.

300 Ackley, 30/06, 7RemMag, 270 WCF, and I brought a 243 for backup

This year in CO

2 - 300wsm
1 - .30-06

SW Colorado, 2011 rifles I can remember:

30-378 - 6x6
30-378 - 5x5
30-378
30-378
300WM - 4x4
300WSM
270Win - Hit, did not recover
375H&H - Mule Deer Doe
7RM

30-06

In this years in camp we had

270win
30-06
300wsm
300bee
300rum

My sister - .30/06 rifle w/ factory ammo
Brother & nephew - .270 Rifle also w/factory ammo
Me - .30/06 Encore Pistol - handloads

We had:
300 Win Mag
338 Win Mag
(2) 7 Mags
308 Win

We had:

1-.280 rem
2-7mm rem mag
1-7mm rum
1-300 win mag
1-338 win mag

Kinda surprised somebody was not use'n an 06' this year. Most everyone "magnum'd" out, and tagged out but me

This year:

(1) 45-70
(1) 300 RUM
(1) 7mm WSM
(1) 338 Win. Mag.
(1) 7.62x54R
(2) 300 Win. Mag
(1) 308 Win

2011 Colorado Elk

Model 70 .30-06 took a cow
Model 70 .300 H&H opportunity on cow, but got greedy watching bull
Marlin .444 opportunity on cow, but got greedy watching bull
Savage 7 Mag as backup

2012 Colorado Elk
Probably same lineup, but H&H will be backup to a Kimber .308
adding dad and his .270 Winchester

2011 only:
Hunt one: .50 cal muzzy, .54 cal muzzy
Hunt two: .308
Hunt three: .300 Win, .264 Win, 7mm Rem, .325 WSM

(1)-257 wthby
(2)-300 RUM

2-300 Win Mags
1-338 Win Mag
1-7mm Rem mag(this year he will have a 338 Win Mag)

CO area 67

.30-06 (4, including mine)
.270 (1)
.280 AI (1)
.45-70. (one of the 06 owners and the .270 shooter bring these for walking in the timber)

Ken

280 Rem.
300 WSM

Two shots, two cows, no sweat!

.300 Win
.300 WSM (me)
.338 Lapua

I'm torn on what I'll take next. Probably my WSM again, but may take the .260 Montana or the .350 Rem Mag Win 70 as backup or as a timber gun.

6.5x55, the old campaigner is still at it.

3 x .30-06s and 1 x .270.

Expat