I lived in Barrow, Alaska for 4 years and the most popular round for Caribou was 22-250, followed by 243. There were a lot of wounded caribou left behind. Doesn't take much for them to know a snow machine headed their way means trouble. In that country it's tough to judge distances by sight, and the majority didn't have range finders. I tended to use a 30-06 because that's what I had (my small rifle). Caribou can be at long ranges and it's a whole different thing there as far as distances, Caribou season begins July 1, and ends June 30th. This is above the brooks range. That's because they are constantly moving and subsistence hunters need to have a season when the Caribou come through or there is no meat. They can also shoot 5 caribou a day. There is a real urgency when the time comes so people get their meat so there are also a lot of bullets in the air. Understand it's hard to put the sneak on them. Most I've shot in a day is 3, but I have to have a pretty good sense that I'm going to get a good hit when I shoot. Shooting 400-500 yards isn't that difficult if you spend some time shooting, but most people don't. Most people are lucky to hit at 300 yards. Don't worry about the minimum, worry about getting a good shot in. I'd prefer to see people use 25-06 or more and get clean kills.
