Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada What rifles and shotguns for the Yukon?

I've Yukon twice moose hunting. I took a 375Magnum both times. My host carried a 375H&H and a 9.3x62.

They seem to shoot anything and everything and have a much higher per capita incidence of gun loonyism than what you would see here in NB except they really like larger cartridges which makes a lot of sense given the possibility of bears. Wildcats seem to be more common there, esp the med and big bores.

I would keep all your guns and take them. if you are going to Whitehorse, you will find there one of the nicest gun ranges in Canada and a very active range as well.

Very real possibility that I may be moving to the Yukon, Whitehorse to be precise, for a few years and I am naturally more than a little bit excited about the hunting and fishing opportunities. I have been planning to reduce my firearms collection to fewer better guns anyway so here's what I suspect I will be bringing with me and looking for a little input on anything I may be missing or overlooking.
12 gauge remington 870 28" vent ribbed barrel and 18.5" smooth bore slug barrel
.223 Remington 700 bdl Varmint, back and forth if I should swap this for a model 7 predator that I may hunt with more but how much would I really hunt with a .223 remington up there anyway?
7mm rem mag ruger m77 tang safety, 2.5-10x40 Bushnell elite 4500 series and a B&C stock that feels good in my hands.
Some sort of rimfire and perhaps a 20 gauge of some sort.
Should I bother with a medium bore of some sort? I am sure someone will be along to recommend a .30-06 or .300 magnum with a 200 grain partition or accubonds as a do it all North American big game rifle. Part of me wonders if a .338 win mag really offers anything other than higher cost over a .300 win mag and a premium 200-220 grain bullet? Should I bring my .243?
What is the wing shooting like up there, my favorite hunting is probably waterfowl and roughed grouse a very close second sometimes beating it when I have a dog that knows the game.

I figure for guns I move a couple will be my skeet and trap guns they're under used since I stepped back how serious I take the clay games and I'm having more fun shooting field guns. I have a few other safe queens that I'll likely part with as well. I only listed the guns I'd likely bring with me although I figure a Remington 7600 will tag along just as a salute to my eastern whitetail hunting roots, currently its a .308 but I saw one in .280 listed recently that may get picked up.

I am back and forth on a stainless lightweight maybe I'll hold out until I get there and have a better idea how much sheep or hunting in the mountains I'll do and have an idea exactly how long I will be residing there. The medium bore is an itch I have had for a long time and I would very much like to scratch it. I was on Tradex doing some browsing and was almost moved to reach for my wallet but I am still not decided on what I want. .338 Win mag has the advantage of easier sourced factory ammo if I had to, 9.3x62 is classic and there are some great deals to be had for one especially in blued and walnut, .35 Whelen also a classic with many positive attributes other than availability of factory rifles, and then there are the .375's certainly tempting perhaps more recoil than I would care for but in that case a .338 or .358 magnum may be more than I'd care for as well. I would say my most pressing challenge is find a .338 or .375 and fire a few rounds to see if it is beyond my abilities.

Anyone familiar with the zastava offerings in 9.3x62 and 375 H&H they aren't stainless but they seem like a reasonably priced way into a medium bore and I could look to a stainless 338 as they seem easier to find in that configuration.

You are correct in assuming I am fairly young at 28. I handload, so I have that going for me although I'm fairly new to that part of the hobby. I take it that the .300 magnums loaded with 200-220 grain do not equal the on game performance of the various medium bores from the responses here. I suppose a big bore lever could be worth considering as well, there probably aren't many scenarios between 200 and my personal limit of 500 that a 160-175 grain partition from a 7mm rem mag isn't suitable for.

bea175 , there is no legal way to hunt with a .22 handgun in Canada so your recommendation, however practical for Alaska is a no-go in the Yukon.

bea175 , there is no legal way to hunt with a .22 handgun in Canada so your recommendation, however practical for Alaska is a no-go in the Yukon.

A 300 with 200-220 gr bullets are really good too. I had a 308 Norma Magnum for quite a while and ran the bullets in that range, I'm hoping to add a 300 WSM this year and use the bullets in that range. Still if you handload a 338 WM, 35 Whelen or 9.3x62 would be hard to beat, a powerful lever gun is intriguing as well.

JamesJr;
Top of the morning to you sir, I trust you're having a good summer down in the Bluegrass State.

As my cyber friend Jordan has stated, there's a pretty large variety of handguns that we're able to own - "possess" in Canadian firearm legal jargon. We're only able to shoot them at approved ranges however and there's strict rules for how they're carried to and from those ranges. We're required to have permits for each handgun - "restricted weapon" in jargonese - and they're transported with a lock on them AND in a locked container.

Some types of handgun aren't available for most Canadians to own - these include barrels shorter than 4.25" and handguns in .32 and .25 caliber. Yes of course there were slightly less than zero crimes committed with .25 and .32 caliber handguns, but that didn't stop the all knowing in Ottawa from making them unlawful to possess.

Before leaving that subject, I'm an old guy who has had certain classes of firearm for a long, long time, so I get to be "grandfathered" with some of them. So in fact I would legally be able to possess "prohibited" firearms such as short barreled pistols or revolvers or .32 and .25 caliber ones too. That said, I can't pass them onto my kids who although they've gone through the process of getting a "Restricted Possession/Acquisition Licence" aren't "grandfathered" like I am. Neither is my good wife for that matter because she didn't "possess" any of that class when the fine folks back east decided that type was a threat to public safety.

Hopefully it goes without saying that none of these laws have had any effect whatsoever on the gang bangers when they're procuring arms to have in the event that their "franchising issues" escalate..... which they do from time to time and that's the major cause of shootings in Canada.

Strangely enough, we're perfectly legal packing pump or hinge action shotguns with barrels as short as 10" as long as it's a factory barrel - that is to say not cut down by yourself or a smith - and the overall length of said arm is 26½" long. Lately I've been experimenting with a very light 14" barreled pump gun hanging on a single point sling when packing meat and it's not a terrible compromise I suppose. That said if it was legal I'd absolutely have a Redhawk in a chest holster instead, but I can't so I don't.

Lastly they've just lately lightened up a wee tad on back country carry of heavy revolvers for hunting guides, but as one can imagine its a bit hit and miss whether or not they'll issue a wilderness carry permit to anyone when applying - or so I've been told.

Hope that was somewhat clear, albeit odd in a sad way to read for someone coming from a state like Kentucky. It might make sense to a reader from New Jersey better?

All the best to you and yours this summer.

Dwayne

Did you ever run the 30 cal Speer 200 Hot Cor SP? I've been considering that bullet but I've found little testimony of how it holds up or its terminal performance. I have a .30-06 and .300 WSM I'm considering it for. saddlesore seems pleased with the Sierra 220 RN in his .30-06, and I read where BC30cal had less than stellar performance from some older Hornady 220's which surprised me since he wasn't pushing them fast.

I used the older style 2 core version on the 200 gr Speer G.S. which were good bullets. and also the 220 gr Nosler partition which were also good. I never tried the 200 gr Hot Cor but it does look to be worth a try, not sure of how the current Grand Slam's work since they changed the design and made it a heavy jacketed Hot Cor. Another one I liked is the 200 gr Accubond.

With the exception of those in .24 and .25 caliber, which always featured a one-piece core, original Grand Slam bullets had a two-piece core with the rear being harder than the front. Now, Grand Slams feature a three-component core that is poured into the gilding-metal jacket and flows into a heel pocket. Essentially, the Hot-Cor process, along with the added mechanical lock (at the heel) and thick shank, results in 80 to 85 percent weight retention. Internal fluting makes upset possible at a wide range of velocities, and a higher ballistic coefficient than Mag-Tip slightly flattens trajectory. Grand Slams have a cannelure for applying a crimp and are suitable for the largest game in a given cartridge’s application; however, with the enhanced performance comes a significant increase in price.

You could do a lot worse than a 98 Mauser in 35 Whelen, a 10-22 Ruger and an 870 Remington in 12 gauge

will have a few left handed zastavas on my tables tomorrow at the gun show ....

will have a few left handed zastavas on my tables tomorrow at the gun show ....