Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Hunting deer size game with large caliber rifles

Jud, this made me chuckle.
The first time I hunted in Saskatchewan years ago I brought a .280 – the smallest chambering in the party.
The rest of the crew heard SK held much larger deer than their locales and they wanted to be gunned-up for such monterous creatures.
Present were a 300 wby, multiple 300 RUM and a handful of 300 Win Mags – to kill a whitetail – over a grain/hay pile @ 100 yards.

I don't make a habit of it, but if I were in big bear country I would probably carry something with a bit more authority just to be sure. A few years ago my son and I hunted moose in upper Alberta around Fort James in the Peace river area. There was a very big grizzly hanging around camp- probably getting fat off the entrails from the moose killed in the area and the black bears he had killed. The outfitter estimated this bear at around 1200 lbs so my 338 WM seemed a bit puny when we came upon his fresh tracks a couple times....

Several guys in our deer camp have the "one gun for everything" philosophy so they carry 300 Mags for just about everything- deer, elk, bears, etc...

Bob

Haha oh ya people are funny. I really don’t care what folks use, but ya, show up at those camps you’d think you were huntin Cape buffalo!! 😂

I have used .375 Win
>38/55
.444 Marlin
.44 mag.
45/70
and my current favorite .405 Win.
Lots of big bore handguns as well.

The largest rifle I have is a 7-08. I doubt there's anything I'll ever hunt where I need more.

Have a real desire for a 375 H&H but that's purely for play - not because I "need" it for anything.

I did deer hunt with a 480 Ruger in handgun last year - unsuccessful.

Not really big bore, but I'll carry a little .358 Win often. I have used a .375 Ruger for kicks.

Biggest bores that get used yearly for deer are the muzzleloaders....but that's only until I can go centerfire.

Local high fence I frequently cruise.

Hunter shot buck with a 338 Lapua at well under 100 yards. I have no idea what bullet. Zero blood trail. Could not find the buck.

Three days later he was feeding in field like nothing was wrong. We took him out with a high shoulder shot for one, because high shoulder shots are my preference, and two, we wanted to not interfere with the original wound channel.

On the original shot the buck was angling away. Impact was a little too far back hitting only the off side lung. Barring infection, the buck probably would have lived, but it was looking pretty infected.

I believe high fenced deer have a higher will to live. Might start requiring .50 cal.

Nah, shot placement trumps everything.

Well so much for the behind the shoulder shot!! 😅

Winchester 1886 (reproduction)45-70 with a cast 405gr bullet

50cal round ball over 90gr of black powder

Hell ya Tom 👊🏻 Dandy

I would have bet you $1000 the hunter cleaned missed. Hunter swore it was a solid shot. We searched many hours, no deer, no blood, nothing. Three days later when I saw the deer up and feeding and put glass on him and saw the exit hole I was in disbelief.

Winchester 94 in 38-55

Here’s a good one outta Daryl Holland’s monthly email

keyboard testing software online

Is that a shed out buck Tom?

Within boundaries of course, I believe bullet selection relative to shot placement is way more critical than caliber.

The buck would have died right there with the same shot placement from a .243 and Bergers, guaranteed. Yet he soaked up the 338 Lapua and kept on trucking.

With Rage broadheads, hit a deer anywhere in the body and it dies, not vitals required.

Exactly, it’s a bullet problem not a caliber problem. Both were probably shootin Barnes! 😂😂

I can only assume but based on the hunter's rig, definitely a long range sniper rig, I'm betting the bullet was a Berger. But on deer less than 100 yards at 338 Lapua velocities, most 338 bullets will just pencil through.

Reminds me of a pard I took to Montana 15 years ago for antelope. 760 yards, 210 Berger via 300 rum. Shot I saw dust fly up behind his goat, told him he hit high, no reaction whatsoever from the goat. Ran probably 150 and bedded down. Thought wtf??? We waited and watched, pretty soon he laid his head down, we made our way over to him, deader than hell. Perfect behind the shoulder through both lungs, 30 cal hole in and out, no bloodshot whatsoever.

Shot most of mine with a .300 Win or Roy, few with '06. When I was a kid .30s were considered small bores by some. Maybe cuz Taylor said so.

Here on the CF .30s are considered grossly excessive, best I can discern. Maybe should apologize to all those deer I overkilled.

Lately been using a .375R and like it just fine. Right out back. Seems to kill quickly with relatively soft construction bullets.