Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Regions and Rifles...

If I get tags, I hunt in Wyoming, Oregon, Washington or another western state. As the majority of my shots are measured in football field increments, first up is my 280AI, then my 300WM. I have lots of other choices but these two get the job done.

Back in the day around here most hunted with Remington 742's in 30-06 or a lever action 30-30.
Fast forward and most are hunting with a bolt action 30-06 or 6.5 CM.
I hunt with a 270 Win., or a 257 Wby most of the time.

When I was a kid in CT and for the first 20 years or so it was a lever gun in 30-30,444, 35, and a 12 gauge on public land in CT. Traveled to PA, VT, ME and NH, back then by far lever and Remington pumps filled the gun racks. As time went on, bolt actions took over and the same for me. I still have a couple of lever guns but for the last 20 years its been light carbine length bolt guns and my go to is in 7mm-08, shotgun is a 20 gauge pump or Savage 220. Primary quarry is deer, coyotes and black bears.

As a group we hunt VT now every year, last year 4 guys, all bolt guns, 2 in 7mm-08 and 2 in 308. Still see the occasional lever, pump or semi being carried by other hunters in New England but the vast majority in New England and the Northeast are bolt guns that I see used in 308, 30-06, 270. If I ever draw a moose permit up here, I have no hesitation to use my 7mm-08

Whatever is sighted in and I have ammo for.

It has become apparent one should have one rifle/caliber and 100,000 rounds, rather than multiple rifles with only 1,000 rounds each....

Alaska. I use .30-06 the most. Liking that 725SA .260 a lot tho.

My walk-about piece is my Dad's 1927 M94 in 30-30.

I left Nevada not long ago, hunting deer, antelope and elk with an old Sako L579 Forester in .243 (95gr BT) and a Tikka T3X Lite stainless/synthetic in 7mm-08 (139gr Interlocks and 140gr TTSX). I stopped shooting my Ruger 77 30-06 about a decade ago after I tore my rotator cuff for the second time.

Now, in central Mississippi, SHORT range hunting from stands is the rule. The woods are thick, and you better know someone with access to private land, although a few public land hunting areas are available. 30-60 yard shots predominate, and everyone I've met so far seems to fall in the 270 Win or 30-06 camp. One older guy with shoulder problems likes his .243 better than anything.

The best part of being in Mississippi is that 65 and older do not have to buy hunting licenses or tags. With a limit of 8 deer per year (5 antlerless, 3 bucks), I should be able to keep the freezer filled without a problem. Turkey hunting is also big here (limit 5 with 3 max in the spring and 2 in the fall), so I'm thinking of putting a red dot on my 12ga and investing in a extra-full choke tube!

I'm in central Ms as well and use a plain old 06 in a 98 Mauser, I have some long range stuff when I get a chance to hunt the delta but at my camp 125yds is about as far as you can see.
Patrick

I hunt middle Tennessee and North Alabama . Almost all short distances , 100 yard shots are rare where I hunt . I don't have a particular caliber or type of rifle . I use from .243 up to a 45-70 just depending on where I will hunt and what kinda mood I'm in on a given day. Might be a Kimber 7-08 , a 788 Remington carbine in .243 or a 38-40 model 92 Winchester made in 1911 . Might just strap on a handgun and leave the rifle at home. Some days it's a flint lock Kentucky or a .54 caliber TC or Lyman . All will do the job when I do my part . If I lived out west or hunted bean fields I'd be a bit more particular but I don't .Just got a 1936 model 71 Winchester the other day so that's most likely to be the Deer getter this year at least till I kill the first one.

N. Idaho has enough older fellas with 270win 30-06 and even 30-30.

Younger generation is 30-30, tons of 6.5 gopher Creedmoor, 308win, and for some reason 45-70 is actually a thing here.

Mainly whitetails in northwestern Adirondacks. Depending on weather, mood, and area I'm in, I rotate
Savage 99 30/30, receiver sight
Savage 99 300SAV, receiver sight
Rem 700 Classic 300SAV, scoped
Kimber Montana. 308win, scoped

Growing up in the UP it was a lot of the traditional lever gun stuff. 30-30, 32 special 30 Rem, 35 Rem 300 and 250 savage as well as the 30-06, 308 and 270. Now it’s a crap shoot. Lots of 7 and 300 mag some 6.5 man bun and a bunch of random stuff. No traditional or real regional dictated usage.

Deer and hogs in central Alabama. Mostly short range and I love my lever action’s anything from pistol calibers to 45-70. Bolt guns are normally lighter rigs around 7.5lbs all up and in boring chamberings like 270 or 30-06. Do some shotgun hunts too with slugs or buckshot when we run dogs.

I have some that have never been hunting, need to fix that!

I typically hunt wild hogs in north Florida and deer in central Pennsylvania each year. Mossberg 464 featuring angle-eject with a Simmons 2-7X scope. 30-30 is a keeper!

Sherwood

Elk: 340wby, 7mmSTW, 300wby
Mule deer/antelope: 300wby, 7mmSTW or 270wsm
Whitetails: 270wsm, 270, 30-06, 308, 6.8, 35Whelen, 7mm-08, or Knight MZ

On out of state hunts, I always bring a backup. For our Catskills farm, I’ll use a different rifle depending on set up and mood. [/quote]
What, No RUM'S???? Got to be fn kidding me.. For uc ks sake... This chidt is never not funny....[/quote]

I realize flat shooting hard hitting magnums make the 6.5 man bun crowd uncomfortable- just like the Prius & EV crowd don’t like corvettes. The advantage of speed of the shot when you can point & shoot to 400 yards works faster than any dialing ever made.

Limiting your shot distances and angles may appeal to you but if you can shoot hard kicking rifle accurately they offer a significant advantage in the 350-450 yard range in speed and power. Nothing takes the place of bullet placement but 350 yards through a front shoulder works with his cartridge choices & good bullets in a few seconds without having to dial to make up for trajectory.

I'm a northeasterner. For over 45 years I used a 742 Rem in 30-06 for everything east and west, until I refinished the stocks and retired it. Now, with 3 safes full of rifles, a Montana in 7-08 has become the go-to for the last 5-6 years, with a Ruger 77RL Ultra Light tanger in 260 Rem getting the nod just once in awhile to mix things up. Both shooting 120 TTSXs. I intend to take them to Newfoundland for moose, if they ever relax the vax requirement.

America: (Wyoming & Colorado)

25.06/280 Rem.——Deer & Antelope
338WM/35 Whelen—-Elk & Moose



Africa: (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia & South Africa)

404Jeffery, 458Lott, 375H&H, 9.3x62—Buffalo, Lion, Hippo
375H&H, 9.3x62, 35 Whelen, 338 WM, 30.06, 25.06—many plains game+Leopard

I am in Arkansas and my longest shot is around 200 yards, but the average shot is less than 100. I hunt with whichever rifle is interesting to me that season. 25-06, 6.5x55, 280AI, 30-06, 35 Remington and 35 Whelen. This year, it's going to be the 25-06 with 133s, the 6.5 with 140s or the Whelen with some really slow moving 275s.

Mostly use what many would consider obsolete junk.
Old Marlin levers, Handi rifle singles, etc.
No problems filling up freezer bags.
After taking a few deer with junky bows, I realized
that most any firearm I'd used was a space age
death ray, probably about like that first archer that
just tried out a matchlock musket.
Whatever I can use to poke a hole in one side and
out of the other and wreck some of the pump house
on the way through will put deer meat in the freezer.

Wisdom ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ right there

For deer and antelope (Oregon & Wyoming) I just stick to the 6.5CM these days.
I can shoot em with a bunch of other stuff, but the Kimber/CM combo is just the right amount of everything I need.

Elk - that's a can of worms anymore.
If I hunt eastern Oregon it almost always with a bow. I have some really awesome land here in southern Oregon that I'm able to hunt with a damage tag and any weapon I choose. That may be my .270 or 7mm-08, but will probably be the CM again. I've shot enough of them with it now to have complete confidence in it.

Bullets are usually Hornady 129 IL, but in 2021 I shot both deer and elk with the Sierra 140gr BTSP and will be again this season.