Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Why doesn't B&C list calibers used for elk

Why would anyone care if the cartridge used was in the B&C Book? The cartridge would make no difference at all other than maybe something for people to talk about!

Which is exactly why some want it to be listed--so they can "discuss" whether their favorite cartridge is better, which seems to be one of the primary discussions on the Campfire.

Why would anyone care if the cartridge used was in the B&C Book? The cartridge would make no difference at all other than maybe something for people to talk about!

There are 14 pages of the Alaskan Brown Bear records in the latest (15th Edition) B&C Records of North American Big Game.

I could not find David Simmerman's name listed.

Even if he had his bear officially scored, maybe he did not enter it.

In my own case, when I shot my Musk Ox and one of my Central Canadian Barren Ground Caribou, I had them officially scored, but I didn't send them into B&C headquarters for several years. Then after I shot my Quebec-Labrador Caribou and had him scored, the B&C official measurer, who I have known for over 30 years, asked me why I hadn't sent in the score sheets of my other animals, and he was a little upset that I hadn't sent them in. So I then sent all 3 of those score sheets in, and now I'm very honored to have been included in both the 30th and 31st B&C Big Game Award books and also this new 15th Edition Record Book.

I think something we forget is years ago there were very few calibers to choose from.Until the 1960's the main calibers were .30-30 class .300 Sav/.30-40 class and the 06/.270 class. The only magnum in an average rifle was the .300 H&H. When I started elk hunting in the 70's, the .300 Sav. was common then probably the 06 and .270. The .25-06 wasn't very old so some were trying that. There simply wasn't much selection.
Also in this area elk hunting was just getting off the ground so to speak. The few elk that were here existed in the mountains. Shots were not very long unless you found one in a park or clear cut. So the old deer hunters just used their deer rifles for elk. Shots were close, and at large target. Also rifles in the west were more difficult to come by than in more populated areas.
Gradually, elk spread over all of Wyoming today, every part of the state is an elk area of some kind. Now much of the shooting is in open prairie country or large open canyons.
And rifles of all kinds are fairly cheap and ammo was usually easily obtained. I think these changes are forgotten by most folks, or they never saw things in the old days.

Why would anyone care about which hunter shot the animal? It's all about the animal. You are so ludicrous.