Hunting minimums and maximums

B

bqglock

New member
I am just curious. if you were hunting coyote, deer, elk, or grizzly bear what wound be the smallest round you would use for each individually? as well as the biggest you would use. I want real responses, obviously you can use a .50 BMG for coyote but it wouldn't be practical.
 
Smallest -- Biggest

coyote - .223 - .300 Win Mag if I could afford it
deer - .243 - .300 Win Mag
elk - .270 - .375 H&H
grizzly bear - .300 Win Mag - .416 Rigby
 
Having never shot a grizzly bear, I cant speak of them, however I was a big game guide and have seen hundreds of deer and elk killed. Have also shot 51 coyotes with various calibers from 22lr to 375 H&H. This is actually a difficult question to answer, I just saw a huge bull elk killed with a single shot from a little 257 Roberts. I knew a man that hunted elk sucsessfully with a Savage 99 in 250-3000. But for the AVERAGE hunter without the skills of these oldtimers, the key isnt as much about caliber as it is about skill in shot placement and quality bullets.
 
Coyote - .223, 6.8, .308
Deer - 6.8, .308
Elk - 6.8 (close range), .308 (all around), 7mag (long range)
Bear - .308, 12ga slugs

Based on that, you can figure out what my all purpose cartridge is. ;)
 
coyote .22 Hornet .243 I'd want to preserve the pelt
deer .357 .30-06 to preserve the meat
elk .30-06 .45-70 to preserve the meat and pelt
grizzly bear .45-90 .375 H&H to preserve my pelt and meat
 
If the average weight of a elk is about 2x that of an average grizzly bear why do you need a larger caliber for the bear?
 
I only shoot 4 different bullets so my choices will reflect those.

For Coyotes: Smallest I use is a 17HMR, biggest 45/70
For Deer: Smallest 357 magnum biggest 45/70
For elk: smallest 45/70 Biggest 45/70
For Bear: 45/70
 
Coyote: Min, 204Ruger, max, none

Deer: Min, 22-250, max, none

Elk: Min, 243, max, none

Grizzly: Min 7mm-08, max, none

I don't believe in overkill, per say. "Overkill" applies only to my shoulder.
 
Coyote - .22LR - 30/06
Deer - .243 - .300 Win Mag
Elk - 30/06 - .375 H&H
Grizzly bear - .338 Win Mag - .458 Win Mag
 
Man, I would NEVER go after a grizzly with a .308 or 7mm-08 or anything in that size. I've read story's where guides have emptied a .300 Win Mag into them and they didn't stop. I've had whitetail doe take three .308 150 gr. in the lungs and not drop. Kind of like the movie "Blazing Saddles" where the sheriff is putting on his gun to go help the townspeople with "Mongo" and his buddy says "don't shoot him, you'll only make him mad"! :D
 
Quote:
If the average weight of a elk is about 2x that of an average grizzly bear why do you need a larger caliber for the bear?
Because an Elk won't attack and eat you.
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would not bet the house on elk not attacking, deer can and do attack from time to time. true they won't eat you the way a grizzly will but they too can kill.
Man, I would NEVER go after a grizzly with a .308 or 7mm-08 or anything in that size. I've read story's where guides have emptied a .300 Win Mag into them and they didn't stop
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I've read stories where they have been killed by bow and arrow.

The grzze's vitals are more protected it has more fur and fat where it needs to be.
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True but what about the projectile choice is or would that be more important?
Shoot the Griz I'n the head.
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pretty hard head so again wouldn't the projectile choice be critical?

would anyone here do it with a handgun/handcannon?

my point is that this is more about what each considers acceptable risk more than caliber.
 
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