Hunting minimums and maximums

Find the mega boomer:
.22 WMR
.223 Rem
.243 Win
.270 Win
.30 WCF
.30-40 Krag
.30-06
7.62x54R
.38 Special
.35 Whelen
.44 Rem Mag
.444 Marlin
12 ga


Game animals I have taken may not be more dead than hunting party members that are using magnum cartridges; but they are usually a better kind of dead. ;)
(Mine drop with one shot, a clean kill, and little (or no) meat loss; while theirs take multiple shots, have massive chunks blown out of the body, and half the meat is destroyed.)
 
Dogs, .22lr- .30-06
Deer, elk, and black bear, .243- .30-06
Grizzly (hunting) 6.5swede- four bore
Grizzly (charging) four bore.
 
Coyote - .22 mag through .243, with heavy preference for the .17 Rem.
Deer - .243 through 7mm Rem Mag
Elk - .243 through .300 Win Mag
Grizzly - 7mm Rem Mag through .338 Win Mag
 
At close range for coyotes almost anything will do but I'd list my minimum as a 22 mag. Long range my minimum would be a 223. The biggest caliber in my collection I'd reach for if I were going on a coyote hunt? 243. But in a target of opportunity situation I will shoot a coyote with whatever I'm carrying. A 223 is probably perfect for yotes however.

For deer my minimum is a 243. Maximum? Whatever, as long as you shoot it well. I personally would not go larger than a 7mm mag and consider 300 magnums and up overkill for our Alabama deer. But whatever blows your skirt up. It's not like a 375 H&H won't kill a deer. I just wouldn't want to use it for that purpose.

I have no experience with Elk or Grizzly and I'll leave that to people who do.
 
For all those recommending a 22lr for coyotes, I wonder how many have actually killed a coyote with this caliber and if so how many. I have only shot 51 coyotes so I dont have tremendous experence, but I do have enough. I killed 2 coyotes with a 22lr and wounded 5 that were never recovered. Not real good odds.
 
For all those recommending a 22lr for coyotes, I wonder how many have actually killed a coyote with this caliber and if so how many. I have only shot 51 coyotes so I dont have tremendous experence, but I do have enough. I killed 2 coyotes with a 22lr and wounded 5 that were never recovered. Not real good odds.
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Bearing in mind that we're talkiing about hunting, rather than animal damage control, I agree with you.

I've killed one coyote with a .22 LR, and won't do it again. It can be done, but the chance of wounding it is too great. The one I killed I shot at least 5 times at close range, and had to finish it with a shot between the eyes.

Daryl
 
No overkill for Grizzly's

Coyote .243

Deer 7mm /12 ga slug If it was 'just me' 7mm, but deer season has become too unsafe in many locations to use anything with 200 yds+ lethal range.

Elk 7mm

Grizzly - .50 BMG A graze or near miss could enrage this animal: You could be dinner.

This is one instance where there isn't "too big" a caliber, and a role reversal could occur without notice. No apologies if some think this is overkill, as there is no award for taking a grizzly with the smallest caliber while risking your life.
 
Deer 7mm /12 ga slug If it was 'just me' 7mm, but deer season has become too unsafe in many locations to use anything with 200 yds+ lethal range.
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A 12ga slug is dangerous WAY beyond 200 yards. Especially modern sabot slugs. Winchester makes a 300gr slug with a listed 2,000fps muzzle velocity. High-velocity sabot slugs can have well over 1,500 ft/lbs of energy at 200 yards and Winchesters ballistic calculator shows them sighted just 10 inches low at 200.

Even older style rifled slugs, say 400gr with a velocity of 1,300-1,700fps, are dangerous WELL beyond 200 yards and retain 500 ft/lbs or more at 200.

Considering that deer hunters are almost always shooting parallel to the ground or down from trees, there really isn't much reason to believe that ANY particular type of firearm or cartridge carries a specific risk over others.

Most of New York state has been slug-only hunting for longer than I've been alive and we hear of accidental shootings every year. Almost always they are at ranges under 100 yards.

Now, almost the entire state has turned over to rifle hunting (and I guarantee the average population density (human) is higher than ever) and we see no more accidents than before... I'd say fewer just based on the news but I don't have the stats to back it up.

Anyway, the idea that this type of gun or that one is safer or more dangerous for hunting in relatively populated areas may SEEM logical but it doesn't hold up in under scrutiny.
 
My Cousin has killed a Grizz with a bow. I have never killed a Grizzly but for me I think I would take my 45/70 Govt.

as far as deer or elk attacking, I have seen a young buck attack a Husky during the rutt.
 
Coyote 17HMR.Big end anything I could end his days with.
DEER-223 through 3ooWM.
Elk-25-06 through 300WM
GRIZZ- 30-06- 458 WM.
 
minimum on coyote, 22LR
minimum on deer, .243
minimum on Grizzly while hunting 300 Wby

no limit on maximum, use what you got or can handle competently.

Just dos centavos from a dinosaur
 
song dog: 22lr :ive shot many a yote with a 22. if they are at 50 yds+ i go for a head shot. if i miss, oh well i just educated the bugger. max: whatever is in my hand

deer: 6mm Remington. max: 300WSM. ive shot a few deer with my wsm and it is quite overkill for muleys. ive since switched to a 8mm mauser or 6mm remington for them. does the job plenty well.

elk: min: 257 roberts, seen many of cows tipped over with one shot from the good ol roberts. max: dont see any reason why you need more than a 300 win mag or a 45/70.

Griz: min: 300WSM just because i dont want the chance of wounding it and it coming after me like a porterhouse with legs. max: none

seems like the general consensus shows that with good shot placement any animal can be taken with any modern weapon. ive killed lots of cattle with a 22lr, that said it was like shooting fish in a barrel......or cattle in a feedlot pen :D i think its all about individual comfort and skill. but there is no excuse for blowing the hind quarters off a deer with a 300 win mag and have to chase it all over timbuck two
 
Min/Max -

coyote = .223/257
deer = .243/30-06
elk = .270/.338
griz = .338/.416

I consider lesser than stated mins would do the job, just not as reliably. Higher ratio of wounds, lower ratio of kills.:(

Greater than stated max's would probably result in more misses, due to greater recoil/muzzle blast. If you don't hit the kill zone, it doesn't matter what diameter, velocity and/or bullet weight you are using. :mad:;)
 
For coyote probably .22lr min and 243 max
For deer 243 min 308 max
For elk 270 min 30-06 max
For HUNTING grizzly 270 min 375 Max. For self defense grizz .454 cas min .416 w Max. Keeping in mind the #2 world record polar bear was taken with a .270. In an ideal grizzly hunt I'd be 75 yards away and the bear would have no knowledge of my presence. In that perfect situation I might chance using a .270
 
22 MAG: coyote

.223 with 64 grain bullet: deer

35 Remington with 200 grain bullet: elk

.308 with 200 grain Speer bonded bullet: grizzley

Jack
elkinforestsized-1.jpg
 
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Coyote 22lr - .243
Dear 22-250 - .308
Elk .243 - 300 win mag
Wolf 22-250 - 300 win mag
Never shot a Griz ?
Black Bear .243 - .308
 
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