Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Other Big Game => Topic started by: bigelk1030 on June 01, 2014, 09:32:34 PM

Title: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: bigelk1030 on June 01, 2014, 09:32:34 PM: I have committed to a caribou hunt in Alaska this year, really want to take my .270, I love the gun and its a tack driver. The guy organizing the hunt recommends the smallest caliber to bring is a .270.

The question I have is should I take a larger caliber in case of a brown (grizzly) bear issue? They apparently have a few in the area. This will be self guided but I will have a buddy with me.

Since I booked this I have been seeing news stories (WA hunter killed in BC this week) and TV shows (Kodiak), it keeps me wondering if I should bring up something in the 300 mag range or something with even more knock down power.

Any thoughts from my Hunt WA friends?

Thanks!
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: lokidog on June 01, 2014, 10:30:24 PM: Went up there years ago with a .308 and a 30-06. We saw some bears but had plenty of room between them and us. What about bringing heavier bullets to have along than what you use for the caribou? Depending on how open the country is, where I hunted it was quite open, the only time I worried about bear was after the caribou were down. Then you could put the heavier rounds in for the pack to camp.

Have fun, it was a neat experience back in '93 when I went.

Bring lots of pepper to cover your meat or tight weave game bags. The people flying out as we came in lost a lot of meat as they used plain cheesecloth type bags (maggots can crawl through cheesecloth) and had to wait a couple extra days for the weather to clear to come out. We used white garbage bags and left them along the shore of the lake we were on where the water could splash them and keep them cool. Shot one on the second day and the second on the 6th day, flew out on day 7, no meat lost.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: Blacktail135 on June 01, 2014, 11:06:45 PM: Been up there hunting a number of times. Never had bear trouble. Had a couple of questionable events with bears though. I take a .375 H&H mag. with iron sight's and quick removable scope mount's for my Leupold VariX 1x5 scope. Usually I'll remove the scope when I'm going to travel through real brushy or tree'd terrain or after I get an animal down (and at night). Most caribou hunting that I have did is pretty open country but there are brushy area's. Beautiful place and culture. Have fun.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: lhrbull on June 02, 2014, 04:40:52 AM: hunted Alaska for caribou three times never had any problem with bears. if you keep your camping area clean and are observant while in the field you reduce the chance for problems. that beaning said if the area you are hunting is prone to bear problems a 300 would be wise
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: Tbob on June 02, 2014, 10:37:31 AM: Went on a moose/bou hunt up there a few years back. I took my .308. We has zero bear problems. We floated threw all types of terrain in the 60mile float over 3 weeks. We had zero bear problems.. We saw a few, but the second they caught our sent they were running the opposite way. We even tried calling one in and no dice ( I was with my buddies who live up there and all had bear tags).. On our last night on a sand bar waiting for or plane ride out, we did wake up to large bear tracks all through our camp.. Maybe I was too cold and tired to even care at that point, but again there was no issue... No meat taken and nobody got eaten! Have a blast and go well prepared.. My advise would bring LOTS of extra socks.. Have a great time and post up some pix when you get back ! Good luck..When I was there it was late September and I think we saw probably 1000-2500 caribou a day..
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: Tbob on June 02, 2014, 10:40:37 AM: Oh and the .308 was awesome on the caribou.. They're not that big really and th .308 was great on my moose as well!
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: blindluck on June 02, 2014, 11:47:10 AM: Three of us went on a drop camp caribou hunt back in 2002 I brought a 375 H&H one buddy had a 30-06, we had big revolvers 454's. Only saw bears from the cub. If I had a 270 I'd want a 44 or larger handgun. What a Awesome hunt. Lost 10 pounds packing out 6 bou on that trip.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: bigelk1030 on June 02, 2014, 06:46:59 PM: Thanks guys! Just reading about your trips is getting me excited to go.

We are flying into Fairbanks then taking a charter up to an established hunting camp. We will hunt out of there. I heard they may have internet there, if so I will take pics and post them real time. Going to be late in the season flying out Sept 26 and hunting for 7 days. Two caribou limit.

I think I will stick with the .270. I have read that some guys hunt with .223's for Caribou, so I am not too worried about the knock down power, just the pesky bears!

If anyone else has some thoughts, please share!

Thanks again!
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: higunner on June 02, 2014, 10:26:56 PM: I'm heading to Alaska on September 9th for a moose hunt. I'm taking my .338WM with 250 grain loads and .44 Ruger Alaskan on the hip with 305 grain cast loads. Lots of bear issues where I'm going to be.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: C-Money on June 03, 2014, 06:53:19 AM: .270 should be perfect for caribou. Good luck!! Take lots of pictures!
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: blindluck on June 03, 2014, 01:10:53 PM: Quote from: bigelk1030 on June 02, 2014, 06:46:59 PM
Thanks guys! Just reading about your trips is getting me excited to go.

We are flying into Fairbanks then taking a charter up to an established hunting camp. We will hunt out of there. I heard they may have internet there, if so I will take pics and post them real time. Going to be late in the season flying out Sept 26 and hunting for 7 days. Two caribou limit.

I think I will stick with the .270. I have read that some guys hunt with .223's for Caribou, so I am not too worried about the knock down power, just the pesky bears!

If anyone else has some thoughts, please share!

Thanks again!
Bring a bug net baseball cap and light gloves to cover the hands. My hands were so bit up they swelled to the point you couldn't see my knuckles when I made a fist. And bring coolaid powder for the water. Have a Great trip!!!
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: The Big Game Hunter on June 03, 2014, 03:44:32 PM: There is nothing wrong with using the .270 for caribou, especially if you shoot it well. It will also do in a pinch for grizzly bear if you use heavy, controlled expansion bullets like the Swift A Frame or the Nosler Partition.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: SteelheadDC on June 03, 2014, 04:53:21 PM: My buddy and I went up there last fall and shot bou with a 300mag and a 25-06 both worked just fine. I saw lots of bears, wolves and even a wolverine. You shouldn't have any problem with bugs at the end of sept. It will be cold. I have heard people put down caribou meat, but behind moose, it is the best wild game I have eaten.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: Hangfire on June 04, 2014, 05:28:39 AM: I went up there out of King Salmon in the late 70's. I had my 30-06 with 150 gr. bullets. My brother in law had a 7mm mag. Both worked well on the bulls we shot. We were hunting mid August and the meat was excellent and bugs not to bad. Bulls were still in velvet. We did see a few just starting to shed. A friend of mine went in later when bulls were in rut. He said the meat was inedible. I attended a wild game cooking demonstration put on by Jim Zumbo at the Puyalip sportsman show a number of years ago. He said he is often ask what is the best wild game meat and he said caribou. He has been ask what is the worst wild game meat, same reply caribou. He said before the rut excellent after the rut inedible.

You will probably see a lot of animals or almost none. They are always moving and either there or moved out. WE each got average bulls. Ten minutes after shooting ours a herd with two B.C. bulls walked up to 100 yards and stood and watched us.

We never went any where with out our rifle, even if just a few steps from camp.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: blindluck on June 04, 2014, 09:05:03 AM: Quote from: bigelk1030 on June 01, 2014, 09:32:34 PM
I have committed to a caribou hunt in Alaska this year, really want to take my .270, I love the gun and its a tack driver. The guy organizing the hunt recommends the smallest caliber to bring is a .270.

The question I have is should I take a larger caliber in case of a brown (grizzly) bear issue? They apparently have a few in the area. This will be self guided but I will have a buddy with me.

Since I booked this I have been seeing news stories (WA hunter killed in BC this week) and TV shows (Kodiak), it keeps me wondering if I should bring up something in the 300 mag range or something with even more knock down power.

Any thoughts from my Hunt WA friends?

Thanks!
One thing I learned that was important in choosing a outfit is one that flies you into the migration. We flew till we were into large herds and landed with caribou 300 yards from us as we were touched down. We spent the rest of the day glassing caribou from camp then day two caribou were hitting the ground.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: Rock7 on June 08, 2014, 11:47:18 AM: I moved from Alaska last October and hunted caribou with everything from bow to rifle. Shot the caribou in my pic with a 7mm-08, one shot and down it went. I shot another with a .300 RUM, was out on a griz, caribou mixed bag hunt.. There is always a chance of coming across a bear just be carefull around your campsite and keep the meat and your food well downwind. Most guys myself included, used our trusty 30-06's most of the time. I carried 180 grain bullets for caribou and had a few 220 grain bullets for after the fact. Two things I learned that helped with keeping the blood off of me is always use latex gloves and do your quartering and skinning in your rain gear on.

Make sure you read the regs on meat salvage, AK fish and game dont play if you waste anything. Another tip is pick up some citric acid, mix it with water and spray the meat to prevent bacteria from forming and it will stop spoilage.
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: bigelk1030 on June 08, 2014, 09:51:20 PM: Thanks again for all the pointers. I have some work to do to get ready. I am excited for the hunt!

Still sticking with the .270, I might move it up to 150gr bullets but still working through that.

Any more input is appreciated!

Kevin
Title: Re: Gun for Caribou hunt question
Post by: Rock7 on June 14, 2014, 05:00:56 PM: Where are you headed to? You don't have to give me an exact area, but maybe able to help with what gear you should think about. Weather can be more dangerous than the bears if you don't prepare for it. I was on a dall sheep hunt last year in August and it went from 50 degrees and sun to 17 degrees and six inches of snow overnight.