Another first timer with questions.

[polarkraft]

So my hunting partner and I have decided to take the plunge and venture out of the whitetail woods of tennessee. Our first attempt into the backcountry hunting will probably be colorado elk 2018.

Any advice is appriciated but I'm specifically wondering what caliber rifle most of yall are carrying. We both shoot regularly but our current rifles are set up for whitetail and we are wanting to go with lighter non wood stocked for backpacking.

Please advise?

 

[Northernpiker]

.270, most 7mm's, 30.06, .300 wm, there are lots of good calibers with today's bullet choices.

 

[jlrichesin]

7mm mag, or bow. First preference is bow for me! Second choice 7mm mag. Good luck!


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[hobbes]

I've only killed cows with my rifle, but the 7mm mag has performed well. However. I've got it overscoped for my abilities. Include too much scope and the bipod and it feels like I'm toting a Cannon. I'm looking to buy a Tikka T3 light in the same caliber.

 

[Beendare]

IMHO, rifle caliber is the least of your worries. Just shoot the heaviest bullet for the caliber you already own....elk are big critters. Lighter stock is good as you will typically need to cover a lot of ground to find them.

A guy would be wise in studying the animal you are targeting and the country where you are headed. For example, knowing that elk are very sensitive to hunter pressure and how they utilize those mtns at that time of year will help you much more than whatever rifle caliber.

 

[polarkraft]

IMHO, rifle caliber is the least of your worries. Just shoot the heaviest bullet for the caliber you already own....elk are big critters. Lighter stock is good as you will typically need to cover a lot of ground to find them.

A guy would be wise in studying the animal you are targeting and the country where you are headed. For example, knowing that elk are very sensitive to hunter pressure and how they utilize those mtns at that time of year will help you much more than whatever rifle caliber.

I appreciate the insight, we are taking into account hunting pressure. One of the reasons I am asking about caliber is that I will be setting up a lighter rifle for these hunts. I wanna buy once cry once on the ordeal and get a cal that I'm not gunna want to get rid of after a season or two. Our current rifles are probably pushing 10 lbs each and I have no desire to tote that several miles.

 

[Hayguide]

Most of the locals in Colorado that I have talked to laugh at the big guns we tote- they use a lot of 30-06 with 165 or 180 grain bullets... my advice is to take what ever you shoot best. I have a 300 ultra for short hikes or horseback and if I'm hunting heavy cover and small parks and hiking- a model 700 in 30-06 a 7,mm is a great option as well that's kind of in the middle. But I would follow the advise here. There are some major decisions to be made on units,tags, EE or Cow or Bull only. Trail head hunt verses a drop. I'm a drop camp hunter. It gets me back away from the crowds and its a bargain compared to a guided hunt. I see a lot of hunters when I go out there that wished they would have done a drop after they see my elk horns in the back of my truck. I normally kill a bull every year 1st rifle with a drop.. in areas that require no points. When I go solo I bring a back up rifle in case I drop my gun or something-that back up is my 30-06 and its light so if I'm hunting on a given day in dark timber or areas of less than 300 yard shots-that's my choice. I hunt the same drop camps as much as I can to get to know the terrain so I can hunt in confidence and I also leave in the dark and come back to camp in the dark- if you don't do that your not hunting most likely in the areas that the elk are using- at the time there moving. Relying on pressure in the daytime will get you a bull once in a while but just like Whitetail you need to ambush them in low lite.

 

[bigdesert10]

Most of the locals in Colorado that I have talked to laugh at the big guns we tote- they use a lot of 30-06 with 165 or 180 grain bullets... my advice is to take what ever you shoot best. I have a 300 ultra for short hikes or horseback and if I'm hunting heavy cover and small parks and hiking- a model 700 in 30-06 a 7,mm is a great option as well that's kind of in the middle. But I would follow the advise here.

This is good advice. The same is true for my state. I've seen more elk taken with 180 gr. 30-06 rounds than all other options combined. I don't know what kind of shots you're taking in your whitetail hunting, but I'm assuming they're less than 200 yards more often than not. Keep in mind that even if whatever rifle you buy can kill an elk at 700 yards, that doesn't mean you can, without a fair amount of practice. I wouldn't plan on shooting at anything over 300 yards for your first couple hunts, and inside 300 yards, a 30-06 or 7mm are about as effective and versatile as they come. Ammo is plentiful and inexpensive compared to some of the other wildcats out there and there are a plurality of rifles around in those calibers. While you can easily spend as much as you want, you can also get into something pretty serviceable without breaking the bank. Three pretty reasonable yet reliable options that come to mind are the Ruger American, the Remington 700, or the the Tikka T3 Lite. Scope-wise, you can again spend as much money as want, but the Vortex Diamondback series is plenty if you're staying in that 300 yard range. as far as magnification, I'd keep it under 10X.