Bird Dog II
Member
It's windy in that country. A .270, .280 or .30-06 would be a better choice than a .25-06.
Best all-around rifle for hunting deer, pronghorn/antelope in west Texas?
- Thread starter Mark-Smith
- Start date
- Status
I suggest a .270 or .308. The wind kicks a lot in the open west texas land and the ranges for pronghorn can be far. I hunt aoudad's in west texas along with everything else you mentioned and the ranges can be 300 to 500 yards. You definetly want a cartridge that can reach out and touch if necessary.
Captcurt
Member
For a knock about hunting rifle I would pick a Savage in 25-06 in a matte barreled synthetic with good glass. Something like a Nikon , Leupold or Burris in 4X12.
If you don't mind spending more money, the 260 rem is a great caliber if you can find a "REAL" rifle. By real I mean a full size, not the compact. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the ultralites and compact guns, but for long range shooting I want something with a longer barrel. The 260 can be loaded with a 100 gr to around 3300fps. That is Weatherby velocities without the Weatherby price.
If you don't mind spending more money, the 260 rem is a great caliber if you can find a "REAL" rifle. By real I mean a full size, not the compact. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of the ultralites and compact guns, but for long range shooting I want something with a longer barrel. The 260 can be loaded with a 100 gr to around 3300fps. That is Weatherby velocities without the Weatherby price.
chas08
Member
.270 Winchester. In any bolt action that suits your fancy.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
The desert mule deer in west Texas aren't like whitetail. Lazy devils. They don't wander around nearly as much, exploring the area. They aren't as agressive about breeding, during the rut. And, generally, most of the rut happens after the season ends. Mostly, you gotta kick Bucky out of bed and decide whether or not he's worth shooting.
Bucky sorta goes on a feeding frenzy in October and November, building ujp a bunch of tallow to carry him through the rut. Anytime the temperature is above freezing, he's not real happy at wearing the equivalent of an arctic parka, so he stays in bed a lot. Cooler that way. You generally find them bedded down just below the downwind crest of a ridge, near a saddle. They'll take off and run upwind and uphill, when spooked.
Sometimes they'll be a bit farther down a slope, snuggled in among some brush.
Not often do you see them in the low country during the day; sometimes, yeah, but not as much. And after a bit of shooting, they head on out for the high ground.
Bucks only drink water maybe a couple of times a week. Does habitually stay within a mile or so of a water point; imprinted, since a lactating doe must stay fairly close to water.
So you have good odds of a quartering-away shot on a running buck at a couple of hundred yards. If you're lucky. You only have seventeen days, and the population of decent, shootable bucks isn't all that great. You pretty much take what you can get, in the way of a shot.
If he's worth shooting, he's gonna dress out somewhere north of 150 pounds, maybe up around 200.
Sure, the .25-06 will kill the heck out a mulie, if everything's going your way on the shot. Me, I'd rather move on up to a tad more bullet for probably-better odds on that quartering-away shot.
Bucky sorta goes on a feeding frenzy in October and November, building ujp a bunch of tallow to carry him through the rut. Anytime the temperature is above freezing, he's not real happy at wearing the equivalent of an arctic parka, so he stays in bed a lot. Cooler that way. You generally find them bedded down just below the downwind crest of a ridge, near a saddle. They'll take off and run upwind and uphill, when spooked.
Sometimes they'll be a bit farther down a slope, snuggled in among some brush.
Not often do you see them in the low country during the day; sometimes, yeah, but not as much. And after a bit of shooting, they head on out for the high ground.
Bucks only drink water maybe a couple of times a week. Does habitually stay within a mile or so of a water point; imprinted, since a lactating doe must stay fairly close to water.
So you have good odds of a quartering-away shot on a running buck at a couple of hundred yards. If you're lucky. You only have seventeen days, and the population of decent, shootable bucks isn't all that great. You pretty much take what you can get, in the way of a shot.
If he's worth shooting, he's gonna dress out somewhere north of 150 pounds, maybe up around 200.
Sure, the .25-06 will kill the heck out a mulie, if everything's going your way on the shot. Me, I'd rather move on up to a tad more bullet for probably-better odds on that quartering-away shot.
- Status
