Ideal calibers for each species of big game

[Kachok]

Well, I get that. Still, you mentioned thatAnd I would agree. But I'd also say that 6.5 is "over-powered" for white-tail at 40 yards--not bad at all, just not ideal, especially as the Swede shines at distance because of the BC and SD of the bullets.

But perhaps we are just talking at cross purposes: you about species at whatever range, and I about most animals in a given terrain (which tends to set the range): not sure I'd change my rifle choice much for white-tail vs moose at 350 yards; and not sure I'd need more than a .30-30 on either up close.

Of course, we don't have much beanfield hunting here in MA.

Yeah the 6.5 is a tad overpowerd on deer at close range, but it is still within reason, in fact I shot a Florida buck last week at about 40 yd, while I did
not need that much punch to put him down it did not do that much meat damage either, I keep it just behind both shoulders at close range. He jumped once and hit the ground dead about 12' from where I shot him.
Yes I am talking about ideal for whatever realistic range you would get a shot from, not that 1,000yd wannabee sniper $#!^ Most game species are taken within 100yd, some more cautious anamals (mule deer for example) tend to the outside of 200 yd, with many older smarter bucks taken at nearly 300. Of course everything depends on terain, but that is the genral idea. Just call it from 30-300 yd VERY few anamals are harvested outside of that range.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

If that 1,100 lbs hog was released for hunters then why had he been running the whole area for years outside any fences? And why did he look so different then domestic pigs? Why was his tail not cut or tusks removed like is standard practice in the pork industry

A LOT of these places that you pay to hunt hogs trap wild hogs, grocery feed them for a month or 2 then release them. You would be completely dumbfounded at the mass a hog can put on in 2 or 3 months while being grocery fed in a pen. As far as the Fayette hog, from the stories I could find, that hog had little competition for food and I read several people routinely put food out for him. Also, if you look at the pics of it, you can see VERY strong domestic traits. Short round head and a big gut. Wild hogs have longer more pronounced muzzles and tend to be slimmer. That hog was pen raised. Also, for a hog of that size, it had some VERY small tusks. Another trait of pen raising.

 

[Kachok]

Oh I was not saying that he did not have a drop of domestic blood in him, but you can tell he was not born in a pig farm, they cut the tails before they can walk. Also when is the last time you saw a domestic pig with such a thick coat of pitch black fur? I have worked on several farms and know domestic pigs pretty well, and I have never seen one quite like that.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

It's according to what breed they were. I have seen their coats turn in as little as 3 months after release. And then others never do. Some of these pen raised hogs have strong Russian genes.

 

[Kachok]

Russian boar are the largest true wild hog on the planet, they have been recorded reaching weights of up to 710lbs in the wild. There were some brought to the states but the ones that escaped enclosures cross breed with other feral hogs watering down their bloodline.
I am still looking though all the large breeds of domestic pigs trying to find one with thick pich black fur, nothing yet.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Spanish and Russians both have dark coats. Ranging from dark chocolate brown to pitch black.

 

[Kachok]

Yeah I am tempted to say that 1,100 pounder was a crossbreed, and a mutant at that, that is unusualy large even for out largest domestic varities, and the jet black fur it another clue, if he had been born on a pig farm his tusks would have been removed, his tail cut, and his testicles removed at an early age. Just think of something that big charging you!!!! Even the pure blood Russian boar at 700lbs is a really scarry thought. Anyway back to the subject at hand, yes both black bear and feral hog (or semi-feral hogs) can reach weights of over 1,000 lbs and anything that big with the ability and desire to hurt me I would want a 300 mag for, sure it can be done with an 06 or even a 308 but a heavier boneded bullet moving 200fps faster would give me more confidence pulling the trigger. Anything that can gore you with 9" tusks or 5" claws is something I want to keep at a safe distance

 

[ShawnC]

7.62 x 54r (that's right, make mine mosin!) just like a 30-06 could handle more than half that list. At distance, I would even trust it on the bigger stuff, but probably a .300 Win mag would be better for the bigger bears.

 

[MCgunner]

Russian boar are the largest true wild hog on the planet, they have been recorded reaching weights of up to 710lbs in the wild.

The largest part of the phenotype in Calhoun county, Texas is of European. Very little feral hog has interbred where my place is near Powderhorn Ranch between Seadrift and Port O'Connor, ground zero back in the 30s. There were no hogs in the county at that time and the escapees from the Powderhorn established and, to this day, ranches around the powderhorn including mine have European phenotype. One must get over toward the county line/guadalupe delta area before the ferals have interbred to any extent. Now, the genotype, or genetic code, of a feral hog are the same as a wild European boar much as is the genotype of a Schnauzer and a Wolf, but the phenotype, or how the genes express themselves, is different. It's the same artificial selection process.

Anyway, all that being said, the hogs in my area are all of European decent and a BIG hog would run 350 lbs. There simply are no 400 lb plus wild boar in the area. I have a BIG one on my place right now, seen the tracks. I bet he's north of 300. The ones I trap and kill are 200 lbs or less. I've let a monster walk once, was probably in the 350 range. I don't shoot 'em to eradicate, but for sport and the freezer. As everyone here says, smaller hogs are better eating.

 

[buck460XVR]

Regardless of the size of the pig, if 4 shots from a ought-six@ point blank range did not put the hurt on him, it wasn't a fault with the caliber. Any 30-06 bullet proper for deer should have been sufficient on even a 600 pound hog if put where it needs to be. As with SD/HD folks should use for hunting a caliber that is appropriate, what they are most proficient with, and most confident with. Folks also need to know the limits of their choice. They also need to respect other folk's choices.That said, if there's any one caliber at all that has successfully taken all of the game listed in the OP, I'd bet it was the lowly 30-06, and maybe 30-30.

 

[MCgunner]

Like I said, i've one shot killed 200 lb hog with a Federal lightening from a 1 5/8" mini revolver. They ain't got titanium skulls.


This one took a round of 115 +P JHP from a Kel Tec.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Kachok, I am not talking about farm raised hogs that escaped. I am talking about farm raised, after capture, feral hogs. Huge difference. As I mentioned earlier, there are a ton of places that will go trap hogs from one place, pen them for a few months, then release them. They don't castrate, pin the ears, or clip the tails of these animals. Those features you keep wanting to go to simply don't matter. The owners of these establishments know that if you nailed a hog with a clipped tail or pinned ears, then you will know that you were just set up for a killing and not a hunt. 99.9% of all those "monster" hogs that you see in the papers and such, you could bet your last dollar that if you were able to research it's history, was fed on groceries for a pretty good bit of time. They just can NOT get that big in a natural setting. It's pretty much an impossibility. Nature wouldn't allow for it. Just to many limiting factors for it to happen.

 

[303tom]

.375 H&H for all of them...........

 

[Kachok]

I don't claim to be an expert on the big bore guns, but 375 H&H vs pronghorn......could you imagine the mess? Well you would not have to worry about skinning it, because you would be picking up small chunks of meat off the ground Na I am sure with a slow enough load it could be done, just avoid fast expanders, if they even make those for a 375 cal. I should totaly make that a 375H&H 180gr ballistic tip @3300fps I'll call it the "self cleaning deer, he ain't gonig ANYWHERE round" I am sure some of the magnum junkie rednecks I hunt with would LOVE it. I'll make a 416 ultra mag version too, forget meat watch your deer turn into a red mist!

 

[Liberty1776]

back to the OP -- Mule deer on down - my .257 Roberts. Elk on up - my 300 H&H.

 

[303tom]

I don't claim to be an expert on the big bore guns, but 375 H&H vs pronghorn......could you imagine the mess? Well you would not have to worry about skinning it, because you would be picking up small chunks of meat off the ground Na I am sure with a slow enough load it could be done, just avoid fast expanders, if they even make those for a 375 cal. I should totaly make that a 375H&H 180gr ballistic tip @3300fps I'll call it the "self cleaning deer, he ain't gonig ANYWHERE round" I am sure some of the magnum junkie rednecks I hunt with would LOVE it. I'll make a 416 ultra mag version too, forget meat watch your deer turn into a red mist!

No just 2 rounds, one just pokes a hole in em. The other makes great big hole.

 

[Art Eatman]

Kachok, repeat after me: "Shoot 'em in the neck; no mess."

 

[Robert]

375H&H with tailored handloads. Or an '06

 

[Kachok]

Kachok, repeat after me: "Shoot 'em in the neck; no mess."

Oh I'll shoot them in the neck if I get a clean shot, that can be tougher then you would think hunting these little 5 and 6 foot wide foot paths and ATV trails, the deer don't slow down, so you have a few seconds to get off a shot before he steps onto the brush on the other side. I pulled a quickdraw rifle shot Monday that would have made Jesse James proud. Probably 1.5-2 seconds from first seeing antlers coming through the bursh, to draw, aim shoot, and the buck drops. It happend so fast I did not get buck feaver until after the shot and the deer was down LOL I don't know how, but somehow I managed to place that quickdraw shot perfectly, turned his heart and lungs into soup and kept it just behind the shoulders not destroying any of that meat despite the rather large exit wound, not a world record class buck by any standards, but that is a memorable one for sure.

 

[ShawnC]

I don't claim to be an expert on the big bore guns, but 375 H&H vs pronghorn......could you imagine the mess? Well you would not have to worry about skinning it, because you would be picking up small chunks of meat off the ground Na I am sure with a slow enough load it could be done, just avoid fast expanders, if they even make those for a 375 cal. I should totaly make that a 375H&H 180gr ballistic tip @3300fps I'll call it the "self cleaning deer, he ain't gonig ANYWHERE round" I am sure some of the magnum junkie rednecks I hunt with would LOVE it. I'll make a 416 ultra mag version too, forget meat watch your deer turn into a red mist!

That's just silly. They aren't explosive rounds. Shoot it in the chest and it'll kill it just as dead as a .270. I shot an 80 pound button buck with a .444 Marlin at pretty close range. Plenty of meat left. No liquified venison.
Honestly a lot of these arguments just fly in the face of common sense.
.375 on rabbits? A bit much. .22 on Moose? Probably not enough.
From .243 to .500 magnum will down you pretty much any of the Big Game north american animals. Bison and the bigger bears you may want to hedge your bets with a larger round. Other than that, it's what you can handle. Way too much overthinking going on...

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

I've seen the mess a little ole bitty 7mm.08 with a 120gr Ballistic tip can leave in it's path. It's not so much the size but more the bullet makeup, impact location, and the speeds of impact. I've had .444marlin hit deer that my son asked me "Dad, when are you going back out to the woods to pick up the rest of the deer" and then same rifle/round combination leave 2 nice .44cal holes.

 

[JohnhenrySTL]

Freedom Fighter, I honestly am asking you this, no hint of sarcasim, isnt it illegal to hunt deer in your state with a rifle?

As for the topic, I think a .300 magnum would kill any of those animals just fine. I really would be annoyed trying to keep all rifles sighted in. Lol.

 

[fallout mike]

My uncle killed 4 hogs saturday with a .17hmr. He also killed 3 last saturday with a .17hmr. He must not have gotten the message about not having enough gun.

 

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

Freedom Fighter, I honestly am asking you this, no hint of sarcasim, isnt it illegal to hunt deer in your state with a rifle?

Yes unfortunately it is. But I have only lived here for a few years (feels like an eternity) and I also hunt all over the North American continent.

 

[repmurcs]

All this fancy smancy stuff -- I walk proudly with my RRA 458 Socom (Eotech 512), Bear to Squirrel ... I don't care -- It does well for me... Hell I shot a partridge with my Daisy Red Rider once and killed it .. It's all about placement -- Not caliber.