What round for bou?

[JonS]

Headed to Kotzebue next end of Sept.
Have a 300 win mag shooting 168 ttsx really well, blued barrel
Have a .308 shooting 165's really well, stainless
Have a new to arrive 6.5 cm that will probably shoot the 125-147 something really well as well, stainless

All Tikka's, good with the top two to 500 m so far (on paper and steel, have taken game out to 400, one elk at 487, will stretch them out more this summer

Also have a rem model 7 in .260 rem stainless that shoots 120 speer hot cores into little groups as well.

What rifle would you take, if you say Tikka, which one?
Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

the one your shot your elk with.

 

[JonS]

It was with a .260 heavy Encore barrel I just sold to a gentleman. Last few elk have been with 300 win mag, out to 340, antelope with 308 or .260, deer with whatever I grab the day I leave

 

[Corey Paulsen (teamkabob)]

the one your shot your elk with.

This is what I would take too

 

[Ptownhunter]

Any of those rounds will do the job. Sounds like you're proficient with them all so whichever rifle you trust and isn't too heavy is the one you should take. Remember caribou are about half the size of an elk and you don't need a belted magnum to bring them down. That being said if your not planning on bringing a big bore pistol I would bring the 300 win mag just in case you need to stop a bear. Enjoy your trip and good luck.

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[Dexter Grayson]

I would take the .300. All 3 calibers will work on Caribou but remember you'll be in bear country and I would not want to rely on a 6.5 to stop a grizz. No matter how good the fan boys say it is!

 

[Yellowknife]

Any would work, but out of that pile I'd take the stainless .308 myself. .308 is about perfectly sized to caribou, and stainless is nice. I won't blink with any of them though. Picking the "right" gun is probably the least complicated part of that trip.

I spent a few days working out of Kotz this fall during peak caribou season. The number of non-resident hunters going through that tiny airport was amazing to me. On the return trip the small counter staff and TSA people were constantly swamped with oversize/overweight meat boxes, rack boxes, gun cases and totes of camping gear. I would council that you arrive at the airport EARLY and have lots of patience when you got to fly out.

Also realize you are basically an alien invasion to that town, and it doesn't hurt to be nice to all the local natives who are just trying to get on the plane. There is a pretty stark cultural difference between those who live there and the predominate type of hunter that comes through.

And the last piece of advice... be mentally prepared for the prices if you get weather stranded there. You can run up an eyewatering bill at the one decent hotel/restaurant in Kotz if you end up stuck there for a few days.

 

[BillB]

At least you won't have a bar tab -lol

In my limited experience at Kotz Yellowknife is spot on- get to the airport early on departure day as it can be quite a rodeo.

 

[mcseal2]

Great info. I will be there the same time. For what it’s worth our group will be shooting a couple 300 win mags with 180 grain E tips and one 7mm Rem mag with 160 grain Accubonds. We are all new to caribou hunting but will be leaning toward the bigger gun/tougher bullet side of what we own due to being in bear country. My 300 was built by Rifles Inc and is cerakoted stainless, it did well on our moose hunt so I figure its my Alaska gun for good. We will all have 10mm’s with hardcast 200 grain ammo too. Probably not needed but if we want to leave the rifle behind for anything we want to have them along.

 

[LightFoot]

the one your shot your elk with.

This ^^^

>>>----JAKE----->

 

[Sawtooth]

Walt,

JonS is with me and another fine gentleman on our trip, and we are already hooked up with you! Good to see your valuable input on this thread.

 

[HunterMN]

I’m leaning towards bringing my 300 wsm when I go this September. 8 short months away!!!

 

[Kyle Avey]

I’m coming up in August this year. My tikka 7mm rem mag is blued. We plan to hunt 12 days. Will a blued/wood gun be a problem? Should I find a stainless synthetic between now and then?

 

[Ptownhunter]

No it won't be a problem. Alaska is just like any other hunting location just colder. The only thing that you should be concerned about is staying warm and dry and be in good condition.
I worried about everything before my first trip to Alaska because I had never been there before. Once there it was just like any other hunting trip just different terrain. Bring a good sleeping bag and good warm layering clothes and your regular hunting gear and you'll be fine. When hiking dress light and add layers when you stop to glass. Keep in mind that you don't want to sweat by hiking with too much on then stop to glass. In Alaska you need to add and remove layers religiously to prevent from getting cold. Once you're wet and cold it takes awhile to get warm again. Take your time and layer up and down when necessary and the rest is fun hunting just like you have done before. Enjoy your trip.

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[SpannerAK]

Anything you feel like shooting them with. Few caribou get dropped every year with .223 out of a AR-15. Your overthinking it, pick the rifle you like the best. Though if your using this an excuse to buy another rifle, whatever caliber you want.

 

[hodgeman]

I've shot caribou with all of those cartridges. They all worked just fine.

I've shot most of my caribou with my 300WSM, just because I carry it more due to hunting other species at the same time.

 

[Northwestalaska]

I goofed on my last post. My longest shot was 465 and my average is about 225.

My daughter used a .243 and it does a wonderful job pushing 100 grain. Caribou is my favorite animal to hunt because every rack is so different. It interesting to compare racks from the various herds. Example is the Mulchatna animals were huge racks with massive palms. NW Arctic are horseshoe shaped racks with long scratchers and Nelchinal animals are very tall racks. Now I am speaking in generalities and mature animals.

Love those Bou!

 

[Snyde]

Looking forward to going in 2021, just picked up a Tikka 300 WM. Good luck on your hunt

 

[OXN939]

I’m coming up in August this year. My tikka 7mm rem mag is blued. We plan to hunt 12 days. Will a blued/wood gun be a problem? Should I find a stainless synthetic between now and then?

I wouldn't bring a blued rifle. My buddy did last year when we went, and of course it rained for 5 days straight. His rifle had a nice speckling of surface corrosion on it at the end of the trip, despite being kept in the tent and oiled every night. Having a stainless gun gives you more time to worry about hunting and hunting prep versus babysitting the finish of a blued firearm.

 

[realunlucky]

I’m coming up in August this year. My tikka 7mm rem mag is blued. We plan to hunt 12 days. Will a blued/wood gun be a problem? Should I find a stainless synthetic between now and then?

Different strokes for different folks, I think stainless is ugly. I took a blued rem 700 30/06 fell in a river had rain and snow off and on for 12 days. It still shot a Caribou and the rifle didn't crumble into a rust pile when it was done either.

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