when is “too much” just right… in big-bore rifles? — part 2

The notion of “too much gun” seems to be offensive to certain perfectionist types, who think there must be that perfect rifle/cartridge combo for each and every situation the world over. And their aim is to have several varieties of the same thing that’s, in their view, ideal for western antelope, or whatever. That could be a .243 Winchester, for example. Then, a .270 Winchester is “just right” for mulies… and a .280 Remington for caribou… and a .30-06 for mountain lion… and a .300 Win Mag for black bear… and a .325 WSM for caribou… and a .300 Weatherby for mountain goat… and a .338 Win Mag for inland grizzly… and a .375 H&H for brown bears… and a blah, blah, blah for blah, blah, blah… You get my point, I’m sure.

I’ve never been the type where I ever thought that more than three (3), (T-H-R-E-E)centerfire rifles where EVER needed to hunt the world. Let’s be clear though, I’ve owned more than that, obviously, but no one could convince me that they — or I — NEED more than three: Something for varmints and small game, something for medium game and something for large and dangerous game. All three could be chambered for cartridges that would be adequate for each class of game under all conditions… It’s easy. For instance: a .25-06 Remington, a .338 Winchester and a .416 Remington. Add a 12-gauge and a .22LR and you are set for life. Another example could be: a .223 Remington, a .308 Winchester and a .375 Ruger. Want another one? How about a .257 Weatherby Magnum, a 7mm Weatherby Magnum and a .416 Weatherby? Or one of my favorite threes (or four), a 7-08 Winchester, a .300 Winchester, a .44 Rem Mag and a .458 Winchester.

Actually, when it comes right down to it, a serious hunter could get by for ALL North American big game with one rifle chambered for one of the mediums. Then, if you felt the “need”, you could add something like a .257 Roberts for the rest. In fact, we could hunt the world with a .257 Roberts and a 9.3 X 62 or a .375 magnum. That, along with a 12 gauge and .22LR could keep me happy… what about you?

You see, there are endless possibilities. People with 70 guns, more or less, will end up using something like three or four most of the time. The others are for looking at, boasting about, selling or trading (I’ve done all that too).

Now… with that out of the way… WHAT? The fact that we can get along fine with about three center-fire rifles, a shotgun and a .22LR, that’s “what”.

Back to our theme: At least one of those three, or a dozen, needs to be a “more than enough” rifle/cartridge combo that could be used under most conditions for the majority of large/dangerous game we intend to hunt, or may run afoul of.

Last week our focus was on a “What if” situation involving an oversize bull moose at an extended range of around 450 – 500 yards. “Yes buts…” are unacceptable because that moose is fast disappearing into thick bush and the certainty of shortening the distance is less than .2%. And there’s no guide to scurry around to lasso another bull in a nearby meadow!

I made the observation that “too much gun” would be just about perfect for those conditions. If you think that bull is going to hang around until you catch up… then you don’t know much about how fast a big bull moose can travel over the worst terrain possible in simply walking it. I defy anyone to keep up with a big moose when he/she is merely walking with the intent of going somewhere! The ONLY way to catch that moose described last week is in using something like a .340 Weatherby! “Too much gun!”, someone screams… yeah, right…

Here’s another “What if?” situation: What if the animal is uncooperative and acts in an unpredictable manner. And what if that animal becomes aggressive and charges, or hunts the hunter?

I do a lot of black bear hunting, and I act as an unpaid guide to some friends and family. Also, a few years back I tried to purchase the rights to a Bear Management Area (BMA)in Ontario. That didn’t quite work out for a number of reasons, but in the end I was happy about that because the next year spring bear hunting was shut down. But I continue to bait bear every year starting in midsummer for the opening on the first day of September. We have a long bear season here: The three months of September, October and November. I have to say that at this stage in my life, it’s my favorite hunt! And I love the Big Bores for bears. Why?

It makes sense because of the physical conditions and the bears themselves. What do I mean?

The bears: by late summer and early fall, bears are adding weight at a phenomenal rate. And they have insatiable appetites. That’s the good news for hunters who use the baiting method to take the bear that they envision. The reality is, however, that all bears are ravenous that time of year, making preparation for denning at the end of November — early December, IF they’ve been satisfied, and IF the weather cooperates with snow and cold to encourage nature to take its course.

So, what we get at our baits is a great variety of bears: Momma bear with her family; adolescent bears who act much like human adolescents; mature males that think they are in charge (you know the type – something like the 35 year old CEO of a company), and then the older, wiser, secretive, cautious, REALLY BIG FULLY MATURE bears that are often males (boars), but not always.

Several years back in a spring hunt, a very large, somewhat secretive male bear was attending my number one bait site. I hadn’t yet seen him, but all the evidence (scat, claw marks, bites in the bait buckets, paw imprints, etc)let me know he was, for sure, a prime target. Then late one evening, as I was packing up my gear to leave because light was about gone, he came in. I was bending over to gather up my camera to load it into my seat-backpack, and when I looked up over the blind, there he was sitting in front of the bait barrel, looking at it in an unperturbed way with his broad back toward me. In appearance, the size of a sumo wrestler would best describe him. I was 90 yards away, above him on the side of a ridge…

(Bear photo credit:USFWS)

I put my camera down and reached for my… ?

Come back next time for the rest of this story… It gets very interesting. Was he really a tranquil bear that loved peaceful relations with the rest of his world? What if… not?

And, oh yes… the physical conditions will be amply filled in too!

Shalom

BOB MITCHELL