Flatest, wind buckingest sheep cartrige???

[Bill_in_SD]

Hi I drew a bighorn sheep tag in my home state of Ca. I anticipate really, really long shots across canyons in winds up to 50mph.

I figure a 300 magnum would be good. I do not need a lot of whomp to kill a desert bighorn, but for long ranges and to buck the winds.

I have a 30-06 and thought about using the Hornady light magnums, what do you all think?

Thanks
Bill

 

[nochawk]

Use the 06... and get close, 50mph winds will play real havac with any long distance shots.

spend alot of range time getting a feel for shooting in that kind of wind...

 

[D13er]

That kind of wind in the california desert sheep area's will not be a problem during your hunt. Shooting won't have to be that far either......most of the time. Your '06 will be very adequate. What zone did you draw ??

JB

 

[Warren]

I got caught between rifles last season after I had traded my 270 Wby mag. Then I drew a sheep tag. I had to decide between an accurate 300 Wby mag and a two pounds lighter 257 Wby mag. In the end, I hunted with the 257 and got my ram. If you are comfortable with the 06, I would use it. There is nothing like taking an old friend on an important hunt.

 

[Bill_in_SD]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-24-07 AT 09:51PM (MST)[p]Thanks guys. I drew the Sheepholes hunt, out by 29 Palms, Joshua Tree.

I am not a big rifle hunting guy. Mostly I like to bowhunt. The 30-06 is nothing special to me. It is actually kinda heavy. It is a good gun, do not get me wrong. It think it is a Winchester model 70.

It is an extremely, extremely rugged place with boulders the size of buses. I am thinking I most likely will get some shots across canyons. It is a once in a lifetime hunt. I want to make it count, but I really do not want to buy a rifle to use once for a hunt and then never use it again.

Thanks
Bill

 

[Cookie2]

I wouldn't risk it. Take the weatherby, the BIG one. You can push a bigger bullet with more speed. Bigger bullet=less wind drift.Just my opinion.

 

[Outdoordan]

Use your bow! If you are a bowhunter why not give your bow a try and bring a rifle along as backup? For me, I would be way happier shooting it with a bow.

 

[ElmerFudd]

If you did get one with a bow, it is certain that it would be the first bowkilled sheep in the Sheepholes since the natives hunted them. I wonder how many have been taken in CA period in the current era of legal sheep hunting? Of course, it is a pretty tough hunt with a rifle.

 

[D13er]

Only 1 I know of since modern era hunting. An auction tag hunter shot one in the old dads in about 1990 with a bow. I can't remember his name but I believe he had an Alabama coal mine.

JB

 

[CAelknuts]

It is very unlikely that you'll end up with a 500 yard shot unless you don't try to get closer. Most of the sheep taken in California are shot at very reasonable ranges. We have an extremely long season, so you'll have many days to get it right. I'd encourage you to bring your bow and give it a go, with the rifle as backup if needed.

 

[Warren]

This is the most important hunt of your life. Don't play. Leave the bow at home. If you want the confidence a flat shooting rifle will give you, by all means shoot one of the big .300's. Look at the .300 Wby, .30-378 Wby, 300 Rem Ultra, or for a compact rifle, the 300 WSM. And if there ever was a caliber made for the job, the 270 Wby mag. You could also play with a few loads for the '06 and see how well it can really shoot.
If bowhunting really is your thing, bring the bow. Don't cheapen it by bring a rifle "just in case". This is the only chance you will have to hunt a desert in your life. I would bring as much rifle as I could shoot accurately.

 

[Bill_in_SD]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-26-07 AT 08:32AM (MST)[p]Thanks guys. I like to bowhunt, but I am not a diehard bowhunter, ha. I mostly bowhunt for the opportunities it gives over most rifle hunts.

I have talked with people and I will have to work my butt off just to see rams. I understand this particular hunt is much, much more difficult than the other CA hunts.

I figure if, and I mean IF I could shoot a rifle 500 yards in a strong wind, it would still be an incredibly difficult hunt. AND NO I WILL NOT TAKE those kinds of shots, I am making a point.

The Hunting Fool Magazine recommended against this hunt, ha.

It will be extremely difficult to get to the base of the mountains and there are not many rams in these mountains.

I think since the whole mountain is strewn with boulders the size of buses it is hard to get close. If you have not been to this place you probably cannot imagine. You cannot hike up to the top or walk along ridglines. You would have mountain climb to do it. I mean ropes and climbing harnesses.

If the hunt were earlier in the year, I could sit at water and kill one, maybe with a bow.

Anyway, I have thought long and hard about it and looked at the ballistics and talked with the Hornedy guys and I think the light magnum shells for the 30-06 give good performance. I will need to practice shooting and memorize hold overs and wind drift, or tape those figures on my stock, whether I shoot a 7mm ultra mag or my 30-06 in light mag.

This is definitly a hunt where I do not want to make it any more challenging than I have to. I want to hire a guide and my wife is against me spending the money. That is probably the biggest hurdle I have.

Otherwise I will have to haul in water and cache it in places I plan to hunt before I get there.

Thanks all
Bill

 

[Edpre]

8mm Rem Mag. Took my Dall sheep @ 361 yards, across some wild wind. Performed flawless. Also took elk & mulies with it. I love that cartridge. Has a little more "umphhh" than the .30's and a little flatter shooting than the .338's. (I know, save the arguements about the ultra mags...!) Never could figure out why it never really caught on after it's intro. Funny though how the STW's did, and they're just necked up/down versions of the 8mm. Ballistically it's an awesome caliber, in fact one six point bull elk that succumbed to it at about 125 yds. suffered a brisket entry and I found the bullet (Swift A-frame) about 70% intact just under the skin next on his rump. That's about 6 feet of muscle, organ, pelvis and muscle again. The second shot entered the rump, exited the body (hind quarter), re-entered through three ribs and ended up just under the skin in the front of the front shoulder (next to the brisket). First shot head on, next shot opposite, angled. I imagine he would have just collapsed after the first shot if I'd given him more than about 1 1/2 seconds, but I'm a firm believer in shoot 'em till he's on the ground... Only problem is, they're harder and harder to find.

 

[CAelknuts]

When considering going guided vs. unguided, remembe that the cost of the hunt isn't what the outfitter is charging you, but rather is the difference in what the outfitter is charging and what it would cost you to hunt on your own. Also, if you need extra time to do it on your own, you need to factor lost income into your calculations too.

My point is that the cost of the hunt is a lot less than your wife thinks, since you're going to spend a big portion of that cost if you hunt DIY. If you're looking at outfitters, a few I'd recommend calling include George Fluornoy and Larry Altimus. Both are very experienced desert sheep guides.

 

[cohntr6]

I just drove through there today on the way back from disneyland. It was as windy today as it was last week when we were on our way out there! Man, can you say desolate!
Watch out for all the windmills!
Jeff

 

[walk4rams]

Talk to a local biologist to find out what previous distances other hunters had to shoot. Not knowing the area, other than the Mts. look huge, a Guide seems like cheap insurance. IF you rifle hunt I would go bigger, After 300 yds the 30:06 will fall off some and get a good scope to match. In 1999 I pulled a Nevada Desert Sheep Tag and harvested a nice ram at 326 yds across a windy canyon on my 18 th day of hunting. I had a great 30-06 but purchased a Browing A-Bolt 7mm with a VariX III 4.5- 14 Scope. Probbly not the best wind bucking cartridge but the scope really made the difference and living in Nevada shots can be long. Get what you will shoot best and hammer the range in all conditions, good luck. Larry

 

[NMHUNTNUTT1]

Congrats on your sheep tag! That should be a great hunt and hope to hear you get a big ram.
As for your rifle , take em both , but I'd use the one that fits the hunt best , weight , barrel length etc. Which gun do you shoot better?