North American big game hunting has changed a lot in the last 25 years. Game management has put more deer, bear and elk back on their original range than at any time since the 1880�s. Population growth has taken a lot of open hunting country and ill-advised environmental policies choke our forests with brush. Exotic species are larger and tougher than deer, but the biggest change is the feral hog. Most states have no closed hog season and hogs spread so fast and adapt so well that we will probably see them in all 50 states before long. In short, we hunt bigger animals at closer range and in thicker country than our fathers did.

Right now, our typical big game rifle is Jack O�Connor�s baby: a scoped 30-06 or 270 that weighs 8 or 9 lbs. ready to go. Today�s scope is a variable instead of a fixed 4x. The O�Connor model is still effective and deadly, but I think we will see more of the �boar, bear and elk rifle.�

That�s just my shaky opinion, so I wanted to see what other serious, experienced hunters had to say. To avoid my bias in favor of the classic medium bore, I kept the conditions vague and I tried to avoid tainted answers by not giving a part of the country, species or hunting method. I posted on Big Game boards at Accurate Reloading.com, 24hourcampfire.com and shooters.com. I got 70 replies, 45 of which answered the survey question. (The rest were about trucks, muzzle energy and a Remington pump in 35 Whelen somebody had for sale.) I posted mid-week and let the survey run until Monday morning on the West Coast.

One poster pointed out a flaw in the question�s logic (If you need more gun, how can C be a legitimate answer?), but the rest of the replies shook out like this:

A) High-Speed Small Bore: 9 votes. Most of these replies specify a 300 Magnum, but the 270 also gets several votes.

B) Classic Medium bore: 45 votes. Medium-bore people love versatitlity and overwhelmingly recommend the 338 WM. The 35 Whelen and 375 H&H are well-represented and the 338-06, 45-70 and the 340 Weatherby each have a few votes. The 375 H&H was the only typically African cartridge that anyone recommends, but it�s in a class by itself. One bold soul admits to working with the 9.3x62 and one voter recommended replacing the 30-06 with a 270 after buying a medium bore.

C) Current Rifle: 10 votes. These folks like the wide ammo availability, familiarity and the proven record of 30-06-class cartridges. �The 30-06 can do it all,� sums up their replies.

Many voters say shot placement, choosing bullets for best terminal performance and the shooter�s skill are more important than anything else.

Anyway, that�s my (highly unscientific) story and I�m sticking to it. Make of it what you will.

Thanks for your responses, Okie John.

In centerfire rifles there is not much new at all.

But the hunting has changed a lot. Here in Connecticut there is not much open land left as houses have been built in the middle of every open meadow. There are no real farms left just "farms" owned by actors. There is still some state land available.

Hunters are much better however. Now more attention is paid to all the details of a hunt and strategies are used. Years ago there were "drives" now there are trail cams, scents, ariel photographs, tree stands, cammo and more.

Where I hunt the 303british and 30-30 were the most popular cartridges in my fathers day.When I started hunting 30 years ago the 308 and 30-06 were the most popular.Now the biggest sellers are the 7mm rem mag and 300 win mag.Over this time period hunting conditions have changed in the area as much of the bush has been cleared to provide farmland.As a result most hunting occurs over the open fields and ranges tend to be much longer than years ago.

Oakie John,

The notion that all big game hunting in NA can be lumped into a single description is a falacy. Conditions here seem to have taken the oppisite direction of what you describe. All of the really BIG trees are gone and acre upon acre of pinion pines have been cleared away for grazing. Dramatic increases in hunting pressure has thinned herds and suburban expansion has eaten up much winter range and thus sometimes a long shot is all that one gets.

Not speaking for myself personally but as mentioned above Ive seen that the 7mm RM and 300 WM have become VERY popular here. As for me I hunt the same way I always have, nothing over 300 yds and 50 yds is even better.

[ 09-25-2002, 04:38: Message edited by: Wstrnhuntr ]

In Alaska, the .30-06, .300WM, and the .338WM may be the most popular cartridges. In the areas where I hunt moose, the .338WM outnumbers other cartridges by a wide margin. I see a .375 H&H and 7mm's every now and then, and lots of .30-06's and .300's.

Here it goes: This is from the NRA's January 2001 issue, American Hunter: "The Alaska Department of Fish & Game hunter safety staff in Anchorage tallied the big game rifles sighted at the Rabbit Creek rifle range for the 1999 hunting season. The top three cartridges were the .30-06 (21%), .300 Win. Magnum (19%), and the .338 Win. Magnum (18%). These were followed by the 7mm Rem. Magnum (9%), .375 H&H Magnum (6%), .270 (6%), .308 (4%), and .300 Wby. Magnum (4%), .45-70 (1%), .280 (1%), and a host of others, including many wildcats. Comparable data are not available for hunters who live in the bush."

[ 09-27-2002, 06:14: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]

Wstrnhuntr: I know broad assumptions get people in trouble, but I did it anyway. I started this survey to get opinions from serious, experienced hunters, but I wanted to know what they thought rather than what they did. That's why I didn't ask for more specifics, and why I waited for the results post to lay out my theory of how hunting has changed.

That may seem strange, but I did it because of what happened on a "What works best in your home area?" thread not long ago. Nearly all who replied said, "I use Rifle X and Cartridge Y, but a 30-06 (with Bullet Z) would work about as well." Also those who recommended a rifle for visitors nearly always suggested a 30-06 regardless of what they used.

Of course your results vary: I'm talking in generalities and you're living specifics. Like most of us here, I match rifle to game and habitat. Open country (like Utah)? 270 or a 300 Magnum. Moose or bear in Alaska? 375 H&H. Blacktails in Pacific Northwest coastal jungle? 44 lever gun.

Unfortunately, that is the nature of surveys. You can get almost any answer you want by how you word the question. Does this clarify things? Okie John.

I hunt AL whitetails with a M1 Garand, five round clips, in .30-06, iron sights.

My longest shot in the past nine years (14 deer) has been 187 yards as told by an electronic rangefinder. Shortest was 29 yards. I can put every shot into a 12" gong at 200 yards with the iron sights, so I'm comforatable making kill shots with my set up, in my location.

I'd look for alternatives if seeking a different sized game or shooting at longer ranges. I think shot placement in conjunction with proper cartridge selection is paramount to being an ethical hunter.

.300 Winchester Magnum, and 45/70 both Rugers with a Marlin on the way. The .300 just plain works, with the right bullets, it handles everything I hunt. I don't as a rule shoot game much past 200 yards, I practice to 400+ yards, but as I bowhunt also with traditional equipment, I know I can get close. Shot a beautiful Toklat Grizzly last week south of me in the Alaska range. People here tell me all the time I should use a bigger caliber, but I use what I am comfortable with. I am impressed with the .338 calibers, shot a nice .45" group with a left handed M70, and a .78" group with a Browning A-Bolt in 375 H&H, the .338 was shooting 250gr Sierra BT, and the .375 was with Factory ammo of either 270 or 300gr bullets. In the 45/70 I use mostly 350 to 520gr bullets, in the .300 I use either 180gr, or 200gr bullets of stout construction.

Though I loath the day I see it, but I think we are going to be seeing hunting caliber electronic ignition cartridges. Remington has a 223 of sorts and Voere had one in the 90's. Jim Carmichel had predicted this in his Book of the Rifle to have already occurred. Folks have been working on electronic triggers or ignition systems for the last couple of decades.