Howdy men,

I'm heading to Colorado this fall for mule deer hunting. I'm told the terrain is mainly hills and flat plains, and not much forest.

I'm planning on taking my Tikka T3 stainless in .270, with 150 grain nolser partitions. Do you guys who have been to Colorado think this combo will be adequate? I think it will, but just want opinions. I’m told most are taken at 100-250 yards, but the bucks can be a little big.

I'm looking at a 7mm Rem Mag, maybe this is the excuse I need ;-)

Thanks

Eric
Your 270 will kill any mulie that walks.

Oh yeah...we are gun nuts by nature.No excuse needed for
a new gun.

Very true, jeffp, indeed.

Your rifle will be just fine for Colo muleys. You may want to practice at some longer shots though. I use a 7mag for my hunting here in Montana and it works great, so if you can convince your wife/gf that you absolutely need it, by all means go for it.

quote:

Originally posted by Teat Hound:
Howdy men,

I'm heading to Colorado this fall for mule deer hunting. I'm told the terrain is mainly hills and flat plains, and not much forest.

I'm planning on taking my Tikka T3 stainless in .270, with 150 grain nolser partitions. Do you guys who have been to Colorado think this combo will be adequate? I think it will, but just want opinions. I’m told most are taken at 100-250 yards, but the bucks can be a little big.

I'm looking at a 7mm Rem Mag, maybe this is the excuse I need ;-)

Thanks

Let me help you out. I know of someone that has a custom 7 mag for sale that he paid $4000. For various reasons he is letting it go for $1550 shipped to your FFL. Mainly because he shoots left handed and it is a right bolt, plus with the break, it is too loud and he cannot handle the recoil without it.

Your 270 is more than adequate for CO mulie. But, what a great situation to splurge on a new rig. PM me if you want some emailed pictures. I am contemplating buying it myself but I already have a rifle almost identical in Left hand which I also shoot.

I've hunted CO since 2003. 2 kills with my .270 and 130 TSX. My shots were 65 and 250+.

What unit are you in?

I forget the unit number, but I know it is near Rifle, CO. We picked 3 different areas around there, and ended up with the 3rd choice. That is what my group leader has indicated anyway. Still great for me!

Thanks for the offer on the 7 Mag your buddy has, but I've already got my eye on one that I'm drooling over. A Tikka T3 Laminate. If that goes before I claim it, I'll probably get a good old Winchester classic stainless.

I'm still reserved on the Triple-Xs myself. My Tikka doesn’t seem to like them as well as the Noslers. I just got back from a boar trip where I used 150gr. partition to take a young boar at about 100 or so yards. I thought I had missed after I fired because I saw dust flying around everywhere (thus thinking I hit the ground instead of my new little buddy). I was amazed to see him pile up a short distance away. The bullet hit him in the paunch, through the liver, and caught the lung and then exited. So, I did hit the ground, but after I hit the pig! Very dead pig, and very good bullet. Last year, when using Core-locks, the bullets broke up.

My brother took a big sow at about the same distance with a TBBC in 7mm Rem Mag (160 gr). She dropped in her tracks. He hit his pig at almost the same angle as me, with roughly the same wound channel. His pig didn't run though. You could have dropped a quarter through the hole though. You can see a photo of his wound here: http://img59.echo.cx/img59/7365/spigwound2kw.jpg

I might try the 130 partitions that Federal is now selling. So many bullets, so little time . .

The .270 is adequate. A 7mm is really not all that different from a .270. If you need(want) an excuse for a new rifle, I'd move up to a .30 caliber......

Okay,lets discuss this, looking first at my location. I have a lot of relatives who like to come here and shoot mule deer and elk with many different calibers. For mule deer, I've personally used a .243, .25-06, 7-30Waters (in a T/C Contender carbine), 7mmMag, etc, etc. Your .270 is fine. Find out what load it likes best. If you don't handload, try three or four different brands/weights. Use the leftovers for practice.

TH,

The 270 is an excellent Mulie rifle. I prefer the 30's but that's because I also hunt elk and prefer to use the same rifle for both.

Rifle Colorado may not be very mountainous but elevations are probably higher than you realize.

You should probably work very hard on getting in excellent aerobic shape before the trip if you don't want to have altitude sickness which is no fun at all.

I see you're from California. That will probably give you the possibility of doing some walking at high altitude before you leave. I strongly suggest it.

Enjoy the trip. Mulies are probably my favorite game to hunt after elk.

Note: If they're feeding on sage brush they won't be very tasty. If just about anything else they're quite good to eat.

Buy the very best binoculars you can possibly afford without getting a divorce. You won't regret it.

$bob$

i live and hunt mulies in terrain much like where you will be, except our elevation is lower. definitely get your lungs in shape, because not doing so will ruin your trip pretty fast. you probably already have good boots. one thing to stress is to be prepared for ANY weather; snow, rain, 90 degree temps, wind, you name it; literally anything can happen. you might wake up and dress in your winter clothes, only to be sweating and baking by 11AM. dress in layers and be prepared.

your .270 will be a great mulie rifle, but don't let that stop you from getting another rifle if you have the money for it! the AVERAGE mulie buck is a little bigger than the AVERAGE whitetail buck, but we all know how averages work. either the .270 or 7mm, whichever you choose, will work fine.

mule deer are NOT armor plated, and are just as easy to kill as a whitetail. the shot distances might tend to be a bit longer, but you should still be able to stalk well within 200-250 yards. i doubt that 20 grains of bullet weight makes much difference, but most .270 hutners that i know use the 130-grain for mule deer, citing that it opens fast and also penetrates well.

as has been said, if you can are able to scout a day or two, find out where and what they are eating. alfalfa makes great deer meat, and if you can get one that has been eating this rather than sage, you will be happier for it.prepare for a 300-yrd shot but try to get closer if you can.

mule deer love to eat at night or very early/late in the day. the rest of the time they are usually (but not alwys, of course) bedded down on the side of some coulee or in some brush. they usually do not expect a threat to come from above, so moving across the top of a ridge and peeking down the side of a coulee is a good idea. i have seen mule deer just a dozen or so yards beow me, looking up as if to wonder what the heck i am doing there.

mule deer can also disappear into the skimpiest of brush patches or areas of tall grass. i have seen a large buck literally drop from view and try to crawl out of a brush patch that only came up to my shins. we would have lost him except for a faint rustling that was several yards and in the oppo0site direction of where we expected him to be.

mule deer tend to hang in herds that can be pretty big, but they also can be found in groups of 4 or 5. there is, of course, the occasional lone buck, so once agian, anything is possible. if you scare up a group of mulies, one of them will almost always linger behind as the rest bound off like they are on pogo sticks. (i do NOT recommend a shot at a deer who is running away; they DO bounce). this lone deer will trot off, just out of practical rifle range, and then as the rest disapper it will turn back for one last look, then take off. if there is just one or a small group of deer, you might be able to stop them with a whistle or a shout, as they are curious animals.

a big mulie buck will simply LOOK BIG. the antlers will be wider than the distance between the ears, and they will probably also have plenty of observable bulk. brow tines tend to be small or not even there. except for the head, you might think that you are looking at a small elk. freaky or warty antlers are a sign of an old buck past his prime, or possibly one that has been injured. the old ones also tend to go back to having small antlers, even though their bodies may be huge. if you see a buck, but you're not quite sure if it is a trophy, then it probably isn't. if you're looking for a good, mature buck to shoot, then a 4x4 is a good place to start. if you are looking for a trophy, then hold off on the trigger and be prepared to pass up on a few.

the main thing i stress is that patience will pay off. don't blast away the first time you see antlers, because many times i have seen a buck and said, "that sure is a nice buck," only to see his big brother later. if "old smokey" shows up, take a little time to observe him and get the best shot you can. this might mean a little stalking, or it might mean a little waiting, but you will succeed. patience and care will win the day with mule deer it's the ones who fire away, breaking legs and blowing out guts, who tend to be disappointed in the long run.

Exceptional advise from tasun. The largest mulie that I've shot was 1 that I waited for. I saw a small herd of does wiht 2 nice 3-4 pt bucks following them. I was in a good spot about 200 yards away in a coulee and they didn't spot me. Following behind them about 100 yards was this great 5 pt buck. Remember to be patient, the larger bucks will usually follow behind a few(or more) does.

...and to add to MontMike's reply, I've sat and watched a dozen or so Does moving from valley to hillside. Waited for awhile, thought about leaving, then decided to sit it out. An hour later, 4 average bucks walked the same path and 30 minutes later, a very nice very symmetrical 4pt eased into view (80 yards), on the same path at 11am.

Oh, He's dead now in case you were wondering.

Thanks for the great advice guys, I REALLY appreciate it. For my Colorado hunt this fall, I'm just looking for a decent buck, not really a trophy. Of course, a decent buck in Colorado is practically a trophy buck to the folks in my part of California (D8, D9 zones).

I'll let you all know how it goes . . .

How bout this? Would a buck this size be ok?

Oh, well, I guess that little guy would work. Just maybe, though. :-)

Good Job there!

I hunt near the same area in Co and Tasunkawitko is right on the mark. I've always used the 7 mag but 270 would work fine.

Making sure you don't shoot the first thing you see might be toughest task but usually worth it in a game rich area. Hiking at altitude and Layering for all weather conditions is graeat advice.

Lots of sage and alfalfa in the area. Large bucks are often caught travelling back and forth to feeding areas. Practice until you are very comfortable at 250 yards - there are lots of opportunities that are that range or greater.

Cross canyon is the easiest way to spot the animals in the sage - after you shoot one it helps to mark the spot well -it looks different closer up, can take 20 minutes to find a dead deer you shot at 150 yards that just dropped.

Doc,

I have three questions for you...

1.. Where 'bouts did you get the mulie?

2.. Where'd you get the t-shirt?

3.. How do you feel about Barnes Triple Shock Bullets?

$bob$

quote:

Originally posted by LDHunter:
Doc,

I have three questions for you...

1.. Where 'bouts did you get the mulie?

2.. Where'd you get the t-shirt?

3.. How do you feel about Barnes Triple Shock Bullets?

$bob$

The mule deer was shot about 250 yards beyond the muzzle of my rifle.

My wife found the T-shirt, I think at Costco.

I think Barnes Triple Shock bullets are good enough to put down the mulie in the picture.

Dang... That's where I got my last one too... They sure grow some big ones out there huh?...

If she ever see's another like it I wear a large.

Are you sure they work OK... I dunno... They aren't Partitions so they can't be very good...

$bob$

tsk tsk...the TSX will do anything the partition will do and vice versa and same with a failsafe. Bullet performance discussions are always fun. I actually think it is interesting and odd how so many bullets perform differently or identically. When the failsafe first came out we went and bought 3 boxes of 270 b/w my brother and me. They accounted for lots of dead deer in Alabama with only soft tissue shots behind the shoulder with great expansion and quick kills, same for yotes.

That mule deer came from Colorado about 3 miles from the Utah border.

quote:

Originally posted by LDHunter:
Dang... That's where I got my last one too... They sure grow some big ones out there huh?...
$bob$

you mean you got yours 250 yards beyond the end of my muzzle too?

Thats a good looking deer Doc. How long ago did you kill him?

Drum

Hey Doc, what did he score?

Never been taped, killed a few years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by Doc:

quote:

Originally posted by LDHunter:
Dang... That's where I got my last one too... They sure grow some big ones out there huh?...
$bob$

you mean you got yours 250 yards beyond the end of my muzzle too?

I dunno... Now you've got me cornfused...



$bob$

A 7-08 or 270 is all you need and with handloads will have 1500#'s or more energy @ 500yrds so PLENTY of punch for REASONABLE distances. Might consider a 130gr bullet with as good a BC as the 150Par (perhaps a bonded). However, the partitions are very reliable and you really can't go wrong with them. Shots in sage land could be long.

Deke.