A few of us booked a hunt with San Juan Outfitters out of Durango. Anybody hunt near there and have any gun recomendations? We will be drop camped. I want to travel lite but rite,
I have 45-70 for thick, 700 Titanum (.270) if alot of hiking is invokved, or a 30-378 for long shots off a stand. According to sheet that was sent it could be unit 74,77,75,751,771 or 78. My gut tells me the .270

I haven,t been on this site in a long time due to business reasons. So Hi and it is still great.................otto

I'll bet you can't guess which one I would take. If you have never taken game with one, its like hitting a june bug with a sledge hammer.

Take the .270 and the .45-70, I've personally never shot an elk past 250yds. I'm guessing that your 45-70 is some sort of guide gun that is pretty easy to carry and handle. Durango can be some pretty rugged country. The reason I said to take both is in case something happens to one of your rifle. I had a buddy who lost two days of hunting during first season wich is only 4 days long to a scope failure. He never did fill his tag. Play safe take an extra rifle when you travel to hunt.

I owned a lodge at Vallecito Lake and guided in the Weminuche Wilderness north of the lake and near the Purgatory ski area (Hermosa Creek) for several years.

If that is the area you'll be hunting, I suggest you leave the 45-70 at home and take one of the other two -- probably the 30-378.

Will you have horses left in camp, or will you be on foot the whole time? If the latter, be ready for lots of vertical climbing.

Most importantly, be careful of the altitude the first couple days. You'll likely be hunting above 9,000 feet, so if you can, try to get acclimated a couple days early and be in good physical shape before you go. -TONY

Take the 30-378 with at least a 180 grain bullet, if you can shoot that rifle as well as the .270. Good luck and good shooting.

30-378

Thanks for replies which helped. I will take 30-378 & 270(for back-up gun) plus a un-scoped 629. My main cocern was there would be no long range shots available due to topography.

I did get a deer with 30-378 last year. Head on shot. 180 gr,BT went from chest to butt, dead center. The deer which was a 165lb buck instantly colapesed. Range was 225yrds. Lungs and heart were one largr red mass as though an egg beater was turned lose. The bullet frgmented and what was left channeled along rib cage stopping at hide by butt hole. No meat was damaged. Plan to use BarnesX in 180 for elk trip.

OTTOMATIC ----- When you get back from the hunt, please remember the look on the outfitters face when you tell him he is dropping you in with three rifles, it should be classic. Then the first words out of his mouth will also be worth remembering. Good luck and good shooting.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by OTTOMATIC:
I did get a deer with 30-378 last year. Head on shot. 180 gr,BT went from chest to butt, dead center. The deer which was a 165lb buck/QUOTE]

Deer ain't no elk. Take as big a gun as you can shoot.

30-378

one of you in the group needs to take a back up gun leave the pistol at home there won't be any gun fights where your going, I always take a back up scope if I don't take a BU rifle.

Born and raised in that area but live in the Prarrie now hunting whitetails. The 270 with a good bullet, read 150 Nosler Partition or equal, is probably best unless you shoot the 30-378 very well and are used to carrying the extra weight at altitude. With the 270 and 150 Premium you can kill anything you should be shooting at.
Great country. Have fun.

No offense intended. If I own it, I shoot it well. I have no qualms about using the .270 for elk. I do know ballistics, bullets and shot placement. My cocern was that I would not want to hve to pass up a shot because i wasn,t using the right gun. However the things that stick in my mind are WEIGHT and RUGGED. Also altitude.

Although I am soon to be in my mid 50's I mountain bike ,don't smoke and consider myself in excellent shape. However I do need to get used to carrying the weight, decrease in O2 and steepness or ruggedness. Thanks for the replies. I know i have to train accordingly as far as my choice in guns go I will leave 45-70 home (too anemic } still take my 30-378,.270 and 44mag

Otto I agree with your choice of weapons 30-378 with a .270 for backup if you shoot the big gun well but what will you need a pistol for? That thing is just dead weight to lug around.
Please don't tell me it's for Bear protection!

OTTOMATIC, I live 35 miles from Durango and have hunted elk there. I personally would take the 30-378. You might be shooting in a lot of different terrains, from out across the flats to across some canyons. It's not terribly difficult country, but you may encounter a situation that calls for the 30-378. And if the shot ends up being close, it will still be fun to whack-em with that rifle!.......wapiti7

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
Otto I agree with your choice of weapons 30-378 with a .270 for backup if you shoot the big gun well but what will you need a pistol for? That thing is just dead weight to lug around.
Please don't tell me it's for Bear protection!

For bear protection I am profecient in Karate and will have pepper spray ,the 44 will be loaded with a 310gr Garrett hard cast for 2 legged varmints and maybe that one time when you wished you had a revover.

If you are going to be hunting on foot I will bet that the 629 will be left at camp after the first day. I would rather carry another quart of water. I have hunted elk for 20 years and never saw a reason to carry a pistol unless it was my primary weapon. If you feel you need it for two legged game I think I would pick another huntng spot.

I gotta agree with Tracker, if you are actually gonna hike enough to call it Elk hunting the pistol is dead weight and is better replaced with another quart of water, you'll need it. Carry the 30-378, leave the pistol under the seat of the truck and hike your ass off!

Friend, how old and how fit are you... really. Leave the pistol home-dead weight. What does that 30-378 weigh, and just how well can you shoot it... really. I can tell you this, in terms of both weight and ability to kill elk, you would be happy with the .270. Shoot until you can shave a gnat's ass at 200 yards and then shoot some more. Not fun to miss, and the average elk is around 5-7 times as big as the average whitetail. (So I'm told, we don't have any of them little deer here.) Most of the folks I have guided over the years tend to get a mite excited when something as big as a horse is about to be in your sights. You can't hike enough at your altitude to duplicate what you are going to find here. A huge part of my hunters' success often had to do with their physical ability. Start working out now, empahsize aerobic ability, and have a ball on your hunt!

I get a kick out of guys who say they need to take the bigger gun for questionable shots. Those are usually the guys who loose thier animal. I have hunted elk for 20 years, shot quiet a few, and guided many. If you shoot a bull in the guts with a 30-378 he will be just as wounded as if you had shot him in the guts with a 22-250.

I hunt with a 280. Never lost an elk. The last 2 elk that I have been a part of loosing (I guided 1 and was with a friend on the other) were shot with 30-378s. You know your guns, ability, and physical condition. So take what you want, just remember that more gun isn't always better. And Good luck on your hunt.

I spoke with the outfitter yesterday on another matter. Area we will be hunting the longest shot will be 250 yrds. The 30-378 out. 270 & 45-70 in...........................otto

Read that to mean the guide is putting you where and reccomending that, a 250 yard shot will be the longest. I assure you that in the areas listed, there are plenty of opportunities to blaze away and things on yon mountainside beyond 250. However, be encouraged, you have found a guide that made the first decision the correct one.

I have hunted 74 several times. The Twilight range across from the Purgatory ski area used to be an elk hunters paradise. However, it ain't as good as it use to be due to the development in the valley.
I would recommend heavy squats for the legs and as much running as you can stand and then some for your wind. Take the .270 and don't think twice about it. You won't need another gun. It gets cold at night, -30 F isn't that unusual in the 4th season if you are above 12,000. You didn't mention which season but plan accordingly. My longest shot was probably 75 yards or less. A good sleeping bag, heavy wool, sorel pacs, lots of chow, and a gallon of white gas with a good backpacking stove are essentials for high country hunts in my opinion.

First of all cobrad speaks the trueth.

I hunt every other year near Groundhog lake and my group has taken many elk with a 270, 280(me), 30-06, 7mmRM, and a 338WM (me) plus a couple with 54cal BP rifles. We have yet to lose one. Terrain varies a lot from very close to waaay out there. Take which one you like the best. Either one will work on elk when hit properly with a well constructed bullet. I know some will get on me for this but leave the Ballistic Tips for deer. They are not an elk bullet - especially at 30-378 velocities.

Lately, I use a 338WM w/ 225gr Nosler Partitions but only because I'm getting ready for a Griz hunt and want some experience with it - otherwise it is the 280 w/150gr Partitions for me.

My freind from Mississippi couldn't believe how much game we saw in CO way over 300 yards. You should shoot what you are comfortable with but modern rifles and optics are capable of killing elk cleanly to several hundred yards depending on the shooter and wind conditions. I would take whatever I have the best chance of hitting elk vitals at 350 yards and practice an awful lot. Preparing that way makes 175 yard shot (more likely) very easy.

The MS resident runs marathons and is in top condition at sea level, he was surprised at how tough the altitude was on him. Better condition is always better than a bigger rifle.

When I was 28 and a young captain in the Army I could run 2 miles in just under 14 minutes. When I moved to El Paso at 4,000+ feet I couldn't break 16 minutes for the first 2 weeks I was there. Worst hangover I ever had was in Breckenridge CO at 10,000 feet... Altitude will kick your butt if you aren't acclimated...and it takes up to a month to fully acclimate.
I've been mountain hunting above the tree line in Europe and Idaho. A word of advice...get on a stair master at the gym and work it hard. You need to condition your legs for vertical terrain. I used to fly fish around Durango every year and am here to tell you--all the flat ground already has a road on it!

Forget the pistol. I used to carry one up there and now wonder why. Nothing looks more ridiculous than a guy carrying a centerfire mag and a 3 lb pistol on his belt. Carry a few extra rifle rounds instead and some extra water, maybe a few energy bars - your gonna need em. The people you meet will be helpful, not hurtful. If near or above timberline (10 k feet), take the big 30 and condition yourself to carry it. Start hill climbing now and work up to carrying a 30 pound pack and climbing for about 45 minutes at least. I use a 375 cause it works great in timber and will do the job on a long shot as well. It ain't no featherweight, but You don't want to be tracking elk all over the mountain side. You might get that classic broadside shot, and then again all you might see is rack and rump! Good luck.