I am planning a horse back hunt out of edmonton in 2008. I have many rifles and for a hunt like that for really big deer, I would likly choose somthing beetween a 257 Roberts and a 30,06. I have rifles in those rounds , also a .270 25,06 7X57 ,308, and I might even consider my marlin 45/70 if I ever get a chance to hand load the Hornady leverution bullets.
But I am not to sure of the terain. I like to keep my shots to not much more than 300yds,
but of corse If I stand much chance of running into a large carnivorus beast , I might change my list of rounds to my bigger stuff.
I have a whelen an STW and .338 win mag.
I would love to hear your opinions !!!
...tj3006

Where exactly are you going on your hunt? Edmonton is most likely where the outfitter will pick you up, but if you are on a horseback hunt it won't be close to Edmonton.

All that aside........I have hunted mulies a great deal in Alberta and BC. Nothing wrong with the .25-06, the .270 or .30-06. My favorite for long range thumping on big bucks is a .300 Weatherby.

I think that anything that is carnivorous and going to try and eat you around edmonton could be cleanly dispatched with a 25-06 don't stress out about a little black bear and concentrate on shooting a big buck.

I was not to worried about a black bear , I just wanted to make sure there were no big brown ones ! Sounds like any good dear round will do.
I should have said i will be hunting out of alberta.
I will probably take two rifles. I need to find out if the outfitter provides a saddle scabbard or if I will likly hold my rifle or sling it.
I think a rifle slung muzzle up while on horse back could cause a problem if the barrel is long.
And if I will be using a scabbard I think i would like to use a lever. say a model 88 in .308 or a savage 99. Don't have one but they are not hard to find. My smith just put a 6.5 swede barrel on a commercial husky action, no stock yet but I think that one with a 22 inch tube and a nice chunk of walnut woold be cool, and I have a VZ 24 in the raw I could turn into anything I want !
I will call tommorow and set up an appointment to place my deposit...tj3006

I have been a guide/outfitter for a long time and I can tell you that no outfitter or guide with any experience will want you riding a horse with your rifle slung over your shoulder. Not a good idea for liability reasons...among others.

Your outfitter should supply you with a scabbard and I can assure you that if he has proper equipment most of his scabbards will be fitted for bolt-action rifles equipped with scopes.

If you hunt in western Alberta along the foothills, in the Rockies themselves, the Swan Hills or up in the Peace Region, there are grizzlies, but I wouldn't worry about that too much and concentrate instead on your deer hunt.

Do make sure you ask all of the right questions and get answers and references before you lay your money down. You do not sound like you have done a lot of digging on this yet and you should make sure of what you are getting into.

At what time of the year are you going?
If it's November the bear issue is a non issue, since most bears will be hibernating or at least seriously winding down for it.
As for calibers any of the ones you listed will work, just make sure your confident and capable with your choice.
Have fun and Enjoy.

i am booking through the trophy connection, and you are right this is my 1st guided hunt.
I have been hunting mule deer In oregon for a long time. I will find out more today if possible and find out witch section of alberta I will be hunting.
I really like the rifle I call little robbie.
Its a tiny little Ruger RL in .257 roberts that squirts a 100 grain barnes tripple shock out of its 20 inch barrel at well over 3100 fps and gives groups beetween .75 and 1.125. prety hadr to beet that for the smaller mule deer I have shot around here.
But my old FN in .270 win is awfully nice too , and if I had to reach way out there that would be hard to beat.
I.ll post tonight if I learn more...tj3006

If you need any help or have any questions, email me at skyline@inethome.ca

I know the anticipation and preparation are half (or more) of the fun, but that FN in .270 sounds pretty close to ideal to me. Nothing is quite as satisfying as hunting with a rifle that's also an old friend.

Yes, we do have some nice Mulies (and Whitetails too; most areas seem to be split about 50:50) - but a deer is a deer, after all. Ours aren't really the size of Mammoths with antlers like dead oak trees on their heads, despite the rumours.

The main thing is to come, relax, and have a great time. Try to get a few references regarding your outfitter, though. I've lived up here all my life, and I find that the words "outfitter" and "bullshitter" seem to be interchangeable.

Tumbleweed....what a bad attitude. But having been doing it for 3 decades and having spent a great deal of time in Alberta as well, I hear ya!

That is why I asked him to e-mail me. There are a couple of outfitters in Alberta that I would recommend he stay well clear of.......and if the booking agency won't give him the outfitters name and direct contact, well.....I'd look elsewhere. (I do not anticipate this with Trophy Connections as they seem to have a good rep......but I have seen agents represent poor outfitters before.)

Me personally I would love to get back to Alberta's Peace Region for another mule deer hunt.

Skyline

Got my mulie draw for 526-your old stomping grounds.

Shootist (NTM)

Lucky man! I plan on applying for 526 just as soon as I have found someone to put in with.

You will have to let me know how you do. There are some huge bucks there, as you know.

Your .270 or 30-06 would be good choices. Pick which of yours is the most accurate and feed it good bullets - Nosler Partitions or Barnes "X" -and you will be good to go.

Your 257 "Bob" probably would work but given the chance at a 300 yard shot at a 300+ pound mulie at a bad angle I would go with the extra insurance the larger rounds offer.

I'd suggest you bring your own scabbard, otherwise you may find yourself stuffing the 26 inch Weatherby with the huge scope into the old Tandy leather pattern special. Not a good fit. Any good saddle maker should be able to make one for you and the cost isn't that great, compared to the cost of the hunt.
Grizz

Check with your outfitter first and see if he has good leather scabbards that will work for what you are bringing. The last good scabbard I had made by a saddlemaker was well over $200 and the good commercial ones now start at about $150 and go up.

Over the last 30 years I have never had a decent leather commercial scabbard that wouldn't take a 26 inch barreled Weatherby but I certainly have had the rifles with huge objective lenses and now some of the newer trend rifles with 28-32 inch barrels that wouldn't fit.

If you are a horseman then having your own scabbard is not a bad idea, but if you are not it is a needless expense unless you plan on going on lots of horseback hunts.

Sorry but, if he is a good outfitter he will have good serviceable equipment and you should not have to worry about a custom scabbard, especially if you are just using an every day .270 or .30-06 with a 22-24 inch barrel and a 'normal' size variable scope.

If he doesn't have good equipment to handle the everyday rifles that guys use then I would be wondering about the outfit.

Also be sure to ask about the saddles he uses and the seat sizes and whether he has large stirrups that will handle hunting boots and or oversize stirrups that will take snowpacks on late season hunts.

I like the 25-06 as a deer cartridge ,but I use the 7mmstw myself.

Stuble jumper, i have both a .25,06 and an STW.
Both are fun I think the stw is unnesisarily powerfull for mule deer, my 25,06 has a 26 inch barrel and a laminated thumbhole stock. It is a round I would consider and I know of a sako sporter so chamberd.
It would not shock me if I bought that rifle for this hunt. But I am sure many of the rifles i already have would be fine.
My smith just put together a Roberts on a FN action, and I think it would be great to make an AI-40 out of. If I could get it to shoot a 115 grain Tripple shock somewhere near 3000 and acuratly enough. I like my hunting loads to be close to moa, I would be rel happy to take after any deer, ...tj3006

I actually prefer the 100 grain TSX in my .25's......shot a number of deer with them and they worked very well. I am also finally playing with the 110 Accubonds and hope to use them this fall in my .25-.284 built on an FN mauser action.

Actually I thend to carry one of my .25's more and more these days as with todays bullets they will do wonderful things.

I took a small mule deer buck with a 100 grain acubond last year and it was excelent i must say, I will take that load again this year,
A 257X.284 ia interesting but I like the mauser case and if the action is long enough thats the way I woud probably go. I know the 284 case has more room but with an AI roberts, the difference is prety small...tj3006

quote:

Originally posted by Thomas Jones:
I am planning a horse back hunt out of edmonton in 2008. I would likly choose somthing beetween a 257 Roberts and a 30,06. I have rifles in those rounds , also a .270 25,06 7X57 ,308, and I might even consider my marlin 45/70 if I ever get a chance to hand load the Hornady leverution bullets.
...tj3006

I can't imagine a deer hunt where one would be inappropriate with a .270 or a 30-06.

Yep! 270 is the venison getter on the prairies.

quote:

Yep! 270 is the venison getter on the prairies.

For some people.Other people prefer other cartridges that perform just as well or better,depending on the conditions.

There was an error on my last msg. The little mule deer i shot kast yearwas with a 100 grain tsx, not an acubond...tj3006

I will recommend to bring what ever rifle you feel comfortable the most with for shooting. The 270, 30/06 or even your 7mmSTW would be great. Depending on how close of range you will be shooting. I'm not a 7mm fan if that whats your STW is in, but if you are looking at the possiblity of a long range shot at a trophy mulie, bring it or the the 30/06 shooting 150-160gr bullets. Accubonds or the TSX would be both good.

I dont see the need to bring 2 rifles- just more to pack with you on your trip up, especially if you are going into a remote camp by horse.

Good luck on your hunt in Alberta! Dont worry about the bears, you may see lots if you come up in early fall, but by November, you probably wont see any. If you see one in November, then its going to be REALLY HUNGRY, looking for lunch for the rest of the winter.... Just teasing.
Have fun.

quote:

I dont see the need to bring 2 rifles- just more to pack with you on your trip up, especially if you are going into a remote camp by horse

I always take two rifles on all hunting trips.Things can and do happen to rifles and scopes and a backup rifle is good insurance.

I always take two rifles on all hunting trips.Things can and do happen to rifles and scopes and a backup rifle is good insurance.[/QUOTE]

Well you live in Alberta Stubblejumper, and this other fellow is coming in from the USA. Weight limits for airlines and remote camps would be the issue, along with telling Customs why you need 2 guns. My bet is if you are going into a remote camp area with an outfitter (horseback) they probably have a few rifles to use should something happen to your own. Of all the fellows I have guided in the past, they brought only one rifle, and if needed, I sure would let them use one of mine, should they require it.

quote:

Well you live in Alberta Stubblejumper, and this other fellow is coming in from the USA

And I have hunted in Montana,New Mexico,Manitoba,Saskatchewan and British Columbia as well as in Alberta.I have always taken a second gun on every hunt.

quote:

Of all the fellows I have guided in the past, they brought only one rifle, and if needed, I sure would let them use one of mine, should they require it.

I have been on several guided hunts and many of the hunters had a second gun in camp.However one fellow in New Mexico did not.He fell on his rifle and broke the stock at the bolt cut out.The following day he missed a bull that the guide estimated at 340B&C with a borrowed gun that he was not familiar with.

I see your point Stubblejumper, S#%T happens sometimes. I have ahd a bow hunter come to camp with a bow case that got ran over by the luggage carrier unit, and put on the plane that way---the guy seen it happen from sitting on the plane. Talk about being upset.

I guess with the borrowed rifle, the fellow should of taken a couple of shots with it at a target first and get comfortable if he could-thats my opinion. Anyhow I wasnt trying to get into a pissing contest.

quote:

I guess with the borrowed rifle, the fellow should of taken a couple of shots with it at a target first and get comfortable if he could-thats my opinion.

Actually the fellow did take a few shots with the rifle.However variables such as stock fit,trigger,scope sight picture and eye relief,safety operation,etc., do vary considerably from gun to gun,and most people will shoot better with a gun that they are familiar with.

I'm really sure you two having a strutting contest about hunt camp procedures is really benificial to this fellow. Nice hijack.

quote:

Actually the fellow did take a few shots with the rifle.However variables such as stock fit,trigger,scope sight picture and eye relief,safety operation,etc., do vary considerably from gun to gun,and most people will shoot better with a gun that they are familiar with.

Bettin' he would have missed with his own rifle. Least he's got an excuse

SouthpawDV..........

Then, hows about keeping your comments to yourself SouthpawDV!

Oh come on guys.........everyone has an opinion and one thing is for sure, on these forums they can be pretty strong ones.

In this case............way back with the initial post, what concerned me is that the posters information appeared to be too sketchy for his own good. Not just on cartridges and bullet selection but on the hunt itself.

Maybe he could come back and fill everyone in on where he is going exactly......it is a lot easier to give advice when you know exactly what a guy is getting into.

quote:

cartridge selection for edonton mule deer hunt.

I've yet to hunt anywhere where a .270 win wasn't adequate for the job.

quote:

quote:
Actually the fellow did take a few shots with the rifle.However variables such as stock fit,trigger,scope sight picture and eye relief,safety operation,etc., do vary considerably from gun to gun,and most people will shoot better with a gun that they are familiar with.


Bettin' he would have missed with his own rifle. Least he's got an excuse

exactly what I was thinking