30/06 loads for Moose & Black & Brown Bears

[rod4861]

Gents,
if all goes to plan I'm planning on a hunting trip to Canada in my 55th year(3 years out). The trip won't be cheap and I'm pretty keen on trying to bag a Moose, a Grizzley and a black bear all on the one trip (and maybe a whitetail/mule deer if the opportunity presents).

I've got a modest battery to choose from including, 30/06, 300 win, 9.3x62 and 375H&H. At this point I'm favouring the 30/06 as the rifle for the trip and I'm intending to shoot 180Grain loads in her.

Do you think this is a good choice? If not, what would calibre / cartridge, and bullet eiight would you recommend ( please no suggestions to shoot a 270 as I'm not gay and don't wear frilly underwear).

As for a 30/06 load? What factory ammunition would you recommend and for a reload what brand, type and weight ?

Thanks for your comments

Rod

[Cariboo]

Any of the four rifles you mention will do the job.

The 30-06 is never a wrong choice and while it would not be my first choice for grizzly (out of your list the 375 would be best for grizzly if you can shoot it well) it will work if you pick your shot. (and as an non-resident alien you will have a guide with you with his favorite rifle to back you up if needed )

Any good quality factory ammo will work although I would be leaning towards the 180 grain Nosler Partition or 168 grain Barnes TSX or TTSX. Reloads would have the same bullets as mentioned in addition to the 180 Swift A-Frame.

[rod4861]

Thanks for the feedback Cariboo. If I did take the 375H&H any thoughts as to what projectile type & weight?
Rod

[Cariboo]

Originally Posted by rod4861

Thanks for the feedback Cariboo. If I did take the 375H&H any thoughts as to what projectile type & weight?
Rod

I really don't think there are any "bad" bullets made for the .375 and my choice would be a good solid 270 - 300 grain bullet. Barnes TSX, Nosler Partition and the Swift A-Frame would be near the top of my list.

As the costs you are looking at are going to be substantial I don't think bringing a pair of rifles with you would add too much to the overall bill. One of your 30 calibres matched with the .375 would be a good choice.

All the animals on your "wish list" will be a hard to hunt on a single trip unless you are prepared to spend a bit of time over here hunting a couple of provinces. For example the British Columbia G-bears - both inland and coastal - are not usually found in good whitetail areas so a bit of travel within Western Canada will be in order if you really want a chance at one.

Black bears can be found nearly anywhere while mule deer will be hunted either in the BC Interior or the prairie provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Northern Saskatchewan would be my first pick for a bruiser whitetail BTW.

Good moose hunting can be found in most of Western Canada with the the Northern BC / Yukon subspecies generally being the largest.

[toxic111]

mulie would only be BC or AB, non-residents can not hunt mule deer in SK unless you are on a reserve. Ab has some realy good mulies in the south.

Either northern AB or SK can produce monster whitetails.

As for the calibers, I am with 'Boo... bring 2 if you are making this type of trip.

As for your .270 comment, I have shot a couple that kick worse than my .30-06, .308, 12ga mag & black powder rifle. I think the most important rifle to bring is the one you can shoot well.

[sawmill]

I have taken 2 grizz,28 black bear,25 or so moose............all with the .270.
Don`t matter too much what you shoot,it`s HOW WELL you shoot.Jack O`Conner liked it well enough.
Lost my 27 in a house fire so now I shoot a 30.06,love it and it will take down anything with 180 gr. good quality factory rounds.
Last year my wife and I each got an elk,one shot kills using the .06,both were bang flops.I don`t like big recoil so I don`t and won`t own an elephant gun.But.............if it makes you feel safer then go big.

[Fisher-Dude]

A 30/06 will bounce right off a bull moose, and just piss him off so he charges you. Be safe, and pack the biggest magnum you can find!

[barracuda]

375 h&h is a great bone crushing bear rifle. 270g bullet is a good choice for everything and pretty much any 270g bullet is constructed tough enough as long as the shots in the right place.
If you can find the new 250grain ttsx that would be my choice.

if you decide to bring the 06 or 300 then the tsx or ttsx in either 165/168 or a 180 bullet would be my choice.

[rod4861]

Fellas thanks for the feedback. Looks like I may have to consider paying some excess baggage and bring the 375 & either to 06 or 300 as well. Ammo either factory or reloads with partitions or Barnes TSX.
Considering what this hunt will cost me, and I doubt if I can afford another, the cost of the ammo and the excess baggage for a second gat is stuff all.
Regards
Rod

[the rifleman]

Rod, it's a really good idea to start planning now for your hunt. Trophy Grizzly tags in some areas may not be that easy to come by for instance, and there could be a chance you would need to be put on a wait list for one. It's also a good idea to fully research any guide's you may want to go with, as that can make or break the whole experience.

As Boo mentions, if your wanting to hunt all the species you mention with one guide, it may take a lot of research to find one who can offer them all, within their guiding territory, (if at all).
BC may be your best chance to find a guide who may be able to do so, but even then it will take some serious research. Some species you mention, do overlap in some areas, but it would be unusual to find "trophy" sized animals all with in the same area, and all offered by one guide..Open seasons can also be an obstacle, as some species may not be open at the same time others are within an area..Black bear hunts are often only offered as a "spring hunt"..

Trophy size black bears for instance, are often found on Vancouver Island, but you won't find moose, grizzly, or whitetail there. Some of the better areas to hunt trophy whitetail, may not be the best for trophy mulies, or trophy moose.

BC Guides often offer "packages" for trophy species that are prominent within their guiding area. Grizzly, moose, and sheep are common, as are grizzly, moose and elk. Mule deer/black bear packages, are often common, etc..

You may have to narrow down what you "really, really" want to harvest, unless you plan on a couple of different hunts, in different areas.

Here is an example of some guides, and packages offered. As you can see some were sold out last year. This is not my recommendation for these particular guides, I'm just using them as an example. Some offer all the species that you mention though.

BC Backcountry Hunting Adventures with BC Guide Outfitters in BC Canada

Shadow Mountain Outfitters | Hunt British Columbia | Cranbrook, B.C.

Tatlow Mountain Outfitters: BC Hunting Guides & Outfitters, Chilcotin, British Columbia, Canada. Guided Big Game Hunts in BC. Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, Mule Deer, Moose, Black Bear, Cougar.

Bear Hunting BC Canada Moose Hunt Grizzly Bear Guided Hunts with Bear Lake Guides and Outfitters BC Canada

The Guide Outfitters Association of BC (GOABC) has an interesting new idea on their website, where you can list the species you want to hunt, and how much your willing to pay for it. A guide will then contact you if they are willing to do it for that. Novel idea..

Mountain Hunter

Good luck on your planning!

[rod4861]

Rifleman thanks for the info. My Really , really want list is a bloody big moose and a Grizzley. If I get those two then I'll be more than happy. The others are just "I'm interested in and wouldn't mind a go at if available". And I suppose most impotantly if I can afford it. I'm planning/hopeing to pay no more than US$30K plus airfares for the whole shooting match.
Once again thanks for the information, it is appreciated.
Regards
Rod

[wizzum-lvr]

Your Aussie rifles may not work in Canada. My relatives brought some dvd's from Australia but they wouldn't play on my dvd player. We are on a different system. You may have to get your rifles converted to the canadian syste

[the rifleman]

They will still be ok to use here. The only difference is the bullet spin is an opposite direction then ours..

[tuffcity]

If you hand load you've got a quality bullet maker in Woodleigh. Tough to find here but I've used the 180gr in my .30-06 on moose and mule deer and they work very well.

RC

[Toiler280]

Rod, bring the 30-06 with a good quality 180 gr bullet. It will take any moose or grizzly with authority. The best chance at both is Jim Shockey. Google him and look at his Yukon guiding territory. There are awesome moose there and big grizzly's too!! Good Luck!!