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Star59
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(.224 member)
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11/04/06 02:23 PM
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Alaskan Bears
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I'm planning a brown/Grizz hunt in the Talkeetna area. I'm debating what load to go with. I've thinking a 300 weatherby mag. I'll also take Dall sheep, and perhaps a Black bear, goat and wolf and/or wolverine if the opportunity presents itself. Don't want to over do it on the smaller game. The bears are the priority but don't want to be undergunned on the big stuff. Any idea for which way to go?
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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Where do you live now?
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Star59
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(.224 member)
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11/04/06 03:28 PM
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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Nevada
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ovis
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(.300 member)
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11/04/06 08:11 PM
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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Star59,
All on one hunt? Who are you hunting with?
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Star59
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(.224 member)
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11/04/06 11:40 PM
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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It's a combo Grizz Dall sheep hunt. The other animals would be taken only if they presented themselves. They might or might not. The more I think about it the less comfortable I feel with only a 300 mag. I hate to deal with the recoil issue but I may kick it up to the weatherby 378 which I could then use on an African hunt planned at the end of this year. I had a nightmare last night a lion charged me and my gun wouldn't stop him. Now that was scary! When it comes to dangerous game I'm beginning to think the right approach is- all the gun you need-and a little bit more..
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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Star,
To answer your question about the rifle, personally, I'd take the 300 Wby with some good 180 bullets. Something like the TSX. That cartridge/bullet combo will good for either grizzly or dall sheep without compromise for either.
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hoppdoc
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(.400 member)
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12/04/06 07:50 AM
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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If the Bears are the highest priority then a 338 WM or 340 WBY may need to be considered with the TRX bullet. Superior Ammo/?Federal load this combo for you and they are good bear medicine if accurate in your gun.
If you are going to regret seeing but not shooting at the longer range smaller stuff then I agree the 300 WBY is definitely the way to go. The TRX is great in this caliber and It would give you better all around flexibiity with any shots and distances animals are encountered.
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WyoJoe
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(.300 member)
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12/04/06 09:03 AM
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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Sounds like you have some pretty good advice on the .300 WBY and Barnes Triple Shocks. It will give you enough punch for bear and will be flat enough for longer ranges.
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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Most of all, make sure you are in good physical condition. The brush and steepness in the Talkeetnas make a 2 week hunt kind of long.
I would suspect your guide will focus on Dall Sheep and the bear would be more of a target of opportunity until the sheep is taken.
While you may have an opportunity to hunt the other animals, I would rate encountering them while concentrating on sheep and/or bear is probably going to be unlikely, except for wolf. The Talkeetnas get hunted pretty hard, too.
The better shape you are in, the more you will enjoy the hunt and more you will make of it.
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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I took my coastal grizzly with a 300Wby loaded with 220 NP's and I am taking the same rifle with me on my sheep hunt this year only with 180 NP's instead. You shouldn't have a problem, just put the bullet in the right spot. Good luck.
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Boomer
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(.300 member)
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13/04/06 10:26 PM
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Re: Alaskan Bears
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I'm a .375 fan, so if you can shoot the .378 well that's what I would choose. My bear rifle is a .short barrelled 375 Ultra which gives me 2600 fps with a 300 gr bullet. I think you will be happy with the Barnes TSX - I've found them to be much more accurate than the old X bullets.
On sheep, you might find that the X's won't open up as well as you would like. I played around with 260 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and Accu-Bonds a bit, and the Accu-Bonds are the bullets I would choose for dall sheep. I found that I had the best accuracy when I loaded them to 2600 - full speed was 2900 - sub MOA at 400 yards. The lower velocity I think will give you better terminal performance, and less blood shot meat, yet these bullets are heavy enough to diminish the effects of the tricky winds you might encounter in the mountains.
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