223 or 22/250 For Wolves

archie_james_c said:
100 pounds on AVERAGE? 100 would be the exception. 60-70 is more like it...maybe less.
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Don't confuse your Ontario wolves with our western wolves.
Ian McTaggart Cowan, one time dean of graduate studies, UBC, taught biology, states that BC wolves reach, and occasionally exceed 140 pounds.
 
The year we all got skunked moose hunting. Someone in camp asked if we heard the school bus full of kids yipping . There were only 4 of us a flyin camp.

Next day we found what was left of a moose.

Next morning after that. All around our canvas tabin. Canvas draped over a wood frame with log floors. Were wolf tracks in the fresh snow. Big prints inches from the canvas walls. No fear of us at all...we never heard them while we slept.

Glad I had my 3006. I doubt they were going to be aggressive right away..just letting us know we were trespassers. One of the guys saw one latter that afternoon . He was out in the canoe, sun had warmed things up . and a wolf came out on to a rock that jutted out over the water. The wolf just watched Ted paddle.

Ted described it as huge. Before we flew out. I had the fortunate chance of seeing one run down the narrow shoreline then vanish into the brush. My guess about the size of the last one in the photos.
 
H4831 said:
Don't confuse your Ontario wolves with our western wolves.
Ian McTaggart Cowan, one time dean of graduate studies, UBC, taught biology, states that BC wolves reach, and occasionally exceed 140 pounds.
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Even so, the rib cage of a large wolf is very narrow, and probably not exceed 8''..A 223, or 22-250 whould have no issues with penetration...

We snared one here in ont, that was 120lbs a few yrs back, that had a chest girth of less than 30''...The width was about as wide as my spread hand (9'')..Though they look huge with their clothes on they are indeed a very thin animal..
 
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Squibloads said:
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Grizzly Adams said:
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Grizz
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The wolves look huge, but are the guys holding them 5"-2" or 6"-5"? There's nothing there for scale.

This forum is a funny place: there's another thread on here, the largest game with a .22/250, where everybody's saying the .22/250 is just peachy-kean for deer and even larger game, yet here it's not enough for wolves of half the body weight or less.

Wolves are actually much more fragile and easily hurt than the animals they prey on.
 
The guy in the top photo is 5'10"...the wolf weighed 200lbs...anything that can eat me is gonna get my 06 plain and simple...
 
H4831 said:
For choosing a wolf rifle I consider a 223 to be too light to be anywhere near ideal.
Standing wolf 100 yards or so, of course, dead wolf. But a running wolf, or at the 350 yards mentioned, which is not really a long shot at a wolf, it's a different story. Look at the ballistics of your fast 223 at 300-400 yards. A high speed 22 calibre bullet falls off tremendously with distance. Look at the ballistics of it out there and decide if that is what you want to use on wolves.
On a side shot if your 223 bullet lands a foot farther back than you intended, that wolf is not going to lay down and die.
I have wounded wolves with each of a 270 and a 30-06, with regular hunting bullets, that required a long follow up. In one case, the only reason I retreived him was because there was tracking snow.
As several have pointed out, a 243 would be excellent as a wolf rifle. But if you have a 308/270/30-06 class rifle, just use it, with your regular hunting bullets.
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How about that, I happen to have a 308, a 270 and a couple of 30-06 but no wolf problem. Yotes, a different story. I'm thinking of using the 270 with the lightest load commercially available.
 
captonion said:
Even so, the rib cage of a large wolf is very narrow, and probably not exceed 8''..A 223, or 22-250 whould have no issues with penetration...

We snared one here in ont, that was 120lbs a few yrs back, that had a chest girth of less than 30''...The width was about as wide as my spread hand (9'')..Though they look huge with their clothes on they are indeed a very thin animal..
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I never said, or intimated, that a 223 bullet or similar, in the rib cage wouldn't be deadly on a wolf.
What I did say was if that bullet landed one foot too far back, you would never retrieve that wolf.
It looks like I won't convince you, and you certainly will never convince me, that a 223 would be a good calibre choice for hunting wolves.
 
H4831 said:
It looks like I won't convince you, and you certainly will never convince me, that a 223 would be a good calibre choice for hunting wolves.
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Not trying to convince anyone, just pointing out that a wolf is not nearly as tough as some would believe, of have someone believe..

A good pelt with no holes is worh $125-$175..Limiting the number, and size of the holes is important...One entrance hole without an exit is the goal...Some people do this for an income rather than for sport...
 
An oft repeated truth- bullets matter much more than headstamps.

Put a 75gr A-Max or 50gr TTSX from a .223 in the right spot, and it's game over in short order.
 
I love it when a topic degenerates.

H4831- you are correct sir. But I still wouldn't feel undergunned shooting, essentially a dog with a 223. But I know you're a wise old man, and you never pick a fight with an old man...because if they're too tired to fight, they'll just kill you :D
 
How many in this thread giving advice have actually shot a wolf and have a pic to prove it? :redface:

Wolves are a target of extremely rare opportunity, even where they are "thick". I get a lot of opportunity is all as I spend most of my time in their country, it's best to be hunting or doing something else and stumble upon them, you're not going to find them if looking for them in my opinion. I agree with the .243 and up crowd, next year I will use a .257 Roberts.
 
Ardent said:
How many in this thread giving advice have actually shot a wolf and have a pic to prove it? :redface:

Wolves are a target of extremely rare opportunity, even where they are "thick". I get a lot of opportunity is all as I spend most of my time in their country, it's best to be hunting or doing something else and stumble upon them, you're not going to find them if looking for them in my opinion. I agree with the .243 and up crowd, next year I will use a .257 Roberts.
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good point...Ive only seen them once while looking for them and didnt' take the shot.

Of course I seen this one while doing something else...



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H4831 said:
Don't confuse your Ontario wolves with our western wolves.
Ian McTaggart Cowan, one time dean of graduate studies, UBC, taught biology, states that BC wolves reach, and occasionally exceed 140 pounds.
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H4831 is right, Western Wolves are no different than Yukon Moose, or Saskatchewan bucks. Some areas just have way bigger genetics even though you're looking at the same species. Canada is huge from a Wolf's perspective and it's no wonder populations diverge in size, they've likely been separated in size and feeding habits for millennia. I've heard from CO's the Peace-Athabasca basin (NE BC, and NW Alberta) grows the biggest wolves in the country. All these guys are from there, and are typical. For those wanting measuring sticks I'm bang on 6' as a measuring stick in my boots there.

I do believe .223 is too light on animals this size, their bigger than a lot of the smaller deer out east and on the west coast. .243 or a .257 is a better choice IMHO, but to each their own.

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Ardent said:
H4831 is right, Western Wolves are no different than Yukon Moose, or Saskatchewan bucks. Some areas just have way bigger genetics even though you're looking at the same species. Canada is huge from a Wolf's perspective and it's no wonder populations diverge in size, they've likely been separated in size and feeding habits for millennia. I've heard from CO's the Peace-Athabasca basin (NE BC, and NW Alberta) grows the biggest wolves in the country. All these guys are from there, and are typical. For those wanting measuring sticks I'm bang on 6' as a measuring stick in my boots there.

I do believe .223 is too light on animals this size, their bigger than a lot of the smaller deer out east and on the west coast. .243 or a .257 is a better choice IMHO, but to each their own.
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Nice pics....looks like you got a whole pile of them stacked up there ?
 
Ardent said:
How many in this thread giving advice have actually shot a wolf and have a pic to prove it? :redface:

Wolves are a target of extremely rare opportunity, even where they are "thick". I get a lot of opportunity is all as I spend most of my time in their country, it's best to be hunting or doing something else and stumble upon them, you're not going to find them if looking for them in my opinion. I agree with the .243 and up crowd, next year I will use a .257 Roberts.
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I did not have a camera with me in 1988. But I know for a fact I'm on record for collecting wolf bounty at the Petawawa Township office.
 
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