Expanding my hunting horizons

NorthernPF

NorthernPF

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Location
Ramore, Ontario
So recently I've been thinking that I'm cheating myself out of hunting time. I live in Northern Ontario and all I hunt for is Grouse and Moose. While all that is fine and dandy, I almost get depressed thinking that all my hunting anticipation for big game lasts at most 1 month. So I've been thinking recently about hunting Black Bear and maybe do some predator hunting. Last year where we were moose hunting we saw ALOT of Wolf tracks. Now, I have an 80lbs German Shepherd and these Wolf tracks made her look like puppy tracks. So I figure I would be doing some good to the moose population by hunting these wolves.

Now I have a few questions........

1. I will have my 375 H&H loaded with 250gr TTSX for Moose and Bear but what's a good caliber for wolf? Does a 22LR or 17HMR do the trick or would you want something with a bit more juice?

2. Where do you guys learn techniques when hunting something new? Is it just reading stuff online then trial and error? Mentoring? I could MAYBE mentor for Bear but I'd be on my own for Wolf.

3. What do you guys do with a wolf after you shoot it? Is it edible or are they just harvested for the hide? I don't want to waste it but I'm not sure what else you can do with it.

Thanks for any and all input!
 
Would you shoot something at 50m thats bigger then your 80 lbs German Shephard with a .22LR or .17HMR and expect to kill it humanely? I would not. Think the .22 cal centrefires with a good bullet.

To the guy above, theres probably no deer where he lives. Most of Ontario doesnt have deer.
 
blasted_saber said:
Would you shoot something at 50m thats bigger then your 80 lbs German Shephard with a .22LR or .17HMR and expect to kill it humanely? I would not. Think the .22 cal centrefires with a good bullet.

To the guy above, theres probably no deer where he lives. Most of Ontario doesnt have deer.
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You might be right. Ramore is between Timmins and Kirkland Lake, I don't know about what sort of deer numbers are in the area.
 
223 and up is ok...243 and up is better...I've found the 22-250 does a decent job but the 308 is better. Opened them up with the 300wsm as well.
 
Hey NorthernPF, I live about 2 minutes from Ramore, I use 22-250, 243 (AI) and 257 weatherby for Wolves, but hunt coyotes and fox mostly.

Are you think of maybe trying the spring bear season or just the fall?
 
When I lived in Fort St John, my .375 H&H loaded with a 300 gr. sierra behind IMR3031 made a surprisingly great mule deer round, like the old saying goes 'eat right up to the hole', no bloodshot meat to speak of.
 
.375 is perfect, people get really worried about fitting a rifle to game but I've taken creatures with weights measured in a handful of pounds to those that can be measured in tons with it, all the same result; clean kill. Wolves, you've already got half of the hunting figured out, head where there are tracks. Sometimes they'll come to calls and some have good success with it, personally I've only ever been able to stop them for a shot with a call when you've spotted them. They're like us, and prefer open areas for easier travelling and line of sight searching for game, so settle in and watch rivers or lakeshores with fresh tracks. They are active throughout the day despite nocturnal misconceptions, though where I live best luck is found at the end of daylight, early evening. Patience is the name of the wolf hunting game, it's seldom exciting, lots of waiting.

If you know your .375 and aren't afraid of it, use it as it'll work great and no need to buy another gun. Skin out the wolf for the pelt and rug, keep the skull, and throw away the carcass.
 
You dont have to buy a new gun... but you have a legitimate excuse to get another gun... take advantage of it. If your only rifle is the .375 H&H, then I would be inclined to choose a "do all" mid-caliber rather than a wolf specific cartridge... I would recommend a nice bolt action in .308... but anything from 6.5mm, 7mm or .30 cal group would work... these are good for wolves and can cover deer and bear and act as a backup moose rifle... if you get a third rifle, then one of the .22 centerfires or 6mm/.243 group is a good way to go.
 
A 7-08 might be nice, low recoil, readily available ammo and components, good for any big game you will encounter, not my first pick for a dedicated wolf rifle but for a mid range do all rifle it would be hard to beat.
 
MaxKW said:
A 7-08 might be nice, low recoil, readily available ammo and components, good for any big game you will encounter, not my first pick for a dedicated wolf rifle but for a mid range do all rifle it would be hard to beat.
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As a word of warning, the following post contains extreme nit picking. :redface: But it's early and sometimes that's fun.

As for the 7-08, the .308 hoyt mentions beats it… ;) I'm nit picking, but if you actually run the numbers, a .308 shoots flatter than a 7mm-08 all the way out to 400 yards and in many cases more. The .30 cal's larger bore is more efficient at using the powder's energy and turning it into velocity, and this trumps any minor BC benefits 7mm at times has in its favour. Much of the time, the .30 cal BCs are comparable anyhow (sometimes even much better, such as at the 155-160gr mark where all the Palma development went into the .30). Recoil of the two is absolutely identical as well to all but the most extremely sensitive and calibrated shoulders, and given his go to is a .375 I imagine he couldn't tell you the difference between a 7-08 and a .280 blindfolded. I know I'd have trouble. .308 and 7-08 would be a bit like trying to tell the difference between two no name colas blind folded. :) In any cases .308 is readily available in loads all the way to 110gr off the shelf, powderpuff recoil. It is also far more readily available off the shelf, I'd avoid niche or boutique cartridges if I was him.

I dropped this guy with a .308 a very long ways out, worked like a hot damn and .308 was my go to Wolf hunting cartridge for a long time. The second pic is my .375 at play, works the same if not better (this dog was likely a hybrid, but that's another story). Have also used the .303 very successfully, biggest thing of course like any far or moving hunting is to pick a gun you know. That's why I suspect that oddly enough, his .375 may well be his best choice. Overall the advice to pick a capable medium caliber is excellent, and very sensible.



 
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I agree with you Ardent, I just don't have a 308 because everyone else does, but given that the OP seems like he's a man of few guns, the 308 is a better choice and the fact that it's common is a benefit for him.
 
Fine and fair reasoning, I had a 7mm-08 myself for component commonality, didn't own a .308 but used 7x57 a lot at the time. I'm also very, very guilty of having gravitated towards the less interesting, and highly available cartridges. The hobby side of cartridges and hand loading has gone extinct for me in the face of busy job and two kids, and I've become far too practical. I'm still a sucker for a classy old chambering however- and must admit more boring choices work far better than those. Also should note my nitpicking isn't towards you, you simply introduced a good subject I perverted, you hadn't even mentioned trajectory and all. :)
 
Cintax said:
You might be right. Ramore is between Timmins and Kirkland Lake, I don't know about what sort of deer numbers are in the area.
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In my 3 years living here, I've seen 2 Deer and have never seen anything in the area before or after that day. I'm also considering maybe trying deer hunting near Espanola this year.
 
MaxKW said:
Hey NorthernPF, I live about 2 minutes from Ramore, I use 22-250, 243 (AI) and 257 weatherby for Wolves, but hunt coyotes and fox mostly.

Are you think of maybe trying the spring bear season or just the fall?
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I'm thinking more in the fall seeing as the area I would be hunting (28) is not in the Spring bear hunt pilot project. If it would be possible, I would love to head out with you when you go out for this hunting so you could show me the ropes and what it's all about.
 
NorthernPF said:
In my 3 years living here, I've seen 2 Deer and have never seen anything in the area before or after that day. I'm also considering maybe trying deer hunting near Espanola this year.
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Fair enough. For some reason I just expected there to be deer up there. Anyways, I know a guy who hunts Manitoulin island so I imagine there are deer around Espanola. Good luck in your hunt!
 
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