Hunting in Medicine Hat

rifleman762 said:
Me neither. For meat hunting, anyways. I got my two muley does at the same time last year. Shot one, #2 took off but stopped for a look so I shot her, too. Then I almost stepped on a rattlesnake - last warm day of the year!
Click to expand...

Fantastic, can I ask what sort of range the shots typically are taken from?

I have a lovely 7.62x39 rifle for hunting but am thinking I might need something flatter shooting for prairie as it's good out to 200m but rainbows there on after
 
Bratwurst said:
Fantastic, can I ask what sort of range the shots typically are taken from?

I have a lovely 7.62x39 rifle for hunting but am thinking I might need something flatter shooting for prairie as it's good out to 200m but rainbows there on after
Click to expand...

If you’re a good hunter then the x39 will do the job.

I’m not a good hunter so I use cartridges like the 280AI, 300
RUM, and 257 wby. Lol

Typically you won’t be shooting deer beyond 400 yards, there’s always a way to use the landscape to get closer. 200 yards is probably an average distance.
 
coyoteking said:
If you’re a good hunter then the x39 will do the job.

I’m not a good hunter so I use cartridges like the 280AI, 300
RUM, and 257 wby. Lol

Typically you won’t be shooting deer beyond 400 yards, there’s always a way to use the landscape to get closer. 200 yards is probably an average distance.
Click to expand...

What is the level of wind like?

I've found that past 200m 7.62x39 starts getting pushed around by wind quite a lot.

I'm tempted to pick up a semi-auto 308 winchester for prairie hunting
 
I wouldn't want the 7.62x39 for this open country. I shoot a 270. It will handle anything you'll shoot in this open country and accurately. Like you I came from bush country and realized what I had was not going to cut it. You need something flat and fairly fast.
 
Last edited:
Bratwurst said:
What is the level of wind like?

I've found that past 200m 7.62x39 starts getting pushed around by wind quite a lot.

I'm tempted to pick up a semi-auto 308 winchester for prairie hunting
Click to expand...

Oh it gets windy!!

The 308 will get the job done, personally if I was going to have one gun for all of my big game prairie hunting it would be a 7mm RM or a 270 or something with a similar trajectory out to 400 yards.
 
I have always used my 7mm mag or the 7/08. It does take about 4-5 years to get drawn for a Mule Buck, which I got this year, and I get drawn for cow Elk every 2-3 years and that's 2 tags, I also got drawn for Elk this year. Riffleman762 covered the other info for deer.
 
It sounds like a semi-auto 308 is needed then.

I don't see any point in picking up a 270 or 7mm, there's no affordable bulk FMJ ammo for them for practice or enjoyment outside of hunting
 
From my own experience east of the Hat:
Ranches that cover many quarter sections, lots of coolies with thick bush in them.
Loooong sight lines. You will be tempted to take shots your level of training and equipment won't support.
You can lay on a hill and watch a dozen animals slowly wander towards you over the course of a morning out of the blue-haze distance.
No cell coverage in much of the area and too far for FSR.
A couple of CWD positives in the group every year.
Pay attention to your skylines and use elevation strategically. The second your head breaks the skyline profile they all bolt.
British Desert DPM camo works well in the dry grass.
 
No-one has mentioned it yet? You will need the distance gun for WT, would seem otherwise, but they are way smart and will likely be running hard by the time that you realize they are there.
Mule Deer are dumber than dumb... like JT / Biden dumb. Stop moving when they raise their head from grazing... continue to close distance when they resume grazing.
Don't worry about cougars... it's rare to even see one. I live 100 yds from Ross Creek at the start of the incline to the Cypress hills... they are there...you just don't see them.
Rattlesnakes are only an issue in the fall and near the river... folks will swear they are a problem as far as Suffield... BS. They usually stay within about 5 miles of the winter den... which is always on the river ...IMO
Don't fret on a semi... you really are only going to get 1 shot that counts...then they'll be moving fast anyhow ( don't be 'That guy' who bangs off 1 aimed and 4 Hail Mary's). You will be doing a fair bit of walking... quads might as well have a bell or siren on them ( most Ranchers frown on them I've found)... you want to lug around a semi? Heavier and too much crap protruding IMO.
Just my opinion... that and a toonie will get you a coffee. But my Avatar? Great Grandfather came up from Texas in 1900 something... we've lived here a while. Mostly on the central / west side of the 'Hat... Elkwater is insanely cool... it's basically were the 'Foothills' reappear. Glaciers wiped out everything between South of the Hat to the foothills. Really cool anomaly Geographical wise... decent ski hill in Elkwater says it all.
 
tokguy said:
No-one has mentioned it yet? You will need the distance gun for WT, would seem otherwise, but they are way smart and will likely be running hard by the time that you realize they are there.
Mule Deer are dumber than dumb... like JT / Biden dumb. Stop moving when they raise their head from grazing... continue to close distance when they resume grazing.
Don't worry about cougars... it's rare to even see one. I live 100 yds from Ross Creek at the start of the incline to the Cypress hills... they are there...you just don't see them.
Rattlesnakes are only an issue in the fall and near the river... folks will swear they are a problem as far as Suffield... BS. They usually stay within about 5 miles of the winter den... which is always on the river ...IMO
Don't fret on a semi... you really are only going to get 1 shot that counts...then they'll be moving fast anyhow ( don't be 'That guy' who bangs off 1 aimed and 4 Hail Mary's). You will be doing a fair bit of walking... quads might as well have a bell or siren on them ( most Ranchers frown on them I've found)... you want to lug around a semi? Heavier and too much crap protruding IMO.
Just my opinion... that and a toonie will get you a coffee. But my Avatar? Great Grandfather came up from Texas in 1900 something... we've lived here a while. Mostly on the central / west side of the 'Hat... Elkwater is insanely cool... it's basically were the 'Foothills' reappear. Glaciers wiped out everything between South of the Hat to the foothills. Really cool anomaly Geographical wise... decent ski hill in Elkwater says it all.
Click to expand...
This is why I wouldn't be without a 7mm Rem mag for hunting here and has been my go to for many decades. I'm still using my 1976 Winchester M70 7mm mag that my dad bought and gave to me. I still use the .17 Rem and 5mm mag to this day for Yotes and Gophers as well, all seemed to be popular prairie guns in the '70-80's. I grew up in Elkwater in the 70's and it was a great place to live back then.
 
Last edited:
Bratwurst said:
Fantastic, can I ask what sort of range the shots typically are taken from?

I have a lovely 7.62x39 rifle for hunting but am thinking I might need something flatter shooting for prairie as it's good out to 200m but rainbows there on after
Click to expand...

I have shot them anywhere from 150 yards to 550 yards. Most were between 300 to 400, especially the whitetails. Some days are very windy and you can't shoot as far so you just wave goodbye. They don't seem to notice you if you are sitting still on the side of the coulee all camo'd up but if you move or (heaven forbid) skyline yourself, they will be several km away in a heartbeat. I pretty much just sit out in the open overlooking a wide, brushy coulee that runs for many km between the Milk River and some irrigated fields.

I normally use a 300 Win Mag with 200gr ELD-X handloads. I've also used a 243, as did my wife. I didn't buy the 300 specifically for deer hunting but it works LOL. You'll want a cartridge that pushes a low-drag bullet (VLD, ELD-X, LRX, etc) close to 3000 fps or better. 243 with a normal twist rate isn't ideal; 6mm Creedmoor will do it better. 270 or 25-06 are not bad but a 7mm Rem Mag would be excellent, as others have mentioned. 6.5 PRC is what one co-worker uses to great success. Another uses a 270 and his friend has a 6.5-284 Norma. The better your ballistic coefficient, the better you can shoot in any given wind scenario.

308 is kind of a slouch when it comes to prairie deer. If you are buying a new gun specifically for prairie hunting, check out what the 1000-yard target shooters are using and then stick to 500 yards or less on game. Of course, practice out to the distance you want to shoot and learn all about ballistics. And maybe even buy an expensive scope with resettable turrets and an MRAD reticle ;-). In Taber we have a 600 yard range for only $100 per year.
 
^^
Good advice here.
I use a 308 , but ya, practice, know your dope and ranges.
The open prairie can be deceiving, a range finder and wind meter is a great idea, sometimes you will be offered the time to use them. I also tape my DOPE to my butt stock.
A cartridge and bullet that will cut through the wind sure helps.
If you walk the coulee or bush you can get lucky too. I have shot both mule and white tail from 30 yards to 550. And as mentioned, South by Cypress hills you can get undersubscribed tags on a first come basis and potentially have 4 deer.
Mule buck is draw, WT buck is general and the does tend to come up on the undersubscribed. Sometimes you can shoot a mule doe right after shooting the buck or the other doe.
 
Last edited:
>semi

I’d spend those lbs on a really good bipod instead.

Given time of flight and the prairie mouse hop, when you’re too far away to hit a stationary target with your first shot you’re not likely to hit a moving one with the next 4.
 
Last edited:
coyoteking said:
If you’re a good hunter then the x39 will do the job.

I’m not a good hunter so I use cartridges like the 280AI, 300
RUM, and 257 wby. Lol

Typically you won’t be shooting deer beyond 400 yards, there’s always a way to use the landscape to get closer. 200 yards is probably an average distance.
Click to expand...

Funny, no one has mentioned, southern Alberta can be very windy, like just below hurricane. :rolleyes:


Grizz
 
Rayleigh_Scattering said:
>wind

Leaning into the wind, blowing snow, deafening sound and the empty prairie all around.

Not everybody’s cup of tea, but I think it’s some of the most beautiful land on the planet.
Click to expand...

And in a pitch black cloudy night it's easy to get turned around on the featureless prairie. I left my essentials pouch at a deer carcass with my compass in it and couldn't get satellite reception on my phone GPS. Finally got GPS signal and I was walking 90° in the wrong direction. Never, ever leave your compass behind!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom