.300 Win Mag over kill

Between a 300 Win mag. and a .270 WSM, my personal choice for antelope would be the .270 WSM.

But really, I would work with both guns. You have plenty of time to figure out which really suits you for long range improvised rested and non-rested shots. Maybe a pair of commercial shooting sticks??

Pick your bullet wisely as a fast expander in either will vaporize your quarry.

Good luck and Enjoy that hunt!

Three 44s
 
Yes we did hunt areas that the animals took off when they spotted vehicles and people. Yes, we have been in areas where there is a lot of hunting pressure for not only Antelope, but also a general deer season runs the same time. The key to hunting is fooling those senses and finding ways to get around without being caught. Sometimes a person can make a 3 mile stock, just to find out the animals have left the country entirerly. Other times a person can sneek right in on them with out them without them knowing. The key is to go slow and be efficient. I stand by the fact that regardless where you hunt, how many other hunters are out there and how smart your game is you can always find away to close the distance to reasonable ranges. Hell I have even taken cow ellk with a bow during a regular rifle season wearing full orange where there were nearly 2,000 hunters in the same area with guns trying to take one. Everyone said it couldn't be done, but it can. Just put the time in, plan a hunt etc...

Antelope are probable the hardest animals I have every tried to sneak up on. Many times it seems as though they run just to run(A sort of oh crap we been here for 15 minutes, we better get out of here mentality). Good luck, but I still feel with a little effort a person can easily take any lope at 100 yards.
 
It all depends on how picky you are i guess,when rifle hunting I hold out for a real good buck,and being able to shoot him at 300+ yards makes me more succsesful in doing so.If you are going to shoot the first small buck or do you see you may be able to get one around a 100 yards but i still doubt it.
 
Yes at about a mile. Still shot at 246 and have even shot with a bow at 35. Hardest hunt I've ever done. It's all in the stalk and walk. A lot of low crawl. Unlike deer hunting back east, the trick to antelope is to get close, not find them.

Lewis and Clark observed that no one could get an antelope within rifle range, they are just too warry. Zebulon Pike claimed that Pikes Peak is impossible to climb. Now there is a highway to the top.
 
I'm goin hold out for a nice buck, I plan on trying to get as close as posible but if that can't be done i will shoot out to 500yds if it comes down to it. i like the stalking part gets my blood pumping, I have hunted this area for mule deer and I do notice how skitish the antelope get, when they see trucks. I will be hunting near the dillon area acultay about 40mins south of there.
 
So you will be down near Lima?I saw some GOOD bucks just east of Lima Res. this summer while I was down there working on a excavation of a mastadon skeleton.I always try hard to get a close shot but when it comes to trophy hunting antelope being able and prepared to make that long shot very often times makes me a succsesful hunter.That area down there makes it real hard to make a stalk,those goats get on a high point where they can see in all directions and they make a big circle,about 2 miles across,sometimes you can spook them off one of thier lookouts and take up position on it under cover and wait,they will be back at some point in the day.It amazes me how unattentive they can be when they are moving towards you instead of you trying to get close to them.
 
Ya Lima is the are I will be hunting, I have a uncle that lives there. I was out in june and and saw some nice bucks around the area you mentioned, I also looked at few more places that should be good too.
 
Right at the east end of the Res. where all those channels and cut banks are would be a great place to make a stalk on the ones I saw.You could get down behind one of those cutbanks and cover some ground.I also saw a nice bull moose right down next to the damn,I got some pics of him Ill see if i can find them...
 
I hunt them in agricultural areas where even a snake can't sneak up any closer than 400 yds. It is 'pool table' flat with NO COVER and making a long shot is "the only way" to ever get one. Plan on at least being able to make a long shot. I use my .300 WM every year....never have killed one too dead.
 
There is no such thing as "overkill." Your 300 Win. Mag. is PERFECT for antelope. I'd use a 180 grain boattail bullet. That should give you the flattest trajectory, and the least wind drift possible. I think somebody recommended the Scirocco, and I believe that would be an excellent choice. Nosler Ballistic Tip would be good too. Really no need for anything lighter than a 180 out of a 300 Mag. Your 165's will do the job but if you really want to make the best use of that big case, go with a 180. Oh, and the 270 WSM is NOT a better antelope cartridge. Just as good, maybe, but not better.
 
If you look at the ballistics of some of the common favorites posted here (25/06, .270, 7remMag, 300 mag, 30/06) it really starts to look like a hairsplitting contest.

They can change places in terms of bullet drop just based on bullet choice. An astute reloader using a good choice of bullet with a high BC can make a winner out of any of the above and probably some others to boot.
 
bdan,

I must disagree, there is such thing as over kill.... I could come up with many examples... I agreee the the 300 is a good choice, but I love my .270, Have you seen what a 200+ grain bullet from a 375 H7H Mag does? I am pretty sure it would be considered over kill especially on antelope.
 
elks, well there are just different ways of looking at it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

To me, nothing can be TOO dead, and it makes no difference what makes the hole through an animals lungs, it will die either way. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

I suppose when asking if a particular cartridge is "overkill" for the intended quarry, what they are really wanting to know is: will it destroy more meat than necessary in order to ensure a quick kill? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Many people tend to recommend the lighter bullets for antelope because of their small size. Go with a light-for-caliber bullet such as the 150 in the 300 Magnum, and to make it even worse use a very soft and frangible bullet like a Remington Core-Lokt, and then I would have to say yes that is overkill. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

A combination such as that could very well tend to ruin half an antelope, if for instance it was shot through both shoulders. This is due to the higher velocity of the lightweight bullet combined with the a type of bullet that is not designed to stay in one piece. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

If using a standard non-premium bullet in the 300 Mag I would use a heavier bullet, at least a 180 and better yet a 200. Even with the lower velocity it may not be a good idea to shoot an antelope in the shoulder, as a lot of meat may be lost.

But this can happen with any cartridge. Best thing would be to use a premium bullet like a Nosler Accubond that will not blow up if bone is hit.

As to the 375 H&H, I believe it could be used with great success on antelope. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I'd probably use the 260 grain Nosler Accubond. That would be a great combination for elk hunting, and trying it out on antelope first would be a great strategy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
The only overkill I have ever seen is a bullet passing through one animal and killing another behind it,DEAD IS DEAD,just watch your backdrop!lol
 
Antelope are the same way in Wyoming after they get shot at a time or too. Very spooky. But with patience and good optics, you can plan your stalks and most of the time you can get a chip shot. Thats not to say you wont blow some stalks because you will but thats going to happen when you are hunting an animal that has the best vision of any North American game animal and there is no trees. There is rolling terrain though and this can be an Antelope hunters best friend. Some very good advise here from some very knowledgable rifleman. Shoot what you feel comfortable with. The only thing I read that I disagree with is that Antelope are not very tough. They may be thin skinned and light boned but they have the strongest cardio vascular system than any other animal in North America. I have seen boiler room hit antelope go an amazing long distance. Granted, they arent going anyplace when you can see them the whole time they run, but make no mistake, Antelope are tough critters.
 
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