HodgemanAK
Beginner
- Oct 23, 2020
- 240
- 220
I managed to fill my tag on Saturday for a winter caribou hunt. We hunted a high mountain pass about 100 miles from Fairbanks and the 40 Mile Herd was there in force.
Once the sun came up, we were surrounded by caribou in the thousands for more than an hour. The shooting started and the herds just ran in circles around the mountain for most of the morning. I had hundreds out at 280 to 400 yards and I was equipped with my Christiansen MPR in 6.5 MPR that will easily make shots that far.
Except the wind was whipping at 25 miles per hour and it was -9F!
It took a few minutes but I finally worked across the dead open terrain to a group at 150 yards in a lee of a rise that cut the wind. From prone, off a bipod it was a chip shot and the caribou hunched at the crack of the rifle. Caribou erupted from the basin, running in every direction! I soon spotted the one I'd shot, still in the same place and looking very sick. A second shot ended any suffering and she fell on impact.
The first 143 ELDX zipped through the ribs on a lung shot, exited the off side and was completely final. The second shot impacted a rib up high and basically came unglued with a big piece smashing the spine and the other blasting a 3 inch hole out of the off side rib cage leaving a big mess of damaged meat, bullet fragments, and bloodshot behind. I'm pretty sure the damage would have been much reduced with another couple hundred yards of range, but in that wind my ability to hit it would have been eliminated!
I've had success with this bullet before, but at 350 yards. I'll likely be sticking to tougher bullets in the future, especially for any up close shooting.
Once the sun came up, we were surrounded by caribou in the thousands for more than an hour. The shooting started and the herds just ran in circles around the mountain for most of the morning. I had hundreds out at 280 to 400 yards and I was equipped with my Christiansen MPR in 6.5 MPR that will easily make shots that far.
Except the wind was whipping at 25 miles per hour and it was -9F!
It took a few minutes but I finally worked across the dead open terrain to a group at 150 yards in a lee of a rise that cut the wind. From prone, off a bipod it was a chip shot and the caribou hunched at the crack of the rifle. Caribou erupted from the basin, running in every direction! I soon spotted the one I'd shot, still in the same place and looking very sick. A second shot ended any suffering and she fell on impact.
The first 143 ELDX zipped through the ribs on a lung shot, exited the off side and was completely final. The second shot impacted a rib up high and basically came unglued with a big piece smashing the spine and the other blasting a 3 inch hole out of the off side rib cage leaving a big mess of damaged meat, bullet fragments, and bloodshot behind. I'm pretty sure the damage would have been much reduced with another couple hundred yards of range, but in that wind my ability to hit it would have been eliminated!
I've had success with this bullet before, but at 350 yards. I'll likely be sticking to tougher bullets in the future, especially for any up close shooting.
