Jun 15, 2019 4 min read

It was a perfect June day.

That thought had passed through my noggin and I reached for my bottle of Root Beer just as the mocking bird took up residence on the tonneau of my truck. It was so nice a day that even that white splotch the bird left behind couldn’t raise my hackles. The huge oak behind me provided shade, a rare commodity when chuck hunting. Combine that with the 400 yards in front of me that had been cleared of hay just a week ago and I asked and answered myself,” No George it just doesn’t get any better.”

Even knowing that woodchuck numbers were down, a result of coyotes, it was still great to be out holding a fine accurate rifle. Mike had just bought a Ruger in 6.5 Creedmore and I know he wished he could be sitting next to me but he was working. We had discussed the pluses of this new cartridge and of course the minuses. I assured him that it was a good cartridge but not one that could perform miracles.

“Don’t believe all of the hype.” I said, “but it is in the class of the .260 Rem. and 6.5 Swedish Mauser.”

The Creedmoor was being promoted by most gun writers because of the research put into it. Do you think there wasn’t a lot of research done before the 6.5×55 was issued to Swedish Troops? That, plus experience, is what leads me to my opinion of this round over other newcomers. Oh well, it is a good round, one capable of downing most game walking the United States. This was my thinking as I sat there wondering just what is the best round for certain types of animals.

The new game in town is coyote hunting and I have respect for them but also a dislike for their taking of other animals, domestic and wild. Have you noticed a lower number of house cats in the neighborhood? Take a group of the best hunters that Washington and Greene counties have to offer and they will not eliminate the coyote. He is here to stay.

But what is the best cartridge for hunting coyote? While most hunters probably use a 22-250, I consider that round a little on the light side. After all, a big male may tip the scales at more than 40 pounds. I would tend to think that one of the 6 mms, the 243, is better than a .22 and the same could be said of the 257 and the 25-06. There is one thing for sure; the coyote is a rare trophy and one wants it to go down and stay down.

Bear hunting is a hunt in thick cover. This shy animal seldom comes out in the open when man invades the woods. Under those conditions, a heavy bullet that penetrates the thick hide and layer of fat carried by the bear would be in line. Under most conditions, the 35 Remington or old but still useful 45-70 would work well. Both are lever action rounds and for the hunter wanting to carry a bolt rifle, there are the 350 Rem., 35 Whelen and such that are perfect for bear. In a bolt gun, I think I would choose 30-06 with a short barrel over a lever rifle in 45-70. One of the area’s best bear hunters carries a Remington 7600 pump with short barrels and that is not a bad choice.

For Elk, I want a bit of a big caliber and would choose one of the big 30-s. Perhaps the .300 short mag, or the .300 Win. Mag. These are real magnums, not pretenders like the mags. with bores under .308. Unlike the elk out west, most Pennsylvania elk are shot at reasonable ranges, seldom more than 100 yards.

Any one who reads my column knows what I would choose for hunting whitetail deer. So I will jump to No 2, the 25-06. This is a great round and adequate to down any deer walking the woods. It shoots flat when hunting in cornfields and still performs well in the briar patches that are common. Still, there is always No. 1: that old reliable .270. I can sum up its assets with one line: It shoots flat as a .243 and hits like a 30-06. When push comes to shove, and I am looking through my Leupold at the biggest buck I have ever seen, I’ll take the .270.

Oh well, I am just day dreaming and better get back to watching the field for groundhog.

George Block writes a weekly Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter