top 11 Caliber choice in one Alaska Survey

[Dand]

Results of a Hunter Survey conducted at the Anchorage Rabbit Creek Shooting Park this last fall-2005. Hunters were asked to name their caliber of choice for hunting big game in Alaska.  (From Alaska’s Hunter Information and Training Program News Winter 2006  p 3.)

I don't know anything about how the survey was conducted or what questions were asked but this appeared in the recent hunter ed. instructor news letter and I thought folks would find it  interesting.  I was surprised at the limited selection.  Of course space was limited and there may have been a lot of straggler choices left off.

Caliber            # Hunters choosing

30-06 Spr.            188
338 Win Mag.         143
300 Win Mag         135
7mm Rem Mag           79
270 Win              66
375 H&H              56
308 Win              32
300 Weatherby           30
45-70                                                          28
300 Ultra Mag           24
300 Short Mags           24

[Daveinthebush]

Dand:  

That list sounds about right.  The 30/06 and .338 have always been favorites up here.  

It might be more interesting if they did a "species specific" pole. Who was using what-for-what.

[Sourdough]

I'm not too surprised about the 30-06 being on top, and the .338 Win Mag being second.  I am surprised the .375 H&H is so far down.  I'm also surprised that the .35s did not make the list.  A lot of non-resedent hunters I know carry .35 Whelens.  And the .270?  I don't know anyone that carries one of those up here.

[akpls]

I once sold a spare .338 WM to a guy in Fairbanks that said he had always used a .270 for moose hunting, but was tired of going moose fishing after he shot them.  He said they would die eventually, but always ran into the water after being hit with the .270.

[Dand]

While puttering in the garage today I came up with another way to look at these results, not knowing the full survey design. Time of year could make a difference if it was just before sheep season versus just before moose.

Maybe the survey just tells us who goes to the range, maybe 30-06 owners and 338 owners tend to feel they can use a tune up.  

Though, from my own experience I'd say its pretty representative of Alaskan hunters' choices.  I was surprised how far down the 308 was, how far up for the 338, and the frequency of the 300 Wby.  I'm not at all surprised at the strong 270 showing, it was darned popular in the 70's and 80's, even though a lot of old timers really bad mouthed it.  

I too would have liked to see the list of stragglers.  Maybe I'll email the rifle range guys and see if they can share more info.

[Yukon Jack]

I was shooting at Rabbit Creek a few weeks before going to Africa (September) and they were doing this survey.  They don't do it all year, probably from around Sept 1 through the month.  They did ask what I was shooting and what I was going to use it for.  I gave them the info of guns and species for the rest of the seasons, but they only seemed to be interested in the rifle I was shooting that day.  Guess my 300 H&H didn't make the cut! :lol:

[cattail]

I am a bit surprised to see the 06 on top of the 338 espeically in Anchorage seems like every time I approach a gun counter in town and talk moose or caribou all the guys there start reaching and talking 338 though I personally have used the 06 for the entire time I have been here and killed one heck of alot of moose caribou and black bears with it. The 308 seems about right in palcement to me but 10-20 yrs ago it was alot more popular and would have found a higher ranking especailly prior to all the new short and ultra mags caliburs