Of course this can vary and many hunters prefer specific calibers for specific species. That said for a good all around “one-size-fits-all” rifle a .300 Magnum with good heavy well-made bullets will take anything on the North American continent including and up to the brown bears. A .30-06 will suffice as well. For the big brown bears many prefer a heavier caliber with more stopping power such as a .338 or .375 with heavy bullets. Most importantly is a gun and caliber you shoot proficiently and comfortably.
North America
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What caliber of rifle should I use on my North American Hunt?
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What gear/clothing do I need for my hunt?
There is such a vast selection of hunts in a diverse selection of terrain that there is no blanket answer. Even just on a whitetail hunt you could be facing a 90+ degree F hunt in Texas or a -40-degree F hunt in Alberta. The best option is to contact your outfitter for a suggested gear list.
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What licensing/hunter’s Ed requirements are required for my hunt?
Each state in the US and each province in CA set their own rules and requirements making for sometimes very complicated, varied and hard to understand requirements. Your outfitter should supply you the requirements for your hunt but it never hurts to check the destination state/province website and look for yourself.
Europe/Asia
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What are recommended calibers for hunts in Europe and Asia?
Trophy Calibers Bear 9,3x64, 338 Lapua Mag, 375 HH, 300 Ultra Mag, 300 Win Mag. Moose 9,3x64, 338 Lapua Mag, 375 HH, 300 Ultra Mag, 300 Win Mag. Marco Polo 338 Lapua Mag, 300 Ultra Mag, 300 Win Mag, 300 Weath. Mag. Snow sheep 300 Ultra Mag, 300 Win Mag, 300 Weath. Mag. Tur 7 mm Remington Magnum, 300 Win. Mag., 300 Weath. Mag. Ibex, chamois 7 мм Rem. Mag, 300 Win. Mag., 300 Weath. Mag. Maral, Red Stag 7 мм Rem. Mag, 300 Win. Mag., 300 Weath. Mag. Roe deer, mouflon 308 Win., 270 Win., 30-06., 300 WSM, 300 Win Mag. Wild boar 7 мм Rem. Mag, 300 Win. Mag., 300 Weath. Mag. Capercaillie, blackcock buckshot #00,#0,#1,#3 Woodcock buckshot #7. Partridge buckshot #7. -
Having trouble understanding the CIC scoring and the weight/size trophy fee system. How big is a mature animal based on this pricing structure?
First lets see some samples based on the medals for a few of the most popular species:
Red deer
CIC Medals Weight 210 - up Gold ~ from 10kg 190 - 209.9 Silver ~ 8-9kg 170-189.9 Bronze ~ 7kg A good mature Red stag will normally be from 7 kg and up.
Fallow deer
CIC Medals Weight 180 - up Gold ~ from 4kg 170 - 179.9 Silver ~ 3.8kg 160 - 169.9 Bronze ~ 3.3kg A good mature Fallow stag will normally be from 3 kg and up.
Roe deer
CIC Medals Weight 130 - up Gold ~ from 480g 115 - 129.9 Silver ~ 420g 105 - 104.9 Bronze ~ 380g In case of Roe deer you can shoot a mature one with smaller weight as well.
Mouflon
CIC Medals Size 205 - up Gold ~ from 80cm 195 - 204.9 Silver ~ 75cm 185 - 194.9 Bronze ~ 70cm Mature rams will be from 70 cm and up.
Wild boar
CIC Medals Size 120 - up Gold ~ from 22cm 115 - 119.9 Silver ~ 20cm 110 - 114.9 Bronze ~ 18cm Good mature ones from 20 cm and up.
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Having trouble understanding the CIC scoring. How big is a mature 7.5' - 8.0' European brown bear?
The price lists always show the CIC points of the skin. The CIC judges the skin and the skull separately. A 350 CIC points skin has a 45-50 CIC points skull which is approximately 11’8” inches in length and 7’8” inches in width. A good mature bear is around 350-400 CIC points, a bear over 400 CIC is a very big trophy.
But by skin size, the gold medal starts at 300 CIC points.
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Can I minimize the trophy fee in the European trophy fee system?
Yes. Taking into consideration the possibility of a mistake in judging the trophy by the PH you can choose a trophy size that is fixed in a written agreement. In this case if the trophy is bigger than this, you do not have to pay more.
Africa
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What are recommended calibers for hunts in Africa?
Trophy Calibers 470 Nitro Express 416 Rigby 375 HH 9,3x64 8-68 338 LM 300 Win Mag 308 Win 7 mm Rem Mag 243 Win Plains game Small predators Cheetah Leopard Lion Crocodile Hippo Buffalo Rhino Elephant recommended caliber possible caliber
Other
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Where can I get more information about hunting in a specific country?
Have a look at the landing page for this country (you can find it in the 'Catalog' menu). There is 'What you need to know' at almost all country landings.