Thread: What rifle calibre do you shoot a whale with?

Didn't I read that someone shot an elk at around 800yds with a .243? Imagine the damage it would do at close range on a whale. Personally whats wrong with a 12 gauge and slugs. It puts most big game cartridges to shame at close range and is a hell of a lot cheaper. Any way what right do we have to stop evolution when a whale decides it wants to become a land mammal we should let it. If it becomes an Asian delicacy on the way then that surely is part of the natural process isn't it? All I hope is that they are 1080 tolerant When they join us on the land ... Or maybe 1080 is another "humane" way of euthanizing them? ....

Originally Posted by r87mm

Didn't I read that someone shot an elk at around 800yds with a .243? Imagine the damage it would do at close range on a whale. Personally whats wrong with a 12 gauge and slugs. It puts most big game cartridges to shame at close range and is a hell of a lot cheaper. Any way what right do we have to stop evolution when a whale decides it wants to become a land mammal we should let it. If it becomes an Asian delicacy on the way then that surely is part of the natural process isn't it? All I hope is that they are 1080 tolerant When they join us on the land ... Or maybe 1080 is another "humane" way of euthanizing them? ....

You're saying the whales are trying to evolve? Fair enough, we better not shoot them then. Darwin would've been pissed at us for interrupting the process.

Originally Posted by r87mm

Didn't I read that someone shot an elk at around 800yds with a .243? Imagine the damage it would do at close range on a whale. Personally whats wrong with a 12 gauge and slugs. It puts most big game cartridges to shame at close range and is a hell of a lot cheaper. Any way what right do we have to stop evolution when a whale decides it wants to become a land mammal we should let it. If it becomes an Asian delicacy on the way then that surely is part of the natural process isn't it? All I hope is that they are 1080 tolerant When they join us on the land ... Or maybe 1080 is another "humane" way of euthanizing them? ....

As 1080 is a routine kill method used by DOC surely you can't be too severely criticised for inflicting unnecessary suffering.

[NB, sarcasm]

I was offered an old rusted .303 once that had been used to put many whales down over the years, somewhere up round Nelson. They used military .303 ammo.

454 whalebley

The whale was shot, Im not sure what caliber, but it was big.

I understand that the chances of re-floating a whale on the west coast is very low, much greater chance on the east coast