Buckshot for deer?

[Dutchman01]

I just wanted to know what ya'll thought of 00 buckshot for deer. I'll be hunting in the Ozark Mountains. It's pretty much wild, rough, country. Ranges tend to be short.

[gd357]

I've never used buckshot for whitetails, so I can't speak from personal experience.

However, I have a friend whose favorite deer gun was a single shot 10 gauge. He killed deer at ranges I wouldn't have tried to shoot with OO buck. Never lost a deer, most of them dropped in their tracks (tends to happen when a pellet or two hits the spine). If you keep your ranges short, it should work - it has been working for many years. JMHO

gd

[Mr. 16 gauge]

I've never used buckshot on deer, either, but I did some playing around with it re: ranges. Talk about a 'rainbow trajectory'!:eek:
At 25 yards, pellets usually found their mark, and depending on the load, gauge, choke, ect,. would, IMHO, been effective (most of the pellets in the vitals).
...HOWEVER! At 50 yards, most of the pellets were hitting extremely low on the target, and some were even kicking up dirt in front of the target! At 75 yards, FORGET IT!!!! the pellets were kicking up dirt at less than half way between the 50 yard & 75 yard target.
You said "close range', but didn't say how close.;) IMHO, I wouldn't use it any farther than 30 yards distant. I would also skip the smaller (#4) buck in favor of the bigger 00, and pattern test your load prior to hunting with it.....I've found that in some instances some things like copper plated shot and buffer can make a difference and really tighten patterns.
Good luck.

[M.T. Pockets]

I've shot a lot of deer with a shotgun, but all with slugs. Trust me, if you hit them with buckshot you would hit them with a slug too. Plus, you'd be using a load that many people use as grizzly bear protection instead of a 00 pellet. Even if most shots are close, a slug would give you range out to 100 yards or so.

I would suggest a shotgun with a slug barrell, it's much more efficient and versatile. You mention that most shots will be close, I've killed many deer at around 25 yards with a slug, works great. It leaves a nice blood trail too, something that buckshot likely wouldn't. I don't mean to hijack this away from buckshot, but I think you'd be happier with slugs.

[popplecop]

If I were to use a shotgun for deer huntin it would be with slugs.

[wrenchman]

I have killed deer with buck shot it is a good tool in the right condition and that is what it is.
Just like if you were going turkey hunting patern your gun no were it shoots and its max range.
Check to make sure buck shot can be yoused some states do not allow it.
Also if you are on a club property they might have rules about it one way or the other.

[dovehunter]

I hunt in many areas where it's not legal to use slugs. I also hunt in areas that are pretty densely wooded. This has forced me to use buckshot over the years and I am absolutely convinced that it is effective up to at least 50 yards. I lost one of the nicest deer I have ever seen shooting slugs. Afterwards I noticed that I had chopped down several small pines trying to shoot through them to the deer. Had I been shooting buckshot I would have gotten that deer. After 40-plus years of hunting deer under these conditions and ranges I will take buckshot any time over slugs at ranges of 50 yards or less. I hear a lot of people say "Oh don't use buckshot, use slugs". That tells me either that (1) someone is just giving what they think is the politically correct answer and/or (2) that they have never tried buckshot at all or at least not given it a fair chance. Get some buckshot and try it out at ranges up to 50 yards. Don't just restrict it to 00 buckshot, also try some 0, 000 and no. 1 (my personal favorite). If your shotgun has screw-in choke tubes try modified as well as full. Sometimes I have found, particularly with larger buckshot sizes, that modified will actually give denser patterns than full choke. I think you may be surprised just how effective buckshot can be.

[Dutchman01]

I hunt in many areas where it's not legal to use slugs. I also hunt in areas that are pretty densely wooded. This has forced me to use buckshot over the years and I am absolutely convinced that it is effective up to at least 50 yards. I lost one of the nicest deer I have ever seen shooting slugs. Afterwards I noticed that I had chopped down several small pines trying to shoot through them to the deer. Had I been shooting buckshot I would have gotten that deer. After 40-plus years of hunting deer under these conditions and ranges I will take buckshot any time over slugs at ranges of 50 yards or less. I hear a lot of people say "Oh don't use buckshot, use slugs". That tells me either that (1) someone is just giving what they think is the politically correct answer and/or (2) that they have never tried buckshot at all or at least not given it a fair chance. Get some buckshot and try it out at ranges up to 50 yards. Don't just restrict it to 00 buckshot, also try some 0, 000 and no. 1 (my personal favorite). If your shotgun has screw-in choke tubes try modified as well as full. Sometimes I have found, particularly with larger buckshot sizes, that modified will actually give denser patterns than full choke. I think you may be surprised just how effective buckshot can be.

Actually I wouldn't be surprised by buckshot. I have patterned it at 50 yards already. My drilling has a full and modified choke. Both pattern quite well at 50 yards. 50 yards is plenty of range in the area I hunt.

What I'm uncertain of is the killing ability of buckshot. On this forum it's about 50/50 for/against using it on deer. Surprisingly it's about the same on the other forums I've asked the same question. I'm quite surprised by the difference of opinion on this subject.

[wrenchman]

I have yoused slugs and buck shot the aspect of a point and shoot with a beed in tight areas is nice.
I do no that the same could be done with a slug and have done it when i thought my shots would be longer then i wanted but when i feal the shots will be under 50 yards and my field of view is restricted i like buck shot and it works well.

[Swift]

If you know where yer gun patterns at and you stay within its limitations you'll be fine.

They call it Buckshot for a reason.

[buckhunter]

I've used it and been fairly successful with it. If you use a full coke and keep the ranges at say 50 yrs or less it pretty good. We have area's of Mass that resemble the swamps of the south and I have found buckshot is the only way to go in these area however being a little older and a little wiser I stay away from them now.

My dad used to hunt deer in Arkansas and thats all he used.

[dovehunter]

I wholeheartedly agree with Wrenchman, Swift, and Buckhunter - if you do your job the buckshot will do it's job. Based on my experience, I can almost guarantee in the really thick stuff at close range that you will score enough hits to get your deer. Under the same conditions it will be more chancy with slugs.

[Dutchman01]

In all honesty boys I'm going to be hunting with a drilling this year. I'm going to stoke the full choke with a slug, the left with buckshot, and the rifle with o6. I'm guessing I'll be covered for just about any eventuality. I'm still amazed at the conflicting opinions about buckshot tho. It's pretty much the same on the other forums I've asked this same question, a 50/50 split.

[wrenchman]

It is a combonation of some states dont allow it and there being so much out there that is deemed better then buck shot.
Some of the new sabot rounds can be shot out to 200 yards

[Dutchman01]

It is a combonation of some states dont allow it and there being so much out there that is deemed better then buck shot.
Some of the new sabot rounds can be shot out to 200 yards

So, you feel it all boils down to range?

[wrenchman]

I dont feal it is so much a range thing so much as most would feal if you can shoot farther it must be better.
It is called perceaved comfert there was a time when most guns didnt shoot slugs acurate past 80 yards.
I read a old nra mag that was old on how to get the best groups out of a smoth bore gun and it talked about installing a peep and the best range was about 80 yards.
Now you have to realize 50 to 80 yards is not that great and most times it would still be a dead deer and this was still before iron sighted smoth bore slug guns of the 70s.
Most hunters dont realize just like there has been improvements in slugs the same is trew in buck shot it dos not have to be just round lead balls winchester makes copper plated bufferd rounds that hold a group real well
there are all typs of roundsyou can work with.

[Dutchman01]

I dont feal it is so much a range thing so much as most would feal if you can shoot farther it must be better.
It is called perceaved comfert there was a time when most guns didnt shoot slugs acurate past 80 yards.
I read a old nra mag that was old on how to get the best groups out of a smoth bore gun and it talked about installing a peep and the best range was about 80 yards.
Now you have to realize 50 to 80 yards is not that great and most times it would still be a dead deer and this was still before iron sighted smoth bore slug guns of the 70s.
Most hunters dont realize just like there has been improvements in slugs the same is trew in buck shot it dos not have to be just round lead balls winchester makes copper plated bufferd rounds that hold a group real well
there are all typs of roundsyou can work with.

Well, I'm in a special kind of situation. I'll have one barrel with a slug and another with an 06 round. I was thinking buckshot would round out my situation quite nicely. It's something I'm going to try at any rate. I appreciate your recomendation on the winchester buckshot tho I'm probably going to stay with the remingtons I've already purchased and patterned this year. Out to 50 yards the pattern with the modified choke is just fine out to 50 yards and I always have the other two barrels for the longer ranged situations.

[akbound]

Hi Dutchman01!

First, Hi to everyone! I'm new here and this is my first post and as I'm not sure that I'm not covering already familiar information, please bear with me if so.

Second, I'd like to say I haven't tried products from either of these companies so this is most decidely not an endorsement. But these products look sufficiently interesting so that I will try quite a number of them. I'm referring to the heavier than standard slugs, different heavy buckshot loads, and the Tri-ball loads:

http://www.paraklesetechnologies.com/products.asp?cat=13

http://www.dixieslugs.com/products.html

Dutchman01 I thought you might find a product here to meet your need with your dreilling loads! And last I noticed that this is quite a dated thread, but as it is still listed on the first page of the subforum it's on I thought y'all might not mind my replying!

Dave

[fabsroman]

Hi Dutchman01!

First, Hi to everyone! I'm new here and this is my first post and as I'm not sure that I'm not covering already familiar information, please bear with me if so.

Second, I'd like to say I haven't tried products from either of these companies so this is most decidely not an endorsement. But these products look sufficiently interesting so that I will try quite a number of them. I'm referring to the heavier than standard slugs, different heavy buckshot loads, and the Tri-ball loads:

http://www.paraklesetechnologies.com/products.asp?cat=13

http://www.dixieslugs.com/products.html

Dutchman01 I thought you might find a product here to meet your need with your dreilling loads! And last I noticed that this is quite a dated thread, but as it is still listed on the first page of the subforum it's on I thought y'all might not mind my replying!

Dave

Dave,

Welcome to the board. Hope you have a great time here. I don't think anybody minds you replying to a thread that is from September. Any information is good information, especially if it has not been covered yet. Sometimes, when I do google searches for hunting stuff, threads from this chatboard show up in the results. You never know who will be reading this information a year or two from now.

Hope you had a great season.

[wrenchman]

FFg has a great artical about buck shot

[GoodOlBoy]

Nothing wrong with buckshot for deer so long as you except the limitations of clean kills and stick with them. IE SHORT range. Also depending on where you hit them you can lose a bit of meat (not to mention if you hit them purty antlers you gonna ruin em. But ya can't eat antlers)

GoodOlBoy

[akbound]

Thanks for the welcome fabsroman, I'm sure I'll enjoy participating and learning. And as I alluded to I'm looking forward to trying some of the different than standard loads listed by the two companies referenced in my earlier post, perhaps after some warmer weather.

If I don't forget I'll try to post the results of those trials here for others to check out as well, (maybe some pattern and accuracy results and if possible penetration as well).

Dave