buckshot for deer ?

I don't recall anyone saying that buckshot isn't suitable for deer, only that it's a short range proposition.
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Sure they have.
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OK, please provide the exact quote and post number.


It's coming out of a shotgun, last I checked, shotguns were limited range tools. 50-60yds is the max effective range in most instances with anything but a slug. Although it will kill at further ranges.

I, no lie, killed a wood duck stone dead at 80 yds with heavi-shot one day. One pellet straight through the melon

Goes back to know your gun, your patterns and your limitations. It's a game of chance with a shotgun. The closer you are the better your odds but you aren't killing dinner if you aren't slapping that trigger.
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Here we have a basic philosophical difference. Sure it's possible to shoot a shotgun at game at very long distances and have it drop dead, but some of us are reluctant to rely on sheer luck in these matters and prefer to only shoot when there is an overwhelming probability of a clean kill. With deer and buckshot, that's going to be at short range.
 
So much for that challenge! I was really hoping natman would give us an example of his experience.

Humane kills are great, do you humane killers kill every bird or rabbit you stroke a scattergun at?
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Or anything else they (we) point bang sticks at?

Here we have a basic philosophical difference. Sure it's possible to shoot a shotgun at game at very long distances...
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I have yet to see anyone on this thread advocate, suggest, or entertain the idea that the shot gun is a platform for anything other than close range work.
The quoted comments were simply pointing out the killing potential of a single pellet beyond any reasonable distance. The philosophical difference is whether the buckshot will deliver a 'humane' or 'ethical' kill. My opinion on that is this: ethics among hunters vary as widely as the effective killing ranges noted in this thread. 'Hunters' can take poor shots with both the shotgun and rifle. 'Seasoned' hunters know when to say "no" to poor shot opportunities - probably from previous experience crippling or losing wounded game altogether.

The point is that you have to use judgement with the scattergun.
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Saltydog235 has it spot on!

When did the OP die and leave Brad in charge?
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Thank you for your service Globemaster3.

It is a pet peave of mine that members refuse stay on topic and want to steer the discussion into a completely different subject.

Would it help to admit that I have "control issues"?
 
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Here we have a basic philosophical difference. Sure it's possible to shoot a shotgun at game at very long distances and have it drop dead, but some of us are reluctant to rely on sheer luck in these matters and prefer to only shoot when there is an overwhelming probability of a clean kill. With deer and buckshot, that's going to be at short range.
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You aren't a very successful hunter are you?

Ever been on a deer drive in the south with the hounds running. They don't allow rifles or slugs to be used, standers are spaced a good bit apart and the hounds run the deer. Ever seen a pickup truck so loaded with dead deer killed with buckshot that it's bottomed out? I have and been responsible for more than one of the number on the truck.

I've been using a scattergun since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, over the years I've probably killed more critters with one that the plague has killed people. You learn what it can and cannot do, 50-60yds is the effective range of buckshot, though you might get lucky further out every once in a while. 20-30yds is ridiculously short.

Do you only shoot birds that you have a high probability of killing? Or do you shoot at those marginal birds, maybe wounding them?
 
This guy claims to have used a rather large shotgun on deer at 120 yards:

http://www.buckstix.com/howitzer.htm

As for me, I'd never try buckshot past a 20 yard shot, would only use Triple OT buck, xtra-full turkey choke, and and would go for the neck, not vitals. Never tried it though. That limits your range to even less than manual bow.

SEEMS like it would be extremely effective in creating a DRT with a neck shot, if used strictly within its range, but dunno anyone who's actually done it. I mean, 9 pellets of triple OT (which are essentially the same weight as a .380 auto bullet) - heck, even if only 4 hit the neck, seems like it would drop them like a sack o potatoes - again, I wouldn't try anything but neck shot, and 20 or maaaaaybe 25 yards tops. I'd want at least 5 or 6 of those 9 triple-ots to hit that neck.
 
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I am not sure how you go from a challenge to share a personal experience, to a personal attack, but I suppose that is one way to end a debate. Is it off base to make such a challenge in order to qualify the basis for comments or opinions given in a forum? This is a serious question. If this is the case, I will never do it again.

I sincerely apologize, I did not intend to attack your character, experience or anything else.
 
I have killed a few deer with buck shot. Although I don't think much of head shots with a rifle that is what I go for with buck shot. At any reasonable distance you will have several shot hit the head and neck and they fall pretty fast. I have been surprised at how slow heart lung area shots stop a deer even at close range compared to a big rifle that often body slams one right there.
 
It's too bad the discussion has descended to personal attacks.
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It's not a personal attack, it's a general observation based on the fact you simply do not know what you are talking about and seem to have very limited experience with the subject. Time and again you have been corrected by people with real world experience in spades who refute your claims yet you continue with the position. Maybe view it at constructive criticism by experienced buckshoterators.
 
what was the .577 Tyrannosaur designed for then? What are we supposed to hunt with it?
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Anything you want, dead is dead, you can't get too dead. A little dead is pretty much the same as a lotta dead.
 
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I have been surprised at how slow heart lung area shots stop a deer even at close range
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That's because the deer being shot with buck is typically in a flight mode with adrenalin coursing for survival. If you made the shot on it at rest like with a rifle, it's either drop or go the same distance. I've rolled a many up that piled head over heals in a cartwheel on a run, seen them run for a while loaded up and a bloody mess.
 
We used buckshot quite a bit back when I was a young man and everyone ran deer with dogs. Buckshot got a bad rap back then IMHO for the following reasons.

1. Almost no one I knew back in those days patterned their shotguns with it. They bought a box of buckshot and hit the woods. No clue as to what pattern they were getting or even if their gun was throwing the center of the pattern to point of aim.

2. We were shooting at moving deer. And not just moving but moving at a rate of speed that only a pack of hounds can inspire.

3. People did not respect the limited range of buckshot. A range that I would place at 40 yards. But it's very hard to hold fire on a really nice buck that the dogs ran pass you at 50 or 60 yards. Most people couldn't resist.

That said, if you pattern your gun; your aim is true; and you keep your shots close then buckshot will kill deer. I killed a pile of them with it back in the day.
 
Salty has some very valid points hear people. I've done dog drives all over SC and have killed my fair share. I've also missed my fair share. Tell you what, if you think you can drop a deer in his tracks with one shot in flight mode every time, I'll bring my H&R 12ga single shot and lets see it jack. I've dropped several with 1 shot. But that several is over the course more than 20 years of dog driving. I've also takin shots I had no business taking. I had a doe hit a dirtroad right at 70 steps from me (roughly 60-68yards ish). The first shot was just above her head, she goes down and I start sprinting to her. She gets back up when I closed roughly 30 paces from original distance. Second shot, she's down for the count with a broadside neck shot. Get to her and realized there wasn't much damage. First shot had 2 pellets hit her in the back of her skull. Second shot had 5 pellets hit her spine in various areas of her neck. And Salty is right that in SC you can't use slugs or rifles in a drive. As many out of staters we get, that cant shoot, they don't need harder penetrating, longer range weapons.
 
Todd, what percentage of shots were neck vs. vitals?
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For others back then I cannot recall, but I always aimed for the vitals. My hits were not always perfect due to shooting at deer that were often running wide open.

And what size - OO?
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I used both Number 1 and 00 at various times. I know the general consensus will probably be that 00 is vastly superior to number 1 buckshot but I saw little effective difference at shot distances 40 yards and closer. 00 did not always pattern well out of all my guns. To show my age most of us were using 2 3/4 inch shells back then and number 1 buckshot gave you about twice the pellets as 00. As I recall there were about 16 to 18 pellets in a 2 3/4 12 gauge number 1 buckshot vs just 8 or 9 pellets in the same size 00. That being the case I almost always got better patterns with number 1 buckshot. And as I said before I saw little difference in lethality.

And what type choke?
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Full with some and modified with others. Wish I could be more helpful but only way to know is to pattern your gun with both.

And what were your max distances?
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40 yards is the max range I tried to stay within.
 
I don't recommend it, but if you know your shot will be around 20-30 yards it will do the job if you use the right load. That's 3" plated 00 Buck. Don't use standard lead buck because your going to get far less penetration than plated buck. Either way it's not ideal for something you plan to eat. 3" buck at 20-30 yards and your going to have holes all in the deer. Why not use slugs, which is a good option. Save the buckshot for HD or general mayhem.
 
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