jeepster, you have all you NEED for deer hunting. With adequate woods/hunting skills and marksmanship you can humanely take deer with the SKS and soft point ammo from Federal or others. You can also humanely take deer with your 12 gauge and rifled slugs (or 000 buckshot - that's why they call it buckshot).
Impersonally standing off so far that the "target" is treated like a paper target in a 20x scope is like an "engagement" from Desert Storm, the video of which was broadcast on TV. One of our gunships "acquires" two target tanks while hovering thousands of yards away. The gunner paints the target with a laser and fires a smart missle.
This whole idea of "needing" a high power rifle to drop game from several hundred yards is the equivalent of calling in an airstrike. For gosh sakes folks! Sportsmanship also should include giving the animal enough respect to meet it on its own terms.
Take the time to learn your quarry and to stalk it. Get close enough to see the quivers of its flesh as it fends of flies and mosquitoes. When you accomplish this, then then open sights with the SKS is entirely adequate for a clean kill and a shotgun slug seems like a bludgeon.
How many here have stalked to within several yards of deer or other similar game? I have. Bowhunters often do so. I know of a fellow who gave up bowhunting because he felt it was unfairly unsportsmanlike. He then hunted deer with a spear! Okay, that maybe is taking it too far, but compared to that, the SKS is more than adequate for the job IF you do your part.
Impersonally standing off so far that the "target" is treated like a paper target in a 20x scope is like an "engagement" from Desert Storm, the video of which was broadcast on TV. One of our gunships "acquires" two target tanks while hovering thousands of yards away. The gunner paints the target with a laser and fires a smart missle.
This whole idea of "needing" a high power rifle to drop game from several hundred yards is the equivalent of calling in an airstrike. For gosh sakes folks! Sportsmanship also should include giving the animal enough respect to meet it on its own terms.
Take the time to learn your quarry and to stalk it. Get close enough to see the quivers of its flesh as it fends of flies and mosquitoes. When you accomplish this, then then open sights with the SKS is entirely adequate for a clean kill and a shotgun slug seems like a bludgeon.
How many here have stalked to within several yards of deer or other similar game? I have. Bowhunters often do so. I know of a fellow who gave up bowhunting because he felt it was unfairly unsportsmanlike. He then hunted deer with a spear! Okay, that maybe is taking it too far, but compared to that, the SKS is more than adequate for the job IF you do your part.