Would you attempt to shoot a deer with #4 buckshot?

"Buckshot" is for birds and thieves
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As the name implies, buckshot is for bucks, or deer, if you prefer. Birdshot is for birds. Thieves get 45 caliber hollow points.

That said, at 25 yds, out of a 2-3/4" 12 ga shotgun, #4 buckshot will kill deer. 0, 00, or 000 wil kill them at longer ranges. But dead is dead.

a pudu deer
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I thought the musk deer was the smallest deer, but I was wrong. Musk deer are 14"-18" tall, and that little thing is only 12" tall! I guess I better load up the 460 Weatherby and go get one . . .
 
Crazy

The fact that so many people said, "i wouldn't", or "probably not", or i guess you could", leads me to seriously question the intelligence and usefulness of anything I read in these forums. The correct answer is NO! Evidently you've never hunted anything in your life, which is fine, I hadn't until I was 9. Let me tell you though, slugs or center fire cartridges ONLY. My Grandpa used to tell stories of taking deer back in the day with a .22, but that was the depression, and there's no excuse for it today.
 
#4 buckshot is .25 cal & we all know what a potent round the 25acp is. this was an excellent goose load before we had to go non-tox. not for deer.
 
I personally wouldn't go lighter than a #1. I like the # of shot in that round. That being said, I've never killed deer w/ a shotgun...I did kill a ferral goat with a 20 ga Stevens side by side when I was a teenager though...(we all know the STUPID things we did as teens - this was one that could have gone wrong, but didn't...) I pulled both triggers simultaneously and put 2 rounds of #6 birdshot in the head of a goat inside of 20yds. Dropped it like a brick. So I would say #4 would kill, but wouldn't be the best choice...I know I'm going to catch crap for the above statement, but I will say it too...that was one of those stupid numskull teenage things I did...Wouldn't repeat it, but glad the results were what they were...
 
Only if it was the only thing I had with me or I couldn't borrow a few shells from one of my hunting buds. I wouldn't intentionally go deer hunting with
#4s.
 
Buckshot

If you are forced to use a shotgun (i.e. in a shotgun zone) I would always use a slug. Buckshot is the greatest crippler of all time and is a terrible idea on a Whitetail deer.

JP
 
Every deer I've ever shot at, I shot at with buckshot. Every one of them fell right in their tracks. They might have tried to get back up, but not one ever did. Only one took more than two shots.

I've seen a lot of deer killed with buckshot. Within it's range limitations it is as deadly as anything else. I have heard stories of deer being killed at 100 yards with buckshot, but I suspect those who tell them wouldn't know 100 yards from 100 miles. In my experience, about 40-45 steps is as far as I've ever shot at a deer. That's a long way around here. Even when hunting over a field stand, I'd step off that 40 steps and tell myself, inside here, shoot. Outside, don't.

Having said that, I would never use No 4 buck. I've heard of people who have killed deer with it but I just never did trust it. Every deer I ever killed was with No 1, all but one of them out of a 3" mag gun. I always felt this was the best combination of number of shot, and size (weight) of the pellets. A lot of guys I hunted with liked 00, or even 000. The deer I have seen killed with 000 went down like lightening hit them. That stuff breaks BIG bones and keeps on going. It just never patterned well in my gun. For me it was No 1 or nothing.
 
I have sucessflly use 4 buck to take a deer at approximaty 70 yards. adropped it on the spot. that being said, i would not use buckshot on deer. if you absoutely must use buck I would go with #1.
 
Superdave, I have used shotguns with #4 buck for a long time and it flat out kills them dead. I have killed deer at 60yds with #4buck and never had a problem at all. Yes its smaller but it works and I find it patterns alot better than anything else. Most people say no but I live in a state where its shotgun only and have alot of time in with shotgun deer hunting and have never seen a deer crippled and lost with #4 buck. I shoot a Browning 3.5 for deer drives and it packs 54 pellets vs 9 or 12 of 00 buck. I would rather hit a deer with 15 or 20 pellets of #4 buck than 1 or 2 of 00 buck. Yes, I do shoot a slug gun and prefer it when on stand or in the open but in the thickets and swamps its useless and turn to the #4 buck.
 
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