Best Deer gun for "Pushing the Bush"

Best deer hunting gun for "pushing the bush"

  • Lever action 30-30

    Votes: 246 48.7%
  • Shotgun with buckshot or slugs

    Votes: 55 10.9%
  • Remington or Browning Semi in .243,.270,.308,30/06,etc

    Votes: 33 6.5%
  • Ruger Mini-30

    Votes: 18 3.6%
  • Bolt Action Rifle in .243,270,.308,30/06,etc

    Votes: 78 15.4%
  • SKS

    Votes: 28 5.5%
  • None of the obove (explain)

    Votes: 47 9.3%

  • Total voters
    505
  • Poll closed .
The only thing that kind of sucks about a Bolt Action, is that almost every bolt gun out there is scoped. That makes finding your target quickly hard to do most of the time.
 
760 Carbine in .308 with Leupold 1.5x5. Perfect for the task!

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The only thing that kind of sucks about a Bolt Action, is that almost every bolt gun out there is scoped. That makes finding your target quickly hard to do most of the time.
Ever heard of a low powered scope? A 1x4 or 1.5x5 will eliminate the problem you speak of.

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Deerfield .44.....FTW. Best dogging gun ever built, hands down. 18.5" Barrel, semi, plenty of knock down power out to 100, manageable recoil for quick follow up, .44 diameter holes. I've been pushing the boreal for 15 years, and after trying them all, the little Ruger is the last gun I will buy for the task. :)

I agree with this comment..I use one as well...Put an XS ghost ring on and it makes the deer hard to miss..I also have a Winchester model 100 carbine in .308 With a 1.5 -5 x I use when pushing more "open" areas
 
Ever heard of a low powered scope? A 1x4 or 1.5x5 will eliminate the problem you speak of.

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True enough....I have a Tikka T3 lite stainless in 30/06 with a 3x9x40 Burris Fullfield II, and when the scope is on 3x magnification, it is quite easy to pick up targets. I don't know if it would be easy to pick up moving targets though.
 
I use this Remmy 760 in .270 with a red dot. I also think a good pump (870 or 500) in 12 guage with a slug barrel would be pretty good deer medicine in this role.
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My brush gun is a Marlin 336 in 35 remington. For me it is not about how many rounds I can get off but a rifle I can shoulder quickly and shoot efficiently. I hunt on Manitoulin Island and it is very thick cedar bush where we are. You jump a deer you probally will only get one shot off maybe 2 at most.
 
I.M.O. A Marlin Guide gun in 45-70 with a 300 or 350 grain hunting bullet. Rifle is good for all ranges mentioned, bigger hole & possibly less meat damage with a less than good shot (less hydraulic effect from bigger, slower bullet). In most cases a larger bullet will leave a better blood trail, cause that deer in the bush will move after getting hit with even a boiler room shot. In the bush you mention, with no snow, I would want a good blood trail. After all 75 -100 yards in thick bush, sometimes, might as well be a mile when it comes to tracking....
 
760 Carbine in .308 with Leupold 1.5x5. Perfect for the task!

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Gotta agree, this is about the best!

My 760 has a 1.5-4.5 Elite 3200 on it, with Leopold QRW rings. Although the scope rarely comes off my rifle, I have on a few occasions used the quick release rings to allow me to use the iron sights when dogging on those really, really nasty wet snowy days, when every step triggers an avalanche of heavy wet snow from the branches overhead.

I do A LOT of the dogging at my deer camp and at one time or another I've carried most of the suggestions in this thread. I find that when some people are talking about "the best" dogging gun, what they are really talking about is the gun that is the most comfortable to carry; and not necessarilly the best combination of gun and sighting system for putting deer on the meat pole.
 
Sometimes takes me a long time to reply to threads, I like to read them all first. I used to push the bush with a #5 Jungle Carbine, loaded with 150gr bullets. Since I bought my first SKS though, I use that. Handload 150gr RN bullets, it has lots of punch for the ranges encountered. Target acquisition is a bit of a pain with a standard stock and a scope kit for it. I had to build up the comb an inch, and, as always, add an inch to the butt. (That's what Limbsavers are for). Gotta come up with a better scope mount.
If it is my day on stand, then I have my trusty .30-06 to do the job it was built for.
 
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