.22 hornet deer hunting
- Thread starter dirtyrigpig
- Start date
Any .22 centerfire and rimfire are forbidden for big game hunting here in Quebec and probably in your province too. Check your province regulation.
With that said 22 hornet can harvest deer if a well place shot is taken up close.
BUT it is not a deer rifle by any standard it is a good varmint inside 175-200 yard cartridge , leave it at that
With that said 22 hornet can harvest deer if a well place shot is taken up close.
BUT it is not a deer rifle by any standard it is a good varmint inside 175-200 yard cartridge , leave it at that
Wrong. In BC (which is the province the OP is from judging by the BC flag in his avatar) you could hunt grizzly bear with a .22 Hornet if you were stupid enough to try it.
As for hunting deer with the Hornet I would say that is nearly as silly as hunting bears with one. Yes it will work - as will a .22 rimfire - but you would have to be very close and able to put the bullet in precisely the right place.
In truth a 40 grain solid lead rimfire bullet would probably penetrate better than a varmint bullet launched from a 22 Hornet.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
BC, Manitoba, NB, and many counties in Northern Ontario allow 22 centrefire for big game.
Labrador allows 22 centrefire for barren ground caribou as well.
well if it's legal and it's all you got go nutz... but if you have access to a lager caliber use it. It's not a question is can it kill it it's a question of how humanely. You could kill it with a bbgun theoretically, but would it be human? not really. So all i have to say is make sure you know where your shot is going to land. and have fun.
Yeah. I was reading somewhere that one of the long running arguments up in the North between the old guys and the younger ones, is whether the 22 Hornet is all you need, or if the .222 Rem is a better round for Caribou and Polar bears.
With something more solid than a typical varmint bullet, it might serve in a pinch. I'll go out onna limb and say that pretty much rules out factory ammo. The Ethics cops 'll getcha though, if you tell anyone about it. Carefully chosen shots and much confidence in your shot placement would be the order of the day.
But there are better choices out there, like the .223!
I will use a .223 for deer when I get back to BC. I won't use gopher bullets, either!
Legal? Yup. Will it work? Yup. Can you count on your hunting skills to place that bullet where it needs to be, or pass the shot up, if required? That's for you to decide.
Cheers
Trev
With something more solid than a typical varmint bullet, it might serve in a pinch. I'll go out onna limb and say that pretty much rules out factory ammo. The Ethics cops 'll getcha though, if you tell anyone about it. Carefully chosen shots and much confidence in your shot placement would be the order of the day.
But there are better choices out there, like the .223!
I will use a .223 for deer when I get back to BC. I won't use gopher bullets, either!
Legal? Yup. Will it work? Yup. Can you count on your hunting skills to place that bullet where it needs to be, or pass the shot up, if required? That's for you to decide.
Cheers
Trev
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
Hornets and 222's are commonly used on deer in Europe. Small Roe deer and such though. I would never attempt to shoot a whitetail with a hornet unless my family was starving and that was the only rifle I had. Can say I once shot a spiker whitetail with my 22-250 and a 50 grain Barnes X bullet, the generation before the ribbed TSX. Bang flop was the story.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
If Germany is any indication of the rest of Europe, the .222 is the minimum allowed for the tiny roe deer, the Hornet does not meet the minimum energy required. Even for Roe deer, the Germans that I know use something bigger than the .222
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I believe Austria & Scotland allowed 222 on roe deer only. West Germany (back then) had a minmum energy requirement for deer cartridges, that was met at the low end with a 5.6 X 50mm cartridge. A rifle round very similar to our 222 Remington Magnum.
migrant hunter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
There are only one or two countries where it is legal for Roe, and the it has a minimum bullet weight(50 gr I think) and energy limit.
I handload 45 and 50 gr bullets in a k hornet, and they certainly would kill a deer if you were close enough and picked your shot but so would a cinder block and I would'nt hunt with that either.
I handload 45 and 50 gr bullets in a k hornet, and they certainly would kill a deer if you were close enough and picked your shot but so would a cinder block and I would'nt hunt with that either.
The Hornet, in some places, used to be known as the poachers gun. It is quiet and still effective inside of a sane distance, easily attainable with a spotlight or out of season when the game wasn't spooked.
Or if you are able to bowhunt successfully and have legit intentions, the same range is appropriate. Talking to old timers I was told that during the "Dirty Thirties" 30WCF or 30-30 ammo was alot more than Hornet ammo and the Hornet was often found in the hands of cash strapped families with alot more time than money. If it was a choice between feeding your family and obeying game laws, the choice was clear. The game wardens understood that at that time and would only press the issue if there were abuses.
It wasn't only deer that fell to the diminutive little .22 Hornet, the odd moose that was foolish enough to let someone stalk up on him became much needed groceries too.
Much more recently, in 1986, I was 6 and the local sawmill closed putting 60% of the local people out of work. There were some lean years and tho we could afford deer tags, we sure didn't waste them and that was all we had for meat for a few winters in my home anyway. Unlike the oldtimers, we somehow always managed to get our deer within the perscribed season and time.
There was a few 22 Hornets that somehow came up for sale in the early 90's and I suspect they had been out of retirement for awhile about then. I seem to recall they went for dirt cheap when the economy bloomed again. One in particular catches my memory, a Savage 340 in .22 Hornet with a bolt handle that somebody had ground off for some odd reason. I was about 12 and one of my dad's friends had bought it for $75 with 2 boxs of shells.
Hopefully, your little CZ never has to see that duty, it would be a SHTF scene if it did I think. I wish you the best hunting with it. It will anchor deer if used reasonably, but only if used at very moderate ranges. Like I said Bow range is about right. I have tracked a few deer hit with a 22-250 because guys thought they were adequate for 3-400 yds and they merely damaged the deer and I found wolf kills after many miles of tracking.
Or if you are able to bowhunt successfully and have legit intentions, the same range is appropriate. Talking to old timers I was told that during the "Dirty Thirties" 30WCF or 30-30 ammo was alot more than Hornet ammo and the Hornet was often found in the hands of cash strapped families with alot more time than money. If it was a choice between feeding your family and obeying game laws, the choice was clear. The game wardens understood that at that time and would only press the issue if there were abuses.
It wasn't only deer that fell to the diminutive little .22 Hornet, the odd moose that was foolish enough to let someone stalk up on him became much needed groceries too.
Much more recently, in 1986, I was 6 and the local sawmill closed putting 60% of the local people out of work. There were some lean years and tho we could afford deer tags, we sure didn't waste them and that was all we had for meat for a few winters in my home anyway. Unlike the oldtimers, we somehow always managed to get our deer within the perscribed season and time.
There was a few 22 Hornets that somehow came up for sale in the early 90's and I suspect they had been out of retirement for awhile about then. I seem to recall they went for dirt cheap when the economy bloomed again. One in particular catches my memory, a Savage 340 in .22 Hornet with a bolt handle that somebody had ground off for some odd reason. I was about 12 and one of my dad's friends had bought it for $75 with 2 boxs of shells.
Hopefully, your little CZ never has to see that duty, it would be a SHTF scene if it did I think. I wish you the best hunting with it. It will anchor deer if used reasonably, but only if used at very moderate ranges. Like I said Bow range is about right. I have tracked a few deer hit with a 22-250 because guys thought they were adequate for 3-400 yds and they merely damaged the deer and I found wolf kills after many miles of tracking.
