buckshot

canadian hunter312 said:
How many pellets hit the deers head? You sure he was using lead and not rubber shot?





Some of the buckshot haters on CGN, who have either never shot buckshot or failed to pattern their loads, will try and convince you that buckshot is only effective on deer out to 10 yards and the shot will bounce off the deer if you're careless enough to shoot a deer past that range.

Turns out the people who actually use the stuff strongly disagree....
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One of my friends just shot a four point yesterday with some. Folded the buck right in his tracks.

I do prefer to use it on smaller deer. A couple of years back, when I was hunting some big buck country with a shotgun, I invested in some 10 gauge 00, as I figured I'd rather have 18 pellets than 8 if the deer was a real smasher. But, I have no doubt that you could even kill a moose with the stuff within the right range.
 
Gatehouse said:
When buckshot arrives en masse, it can be very effective. Therefore much depends on choke, pattern and distance.
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This. I'm not a fan of buckshot, and it seems our gang loses a deer every year with it (not me). But the problem is guys who buy the cheapest buckshot they can find, run it though their duck gun with whatever choke happens to be in it, never pattern and can't judge range when the time comes. Shot placement is another issue, and I was lucky enough to spot a doe that was shot "at" 3x with buckshot last year and finish her quickly with a .308. She was limping on a badly broken front leg, shot low at what would have been close enough range had the shot been better.

I fairness to buckshot, we've also lost deer by guys shooting at them way beyond their limitations with a rifle. It's the same guys who never shoot their rifles outside of deer season that think they can just pull the ol' ought-six out and kill a running deer at 200.:bangHead:
 
I've only shot 1 deer with buckshot. We hunt rifle area but there's one very thick cedar swamp we run, and there's no sense carrying a scoped rifle because most of this swamp you can't see anymore than 25-30 yds.
I was carrying my Ithaca 300 12 ga which I patterned and it shoots very tight patterns at 30 yds, which I had decided is as far as I will shoot.
Myself and another guy were standing on the edge of swamp waiting for the other pushers to get into position. He started walking in and a pair of does jumped up when he almost stepped on them in the long grass.The 1st 1 started running and I was just about to shoot when I seen the 2nd 1 out of the corner of my eye jump the rail fence running right at me.
I swung the shotgun on her and shot just as turned broadside at less than 10ft and hit her perfectly behind the shoulder. She hit the ground and her momentum slid her so close I could kick her in the nose without taking a step.
When I skinned her out 5 of the 9 pellets went through the hide and hit rib bones, then slid up bones and only stayed under hide sliding from mid body and twords back end. Those 5 were sitting, embedded in the fat.
The other 4 did go through and hit vitals and she dropped immediately but I was amazed at that short range that they didn't break the ribs and enter body cavity.
I haven't chance to use it again, and that's my only experience with it so I'm sure it could have just been a fluke, so I'm not running buckshot down and given the opportunity I will use it again being as it did still flatten her.
 
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I carry several 000 for the occasional Coyote coming in to the turkey dekes... see a yote, swap the shell then call em in. At 30yds full choke, they don't run far. I personally don't use buckshot for deer.
 
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