deer hunting with buckshot?

whitetailwoodsarcher

whitetailwoodsarcher

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ok this may be a stupid question but im going to ask it anyways. i was out testing how the federal 00 buck patterened a 22 yards. i got about an 8 inch patteren. im just woundering is it legal to hunt whitetail with buckshot? what season would it be legal to hunt with it in, muzzleloader? and would it humanly kill a big buck or large doe? reson im thinking about using it is i like to try new things i have bow hunted and muzzleloader hunted and rifle hunted but with all those you can shoot deer anywere from 60 yards and up. my bow is sighted in for 60 yards. with the shotgun loaded with buckshot you have to be 22 yards and cloaser to get a good pattern. btw in in sask.
thanks.
 
The legality of hunting with buckshot would be in your hunting Regs. As far as using buckshot, its quite effective on deer at close range, but many guns pattern so differently from one to the next, as does one choke to the next. Just try to pattern it on a piece of cardboard by backing up 5 or 10 yards at a time. When the shot pattern gets as big as the heart/lung area of a deer, then thats the range. Personaly, I favor slugs over buckshot for deer.
 
Its good to know that you care about the game you hunt.
Many have used buckshot and still do in close range apps.
What I dont like are people using it for longer range. (crippling, and lost game factor is enormous) I would only use it for jumpshooting bucks in very heavy cover, otherwise use it for plinking fun on paper targets and such.

A slug from a shotgun does more immediate damage and can do it to about 100 yards, if you can do youre part... cant say that about any buckshot.
 
A nice choke...and and 00 buck is good to about 30 yards for me. Each lead pellet is like hitting it with a 9mm so 2-3 in the kill zone and your good but the more, the better.
 
I pulled 00buck out of a deers ass one time (see what i did there?)....Anyway someone had taken a shot at it while it was running away and had crippled it, breaking one of its hind legs. My cousin ended up seeing the deer the next day and shot it. We didn't even know it had been previously hit until we had it on the ground. But i digress.

Short answer: For close range it can be useful. Just don't shoot a deer up the pooper with it at 60 yards. It won't be pretty.
 
It is legal in Sask was long as the pellet size is over .23" - that means minimum size is american #4 buck. So 00 buck is legal size. Like other posters have noted, buckshot is effective only at very close range and on shots that are not going away. Stick to 35 yds or less, broadside shots or oncoming shots, and you will be OK. Can only be used for deer in Sask in the regular firearms season, not primitive weapons season.
 
mlehtovaara said:
Why anyone would use buckshot these days is beyond me.........

Slugs provide more energy, more range, and are typically the same price.

Buckshot is useless IMHO.
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well, some people do hunt where shots are going to be a maximum of 30-40 yards and buckshot is a very good option for hunting in thick cover. a deer hit in the boiler room with a good pattern of 00 buck under 40 yards is going down, but the problem is many people won't spend the money finding the choke and load combination that gives the best pattern.

that said, your last comment suggests you haven't even used the stuff on game before. i've seen deer drop like a bag of rocks ;)
 
mlehtovaara said:
Why anyone would use buckshot these days is beyond me.........

Slugs provide more energy, more range, and are typically the same price.

Buckshot is useless IMHO.
Click to expand...

Its not useless, I use it for bear repellent. 2 slugs followed by 3 Buckshot. If i need to use the buckshot, I don't need any distance.
 
In conversations with an experienced MNR manager, I was told that if it was up to him, buckshot would be banned. He has simply seen too many wounded and crippled deer. As others have suggested, a slug is a much better option, IMHO. I have had great results with Lightfield Hybred sabots in my rifled barrel Remington 870 and Challenger slugs in my Mossberg 500 smooth bore for deer and bear.
 
hiredgun said:
In conversations with an experienced MNR manager, I was told that if it was up to him, buckshot would be banned. He has simply seen too many wounded and crippled deer. As others have suggested, a slug is a much better option, IMHO. I have had great results with Lightfield Hybred sabots in my rifled barrel Remington 870 and Challenger slugs in my Mossberg 500 smooth bore for deer and bear.
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like i said, many won't take the time to find the proper load/choke combo for best results. this problem is only made worse by people taking hail mary shots with their guns throwing horrible patterns. from what i've personally seen and heard, more deer are wounded by arrows than buckshot. again, inexperienced hunters taking hail mary shots is the culprit. too many of these people go out with the spray and pray mentality.

obviously a slug provides further range, but it's up to the individual to use what they please.

why use a recurve or longbow when you can use a 350 fps compound?
why use a handgun when you can use a rifle(in some states)?
why use an old flintlock when you can use a new inline muzzleloader?

the point is proper shot placement and using a tool within it's means results in venison in the freezer. there's a flavor for everyone.
 
squid1230 said:
A few years ago my mom was killed while out for a walk. Buddy used 00 and hit her in the abdomen with one pellet. Needless to say, had the moron been using slugs she would be here today. Just my 2 cents based on personal experience.
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I remember reading about that Squid. I'm so very sorry to hear that happened.
Makes us all want to use common sense when in the field, and no hail mary shots at what looks like a deer.
Buckshot used correctly is a 30 to 40 yard load max, and hard to mistake an intended target with it at that range with open sights.
 
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