Ontario - length of shot

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I've never poked anything in Ontario beyond 125 yards. That was over a marshy area.

What is the Max magnification that is actually necessary for deer hunting in Ontatio, excluding hunting on farmland.

I know that it comes down to terrain, vantage point etc.

I'm debating with a friend right now as we gear up to go tromping through the woods this season. He is looking to pack a x25 and I'm thinking a x4 will do me just fine up to, say a couple hundred yards.

Not looking to change anyone's mind. Just looking for opinions.
 
In my home province of Ontario, mostly hunting in open to thick mix wood, farm fields, beaver marshes and such I've never had to take a shot at a deer at over 80 yards, just the way its always worked out. The majority of deer I've taken with rifles have been inside 40 yards, a 2.5-8 Leopold set on 2.5 has done my freezer and wall very well over the years. Seldom on a coyote, bear or moose way off on the other side of a cut or marsh have I cranked it up to 8, which has been more then enough, 8 power was more then enough for my longest Ontario coyote kill at 583 Yards,


Cheers,
 
Your 4x will be plenty. I've taken a couple critters at 200 and my scope has been set between 2.5 and 5 most of the time.
 
So, maybe less targets and more deer "killin'"? Front half of broadside deer, about half way up. About a 10" diameter area that will make no difference whatsoever - heart-lung area - put a bullet through that 10" and deer is dead and done - often within sight. Most should be able to plunk a 10" area with an iron sighted 30/30?? Been done hundreds of thousands of times I am sure. So, going with a 4 power scope, that is a 400 yard shot? But then wind effect and bullet drop become part of it. Bullet drop and wind effect just get worse and worse as range increases. Compound an inexperienced person twirling knobs on his latest new-to-him gizmo instead of just up and putting a hole where it needs to be, and your friend will have to be very accomplished to use a 25 power in the bush and prairie hunting that I do and did on Saskatchewan and Manitoba prairies. Never hunted Ontario bush, so I do not know about that.
 
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Potashminer said:
So, maybe less targets and more deer "killin'"? Front half of broadside deer, about half way up. About a 10" diameter area that will make no difference whatsoever - heart-lung area - put a bullet through that 10" and deer is dead and done - often within sight. Most should be able to plunk a 10" area with an iron sighted 30/30?? Been done hundreds of thousands of times I am sure. So, going with a 4 power scope, that is a 400 yard shot? But then wind effect and bullet drop become part of it. Bullet drop and wind effect just get worse and worse as range increases. Compound an inexperienced person twirling knobs on his latest new-to-him gizmo instead of just up and putting a hole where it needs to be, and your friend will have to be very accomplished to use a 25 power in the bush and prairie hunting that I do and did on Saskatchewan and Manitoba prairies. Never hunted Ontario bush, so I do not know about that.
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Yeah he is a bit of a know it all. This will be his second season out, first with me.

He has only ever shot from behind a bench, having harvested nothing last year.

But he had years and years of video game experience.

Thanks folks - will let him read the replies now. :)
 
25 power!? That would be considered ridiculous even in wide open country for big game! Also, that thing must be heavy unless its really cheaply made! Whats the low end power on that thing?

My In-laws had 50 acres in SW Ontario with public land west and north of them. It was pretty much all woods there, even in the clearing for the big garden you wouldn't get much more than a 100yd shot. A fixed 4x, or a 3-9x left on 3 would be well suited to those conditions, something even less would probably be better - a 2.5-8 or even 1.5-5 would be enough, plus give you a better chance at something close and fast.
 
Higher magnification scopes have their uses, but I certainly would not be out deer hunting with a 25X scope. Unless you have a rock steady rest or a good bipod, the high magnification will amplify any small movement made by the shooter. It can be more of a hassle than an advantage. I once had a 4-16 power fitted on a 300 WSM for a whitetail hunt on the prairies. When I came back home, I switched to a lighter 3.5-10x40. This was the best compromise for me. If you plan on shooting a shorter distances a 2-7x33 or a 2.5-8x36 may be ideal. I laso have a lever gun in 45-70 with 1-4x20 with a wide field of view to hunt in close quarters.
 
25x :confused: :onCrack:

I've used open sights, aperture sights and telescopic sight with magnification that averages about 4x. I've shot deer over 200y and I happened to have a target rifle with 6.5-20x variable set closer to 10x. Any scope set on 25x for any condition you'll find in Ontario is anywhere from completely unnecessary to unusable. 300y plus shot, sure but excessive... but <80y running shot will be nothing but a dizzying display of forest and random glimpse of brown fur somewhere on a deer.

You are correct in selecting a 4x: if you will hunt woods to open fields a variable anywhere from 1.5-10x range will adapt to conditions you are in with a twist of the magnification ring. I'm partial to ~2-8x <40mm for the compact and light package such scopes are.
 
Higher the power, the narrower the field of view; If you need a 25 X scope to see a deer sized target in Ontario; you should not be considering pulling the trigger. I hunted for years with a 4 X; even for Ground Hogs, fox and coyotes; for varmints, I have upgraded to higher powered stuff now that my eyes are older, but still shoot irons to 100 yards for fun. A good red dot military style sight would be OK for deer in most circumstances in Southern Ontario, even with no magnification, as we are limited here to shotguns. black powder and bows and cross-bows.
 
It depends on what the low end of his scope is. For most hunting lower magnification is better. Its faster and easier to acquire a target.

Too much magnification restricts your field of view making it harder to find the deer in the field, if you do manage to find that close deer it may actually make it harder to shoot. If all you see is brown fur, how do you know where you're actually aiming?

Take something with a usable lower end. If the deer steps out from under your stand you'll be thankful you did. If he steps out across the field you'll have time to crank your scope up.

EDIT TO ADD: I recommend a 2-7 or 3-9, they're plenty for hunting.
 
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9x scope power is good for determining if there are antlers on a 200yd deer with brush backing, esp at dusk.
Other than that, most of my shots are <5x power. We can reach 300yd where I hunt, but most shots are <150yd
 
We have a 25-06 user who has a 25 power scope on his rifle. He always takes spots with very long ranges. Well, one day a bear popped out at 10 feet. Scared the crap out of both of them. All he could see was black, so he just pointed, crudely sighting along the barrel. 400 lb bear, he got it, but it died above the beaver dam.

Here he is, trying to get a rope on it.

IMGP2558_v1s.jpg


I set my scopes at lowest power available. I prefer 1.5X4, or peep sights.
 

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John Y Cannuck said:
We have a 25-06 user who has a 25 power scope on his rifle. He always takes spots with very long ranges. Well, one day a bear popped out at 10 feet. Scared the crap out of both of them. All he could see was black, so he just pointed, crudely sighting along the barrel. 400 lb bear, he got it, but it died above the beaver dam.

Here he is, trying to get a rope on it.

View attachment 409510


I set my scopes at lowest power available. I prefer 1.5X4, or peep sights.
Click to expand...

Oh man. That sounds like a story I’d like to hear retold a hundred times around the fire at hunt camp :)
 
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