Shotgun Deer hunting Ontario - Slug vs Buckshot
- Thread starter Exidous
- Start date
Exidous Sabot slugs in your smoothbore Extrema would not likely give you any advantage over rifled slugs meant for smoothbores. I have had good luck with Challengers in my smoothbore 870 and am currently playing with an 11-87 with a smoothbore cantilevered barrel. Where I deer hunt, I would be lucky to be able to see a deer at 50 yards so I'm content with the smoothbore/rifled slug combo. If you want to use sabot slugs pick yourself up a shotgun with a rifled barrel and see which brand of saboted slug it likes and go deer hunting. If you decide to stick with your smoothbore Extrema you could probably get a rifled choke tube for it and see how it shoots the sabot slugs. Cheers Bac4
First off I am an older mature hunter, that has taken more than my share of game trough the years. When I was younger and the " head count" was slim I would take " shots" with rifles and shotguns that I had absolutely no! Business taking. With the benefit of hindsight and like all of us we learn the hard way. Tough for the young guys in the camp , being told by the old scuz's " if they come through ahead of the dogs" throw as much lead as u can at them, or we will loose the dogs, or other peer pressure comments. Buckshot is basically unethical in the hands of most hunters. Why do a lot of states ban it's use?? Cuz the actions of the few? Or more than few, spoil it for the actions of well disciplined and ethical people. I counted 52 deer last year through the rifle and muzzleloader hunt. Yes some of them were likely the same animal on a different day, but, I finally took a basket 8 on the Saturday , last day. Also I am a single hunter, I sit and watch. I have seen more deer in the past 15 years as a solitary hunter, than all the years combined hunting in groups doing drives or using dogs. Also I have learned so!! Much since I started archery hunting 12 years ago, most of which is discipline , and ethical choices . It carries through in all my hunting, if the shot isn't right , I don't take it. I still get excited, I still cherish harvesting an animal , but u only have to wound or loose a beautiful animal once or twice, question yourself why, and never forget that sick remorseful feeling in ur gut . Then decide if u want to pepper a deer running away from u at 50 yards or more with buckshot. Just say'n ?? Tough for the younger eager hunters, but if u can develop " like" principals early in your years of hunting, the self respect and rewards are greater. P.s. I do not belong to PETA or green peace Lol!
This is a good thread with a lot of knowledgeable response so I'll ask a question. Most of the time I hunt with a rifle (450 Marlin with cast bullets) and shots are usually 50-75 yds though I've taken deer out to the 150 mark. The odd time we try to do a drive, the bush is pretty thick, most places a 40 yd shot would be long. As a drive progresses it's not unusual for guys to get separated. In these areas would it not be safer to use "buckshot"? By the way, someone mentioned buckshot not being legal in some states. I've read that in some states, or WMU's in the South, buckshot is the only stuff allowed. Glad to hear your opinions.
TheCoachZed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Just a quick reply.
I have used both. Always used slugs for bears and never lost a bear I shot with a slug. Always used buckshot for deer and never lost a deer that way... altgough all my shots have been 20 yards or less. I shot last years deer at five yards with buckshot and it was a bang flop.
the only game I have had to track was stuff I shot with a 30-30. I personally recommend buckshot to any deer hunter I talk to as long as they aren't shooting any more than 25-30 yards. I never even pattern mine last yr but that's because I know at five yards it doesnt matter. if you are hunting feom a stand you should be able to set it upnso you get close shots like that. sorry for the typos. I'm on my phone.
I have used both. Always used slugs for bears and never lost a bear I shot with a slug. Always used buckshot for deer and never lost a deer that way... altgough all my shots have been 20 yards or less. I shot last years deer at five yards with buckshot and it was a bang flop.
the only game I have had to track was stuff I shot with a 30-30. I personally recommend buckshot to any deer hunter I talk to as long as they aren't shooting any more than 25-30 yards. I never even pattern mine last yr but that's because I know at five yards it doesnt matter. if you are hunting feom a stand you should be able to set it upnso you get close shots like that. sorry for the typos. I'm on my phone.
Well said.
"First off I am an older mature hunter, that has taken more than my share of game trough the years. When I was younger and the " head count" was slim I would take " shots" with rifles and shotguns that I had absolutely no! Business taking. With the benefit of hindsight and like all of us we learn the hard way. Tough for the young guys in the camp , being told by the old scuz's " if they come through ahead of the dogs" throw as much lead as u can at them, or we will loose the dogs, or other peer pressure comments. Buckshot is basically unethical in the hands of most hunters. Why do a lot of states ban it's use?? Cuz the actions of the few? Or more than few, spoil it for the actions of well disciplined and ethical people. I counted 52 deer last year through the rifle and muzzleloader hunt. Yes some of them were likely the same animal on a different day, but, I finally took a basket 8 on the Saturday , last day. Also I am a single hunter, I sit and watch. I have seen more deer in the past 15 years as a solitary hunter, than all the years combined hunting in groups doing drives or using dogs. Also I have learned so!! Much since I started archery hunting 12 years ago, most of which is discipline , and ethical choices . It carries through in all my hunting, if the shot isn't right , I don't take it. I still get excited, I still cherish harvesting an animal , but u only have to wound or loose a beautiful animal once or twice, question yourself why, and never forget that sick remorseful feeling in ur gut . Then decide if u want to pepper a deer running away from u at 50 yards or more with buckshot. Just say'n ?? Tough for the younger eager hunters, but if u can develop " like" principals early in your years of hunting, the self respect and rewards are greater. P.s. I do not belong to PETA or green peace Lol! "
"First off I am an older mature hunter, that has taken more than my share of game trough the years. When I was younger and the " head count" was slim I would take " shots" with rifles and shotguns that I had absolutely no! Business taking. With the benefit of hindsight and like all of us we learn the hard way. Tough for the young guys in the camp , being told by the old scuz's " if they come through ahead of the dogs" throw as much lead as u can at them, or we will loose the dogs, or other peer pressure comments. Buckshot is basically unethical in the hands of most hunters. Why do a lot of states ban it's use?? Cuz the actions of the few? Or more than few, spoil it for the actions of well disciplined and ethical people. I counted 52 deer last year through the rifle and muzzleloader hunt. Yes some of them were likely the same animal on a different day, but, I finally took a basket 8 on the Saturday , last day. Also I am a single hunter, I sit and watch. I have seen more deer in the past 15 years as a solitary hunter, than all the years combined hunting in groups doing drives or using dogs. Also I have learned so!! Much since I started archery hunting 12 years ago, most of which is discipline , and ethical choices . It carries through in all my hunting, if the shot isn't right , I don't take it. I still get excited, I still cherish harvesting an animal , but u only have to wound or loose a beautiful animal once or twice, question yourself why, and never forget that sick remorseful feeling in ur gut . Then decide if u want to pepper a deer running away from u at 50 yards or more with buckshot. Just say'n ?? Tough for the younger eager hunters, but if u can develop " like" principals early in your years of hunting, the self respect and rewards are greater. P.s. I do not belong to PETA or green peace Lol! "
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Deer wounded with buckshot and not being recovered is 100 % operator error, not equipment failure. No deer on this planet can survive being hit in the boiler room from 40 yards or less with a load of buckshot IF the operator does their part.
- pattern to find the proper load and choke combo
- know your maximum effective distance with said load
- do not take questionable shots
Basically, treat buckshot like an arrow and you'll have a full freezer
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Yep.
It's sad how many people will pick a random load and choke without testing and head into the bush making pot shots at deer and then wonder why they're wounding so many deer and not recovering them. Like I said, 100% operator error and not the equipment's fault.
I have never used buckshot but have killed deer with a slug.
However I am not a fan of buckshot. Some years back I was at a shotgun course taught by a Fish & Wildlife officer. He said that their officers only used slugs in their shotguns as they had done some testing and found buckshot much less effective. Then I read a piece in a hunting mag. where the author did some testing with various buckshot loads at various distances and showed it to be a poor choice.
Of course it will kill a deer if the hit is centred in the chest at close range just like a .22 or a .22 hornet or a .17 HMR will but we don't "recommend" those rounds do we.
The only "advantage" I could see for buckshot is that it throws lead out in a pattern instead of a single projectile. At really close range there is not much of a pattern so it is not a big advantage. As the range increases so does the pattern and the killing ability of a few pellets hitting decreases. So at what point is it an advantage at all.
If I swing my shotgun on a close running deer and hit it in the chest with a 12 inch pattern of buckshot, would not I have hit right in the middle of that pattern with one slug?
However I am not a fan of buckshot. Some years back I was at a shotgun course taught by a Fish & Wildlife officer. He said that their officers only used slugs in their shotguns as they had done some testing and found buckshot much less effective. Then I read a piece in a hunting mag. where the author did some testing with various buckshot loads at various distances and showed it to be a poor choice.
Of course it will kill a deer if the hit is centred in the chest at close range just like a .22 or a .22 hornet or a .17 HMR will but we don't "recommend" those rounds do we.
The only "advantage" I could see for buckshot is that it throws lead out in a pattern instead of a single projectile. At really close range there is not much of a pattern so it is not a big advantage. As the range increases so does the pattern and the killing ability of a few pellets hitting decreases. So at what point is it an advantage at all.
If I swing my shotgun on a close running deer and hit it in the chest with a 12 inch pattern of buckshot, would not I have hit right in the middle of that pattern with one slug?
I am a believer in slugs. I use sabot slugs with a rifled barrel now but I started out with a smoothbore and rifled slugs. They are very effective but you have to test them in your shotgun at various ranges to find the limits of their accuracy. Once you know where they hit and the maximum accurate range make sure you don't take any shots past that distance.
TheCoachZed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Deer wounded with buckshot and not being recovered is 100 % operator error, not equipment failure. No deer on this planet can survive being hit in the boiler room from 40 yards or less with a load of buckshot IF the operator does their part.
- pattern to find the proper load and choke combo
- know your maximum effective distance with said load
- do not take questionable shots
Basically, treat buckshot like an arrow and you'll have a full freezer
+1. That's always been my policy.
TheCoachZed
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I use buckshot because in most of the places I hunt, it's illegal to use a slug. But if I was hunting in the middle of the woods, in a rifle zone, if my shot was guaranteed to be 20 yards or less, I'd likely still use it. It's much more economical than any slug, and they shoot well out of any shotgun, regardless of barrel length or sights. I have harvested deer with single-shot 12 gauges with bead sights that would have been very pricy to practice with with slugs, and there is no guarantee of any accuracy.
There is nothing wrong with slugs. I use them on bears. But buckshot can be a useful tool in certain situations.
85% of the deer I had to track and never found were shot by people using buckshot.
If your pushing really dense shut and shots won't be over 30 yards, I have no issues with it.
Buck shot has ruined enough of my hunting days that I will not allow people to use it if they want to hunt with me.
If your pushing really dense shut and shots won't be over 30 yards, I have no issues with it.
Buck shot has ruined enough of my hunting days that I will not allow people to use it if they want to hunt with me.
Probably, but if you're hunting in some pretty dense area and the chest isn't fully exposed and covered by underbrush, throwing out 9-18 pellets that are 0.33'' in diameter drops them just as good as a slug would. Dead is dead. If I were making a quick shot at a deer I'd rather be using buckshot than a slug but thats a personal preference.
Out of those 85% of the deer lost to buckshot, how many of those losses could be blamed on the actual buckshot not performing, or the hunter making a bad judgement call on the effective range? I think it would be more so close to 100% the hunters fault and getting a little buck fever.
Well lets just say now that everybody is using slugs we dont loose deer anymore.
