The real truth about buckshot for hunting....

What compels anyone to use buckshot loads for hunting big game?

And besides -

1 pressure of the trigger fires multiple bullets so according to how this prohibition is worded and the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of bullet, the use of buckshot shotgun loads is illegal in Alberta for hunting any wildlife -

http://www.albertaregulations.ca/huntingregs/genregs.html

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I have a box of Clever 00 Copper Coated Buckshot I've been saving if I ever win the Quadra Island Doe draw in the shotgun only zone. I've got a beauty of a side by side shotgun and Id really like to take it. But I have yet to win a single draw.
 
Slamfire said:
"a firearm that is capable of firing more than one bullet during one pressure of the trigger..."
Click to expand...

Specifically referencing the hunting of any wildlife, the prohibition you quote refers to the firearm, not the ammunition; hence under your interpretation it would be illegal to hunt any wildlife with a shotgun. I believe your interpretation is wrong as there is clearly provisions throughout the regulations to hunt both birds and big game with shotguns.
 
Good to see lots of first hand experience here.

BC limits use of shotguns on big game to deer and black bears, using Number 1 buck or larger. It's one of those old rules, and takes into account that some bears and deer are hunted in shotgun with shot only zones.
 
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I'd use a muzzle loader for deer before I'd use buckshot.
What I'd like to use buckshot for is eradicating a heard of wild turkeys... but that would not be allowed of course.
 
SSG worked fine on the two deer I used it on.Both on the fly ,one WT doe at 40 yards and a small WT buck at 60 yards.End over end........Harold
 
not sure the post worked,
howeve r, I love brobees videos and I want to shotgun a deer!

although I agree, I do get more kick out of using say a little pistol round in a lever gun for nice and close stuff :)
 
A deer got hit on the road right in front of my house a couple years back ,, I live in a bow only area and the deer was loaded with buck shot .. So I am not sure if some one shot it with buckshot in a bow area or it traveled a ways.. the closest it could have came from that is a gun area is a couple of miles .. But I did not eat it anyway I have hounds and it did make some cheap dog food .. But the buck shot did not kill it. Or maybe it was on it's last breath and ran out in front of the car
 
Only one I've ever got with shotgun and buckshot was about 5yds away running full tilt right at me when I hit her. She was going so fast she hit the ground and almost slid into me. Worked great at that distance. Lol.
 
I enjoyed Brobee's video, but I disagree with his assessment as to the maximum range of buckshot on game. Shooting big game is not the same as shooting birds where one attempts to keep the pattern dense enough that the bird can't fly through the donut, or where you accept that 80% of the pellets will strike within a 30" circle at such and such a range. When patterning 3" 00 12 ga 12 pellet loads, I found that Hevishot and Federal Premium produced the tightest patterns in my gun. Change the gun, or even just the barrel, and the results are bound to change as well. I had high hopes for Winchester's 15 pellet load, but it proved terrible even at 10 yards; again in my gun. Anyway, I think the maximum range on game should be determined by the pattern size, because the round is most effective when all of the pellets connect. For deer size game, I'd want at worst an 18" pattern, so IMHO, 20 yards is about the outside limit for an ethical shot with buckshot.

I'm never likely to hunt with buckshot, but I do keep half a dozen rounds of 3" Federal Premium 00 in my Side-saddle for a bear emergency when slugs or a rifle is inappropriate due to excessive penetration. I expect such shooting to be at 5 yards or less.
 
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Slamfire said:
What compels anyone to use buckshot loads for hunting big game?

And besides -

1 pressure of the trigger fires multiple bullets so according to how this prohibition is worded and the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of bullet, the use of buckshot shotgun loads is illegal in Alberta for hunting any wildlife -
Click to expand...


This is a reference to an automatic weapon which are prohibited in Canada. The regulations also state explosive tips and poison darts. Even lights are named, but why would you need a light when it is illegal to hunt during darkness hours?. They are pointing out the obvious because common sense isn't always that common.
 
Thanks to all of you who have posted your experience with buck shot.

It seems then, that based on actual hunting reports, that 12 gauge, no smaller than 00, and inside 25 yards, would be a safe bet. Quite a few years ago, a game warden whom I know well, had an experience where he had to take care of an average size black bear in a school yard. He shot the bear face on from, IIRC less than 10 yards. He told me the bears face just bloomed red, and the bear turned and ran. He did get the bear, but swore he would never use shot again, and didn't.

Ted
 
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