Deer hunting with different calibers

use enough gun · Rookie Member Joined: Oct 20, 2007 Posts: 9

Thanks for your concern Ed, the wife is OK, she has had a bad case of broncitis and couldn't seem to get her breath.
I got out yesterday afternoon for the last day of deer season here. I passed on a nice doe with her 2 fawns. Our deer party has taken over 30 deer and I figured the fawns needed their mother more than we did. Around here we can take up to 5 deer apiece. We ended up with another 6 yesterday with on of the guys shooting a REAL NICE 12 pointer. Dave

SwampFox

Glad the wife is OK.

We have pretty much the same situation here, One per day with 6 in posession. Strange how the more deer allowed, the more deer there are. I just wish we had a "Deer Season" so the butt head population could be reduced. We are up to our rear pockets in does and the latest solution by the F&G was to reduce the doe season from 7 days to 4.

Then they issue predation permits for 90-100 does, go figure. The farmers and folks that live in the country beg folk to shoot does. But a good many hunters only want to shoot big bucks, not relizing that the reason there are no big deer here is because of overgrazing primarily by does.
Ed

Pumpkinslinger

In this part of NC we can shoot 6 deer per season and all can be does. Only 2 of the 6 can be bucks. So far the limit hasn't been a problem for me... Sad

devonb · Rookie Member Joined: Nov 07, 2007 Posts: 2

I've actually dropped clear down to 125 gr. noslers out of my 300WM for just the reason above. I was poking holes with 165 and 180's. They are meant for bigger game than deer. Think about it.....how can you expect to use the same bullet on a 90-175 pound whitetail that is perfect for an 600# elk?

oldpops

use enough gun: We share the same drink and both shoot magnums. With that said, isn't it funny that our caliber of choice isn't always the best for every situation. I use to fish bass tournaments and had at least 10 rods in the boat for every situation. To bad we can't carry something like a golf bag and when a deer jumps up we can choose our weapon. I use a 7mm Rem. Mag most of the time now, but I admit it is probably too much gun, except for mule deer in Colorado. I mostly hunt blacktails which probably average 90 lbs. soaking wet and have killed them with 7mm rem mag, 30:06, .243 and lots of arrows, but believe me, I put the most deer down in one shot with a .32 Win Spec. I started killing bucks when I was 12 years old and my first 10 bucks dropped in their tracks. When I was 16 I bought a .30:06 and had to track the next 5 bucks I shot. I was also shooting Sierra bullets. If I had to choose only one gun for all deer I would probably still shoot my 7mm rem mag. I think it has something to do with the Jack and Coke thing.

Pops

Southpaw · Member Joined: Sep 12, 2005 Posts: 51 Location: Saskatoon

Hey guys, I've used a 6MM rem this year and my mighty 30-06. In the 6mm i shoot 100gr sierra game kings, and 165 hornaday interlocks in the 06. both deer with the 6 dropped at the shot. Exit holes were the size ofsilver dolars. I got 3 with the 06, one buck and one doe i got together both were 300 yard shots. The buck was hit hard in the shoulders and drpoed right there. The doe was hit in the guts, and I had to track a faint blood trail for 200-250 yards.Shot placement is the key. My 2 buck was hit like the first, only at 165yards same thing. Only he was 100 lbs bigger. Last year I shot a doe with 165gr game king, the holow point one. got her in both lungs, the exit was the size of a baseball bat. The big end of a baseball bat, she didn't take one step. That was the first time I've seen a lung shoot do that. I've poked holes in lots of lungs and got my deer, but when you pull them right out they don't move to much.

SwampFox

Ain't that the truth.... vaporize the contents of the chest cavity, red misting the background, and all motion ceases post haste..... Very Happy

Ed

Doublejs

Here in PA you can only shoot one buck (has to have a minimum of 4 points on one side) and as many does as you wish until the doe tags($6.00/each) sell out. Where I live (Washington County) they still had 1800 left when I bought one y-day. Two week season. I have never shot more than 2 deer a year (just never had the need for the meat.

As for caliber, lately it's been the 300 WBY mag, but I still pull out the 308 & 243 occasionally. In the 30's it's 150gr or 165gr bullets, as for the 243 it's 100gr.

Vince

I have 2 different calibres that I can use for deer...Winchester Mod 94 in 30.30 and a Weatherby Vanguard in .243.

In the Mod 94 I use Winchester 150gn PPFN handloaded and in the .243 I use Remington 80gn SP. Never had a complaint about performance with either bullet, although I only shoot fallow...at this time.

Cheers, Vince

Win75

My deer caliber is the 243 Win. loaded with 100 gr. Nosler Partitions.

I hunt North Missouri where deer tend to run on the large size and after dozens shot, I have never lost one.

Bushmaster

Welcome to this fine site Win75...But did you ever hit one? Pull up a stump. A little closer to the fire...A little closer...Sorry...It was 14* down here in southwest Missouri...Ya might want a warm (English) beer, but grab one anyway...

elky72ss454

Long range, (pipe lines, fields), I use the 7mm STW or the 7mm Ultra mag, with hand loads. If I am in a climbing stand, (in a tree in the woods), I use the remington 742 / 30-06, with 165 gr federal Premiums.

Arizona Hunter · Member Joined: Jul 22, 2006 Posts: 275

The only caliber I've ever used on deer is a 30.06. Fortunatly each one was hit in the heart/lung area or a little higher and hit the spine where it dips down. The furthest any went was 20 yards. The bullets used have been the old Rem Cor Lokt 150 gr., Barnes X and XLC in 180 gr. (all bullets exited).

Would my 6.5 x 55 have worked as well with a 120 or 129 bullet? I think so, based on the placement and penetration ability of them.

I even used to use the 30.06 with 180 Barnes XLC on javelina, but switched to the 6.5 with 120's just because I wanted to use something different.

One thing I've noticed when using a bullet like an 'X' bullet on small animals. I get little meat damage because the bullets do not seem to encounter enough resistance to make them open too much, compared to the exit hole on a deer, bear or elk.

Pumpkinslinger

Just wanted to point out that claiming that any particular cartridge/bullet is "THE" deer round is kinda silly. Just looking at US whitetails you see that they vary quite a bit in size, depending on where you are hunting. Looking online I see that they can range from a little over 50 to almost 500 pounds.

7mmfan · Rookie Member Joined: Jan 12, 2008 Posts: 8

For whitetails back east I've used a shotgun with buckshot (dog drive), muzzleloader, 7mm-08, 7 mag, .243, 357 maximum, 10 mm, 45-70 and 7-30 Waters. No problem with any of them putting the deer down for good when the right shot is taken.