What caliber do you deer hunt with?

[77thor]

270 Win

[That_Guy]

180grain 30-06

[Russ Jerome]

I like flat shooting minumal damage rounds like .243.

That being said I'm putting on my flame resistant jacket:
I learned to deer hunt in CT with a .222, later a .223 in
MN, never lost or mamed an animal that I know of.
Im so comfortable shooting those tiny rounds I never
flinch and never miss, not for everybody but a 64gr Core
lock Remington bullet at 3000fps come out like a 308
at under 100yrds, still lethal at 150yrds.

Not something I admit to often, its frowned on by so many.
Even my hunting buddies give me crap, this past year up
north, they pointed at a doe well over 120yards from our
cabin and laughed I couldnt drop it in the nasty windy and
snowy weather, she's in my freazer right now, one shot.

[Russ Jerome]

Dropped this WI buck last year for a neigbor up North with a 223
NEF single shot break action, one shot 55gr corelock.
http://sites.google.com/site/miscmic...e/2008buck.JPG
Aprox 160yrds, double lung ran 30 ft and dropped DOA.
Not a huge deer but not a tiny guy at hte same time.

[Lash]

I personally would never feel comfortable hunting with a round that small...lol.

[-stew-]

I like flat shooting minumal damage rounds like .243.

That being said I'm putting on my flame resistant jacket:
I learned to deer hunt in CT with a .222, later a .223 in
MN, never lost or mamed an animal that I know of.
Im so comfortable shooting those tiny rounds I never
flinch and never miss, not for everybody but a 64gr Core
lock Remington bullet at 3000fps come out like a 308
at under 100yrds, still lethal at 150yrds.

Agreed. Off and on I've worked the sight-in clinic at the Menomenee Falls Rod & Gun Club for 14 years. (I'm 28) I would bet that guys shooting mag's are compensating for the fact they cannot shoot in a ratio of at least 2:1.
Guys with $3000 rifle and scope combos; they can hardly hit a 4x8 foot sheet of plywood from a bench at 100 yards with a rifle I'm layin dime size three shot groups. These guys get pissed when I tell them adjusting the scope won't help because they can't shoot.
There is no justification for using anything larger that a .30-'06 to hunt whitetail deer. Magnums are for bear, moose ect. And a .30-'06 will handle those with ease.

When I go deer hunting I choose between a Winchester M70 in .30-'06, a Marlin 336SC in .35 Remington, or a custom Mauser M96 in 6.5x55 Swedish; based upon where I'm hunting and weather conditions.

I would also like to say the Remington 742 may be the best massed produced centerfire rifle ever made. Hands down. Superb accuracy, reliable as a rock. I've shot a rusty ass 742's that looked like it came out of a dumpster and I put three shots in a time, with two touching.

[Russ Jerome]

One of our hunting buddies uses a 338 Mag, he gets pissed when
we tell him he closes his eyes when he shoots, he is our guy who
returns with "I just missed the biggest buck" stories. I have my
name on the rear quarter of an old Ford pickup we shoot at, he
has the complete drivers door of the truck coverd....corner to corner
with no specific center. I hate shooting it, Im not a real man

[Russ Jerome]

200yrd cold bore shot 2 weeks ago:
http://sites.google.com/site/miscmic...rSilvertip.JPG
I think like you the more confident you are the better hunter you
are. Small 224 class bullets are definetly not for everybody, I wouldnt
suggest anybody use them but the topic was what we shoot....but
I also like chunky girls so Im the exception

[STANMAN]

I would bet everything I own that the .22LR has killed more deer than all the calibers mentioned here combined. That doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job however.


I am a member at Menomonee Falls Rod and Gun club, and my 45-70 Marlin has well over a grand into it (it is a 1895 Guide Gun in stainless that has been Black-T coated, upgraded wood, with a Leupold LPS 2.5X10) and I can shoot. But I know where you're coming from, I see A LOT of people on the line (shooting everything, not just the nice stuff) that if I were a deer I would feel pretty safe

[Holeshot]

For the last few years that I deer hunted I swore by a old Springfield Armory 270 with a fixed Lyman 9 power scope. The last two deer I dropped were both 10 pointers. I haven't hunted in almost 10 years now.

[Breecher_7]

Just picked up the Marlin 1895 XLR 45-70 not to long ago. Actually havent even shot it yet. Has a very smooth action from what I can tell so far.

Oh and the rod and gun club can suck my balls. That place sucks.....

I would bet everything I own that the .22LR has killed more deer than all the calibers mentioned here combined. That doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job however.


I am a member at Menomonee Falls Rod and Gun club, and my 45-70 Marlin has well over a grand into it (it is a 1895 Guide Gun in stainless that has been Black-T coated, upgraded wood, with a Leupold LPS 2.5X10) and I can shoot. But I know where you're coming from, I see A LOT of people on the line (shooting everything, not just the nice stuff) that if I were a deer I would feel pretty safe

[SSDude]

When I go deer hunting I choose between a Winchester M70 in .30-'06, a Marlin 336SC in .35 Remington, or a custom Mauser M96 in 6.5x55 Swedish; based upon where I'm hunting and weather conditions.

Got any pictures of the 6.5x55? I customized one once. Wish i never would have sold it.

[u_say_go]

ughhhh! more pointless gun talk! I use an old farmers shotgun, Mossberg 500 12ga. pump. You guys with your fancy shit, come shoot trap with me and bring your $1500 Benelli's or whatever you wasted your cash on and i'll bust 24-25 every time with my old junk! cracked stock, rusty barrel, hasnt been cleaned in forever...and I never miss!
Stanman, I highly doubt you've popped too many deer at 200+ yards...this is wisconsin, not wyoming.

[73Dustr]

cracked stock, rusty barrel, hasnt been cleaned in forever...and I never miss!
Stanman, I highly doubt you've popped too many deer at 200+ yards...this is wisconsin, not wyoming.

Sounds safe........

Not sure where you hunt, but a lot of the land I hunt on has many offerings for shots over 200 yards. You get into that rolling farmland, and it's mostly open with patches of woods here and there.

[That_Guy]

Sounds safe........

Not sure where you hunt, but a lot of the land I hunt on has many offerings for shots over 200 yards. You get into that rolling farmland, and it's mostly open with patches of woods here and there.

this is true.. 2 out of the 3 deer i shot this last year where at about 150-200 yards out

[-stew-]

Got any pictures of the 6.5x55? I customized one once. Wish i never would have sold it.

No. It's my dads. He bought/built it in the 60's when he lived in Arizona. Birdseye maple with a rosewood accent on the forestock, high comb.cheek piece, jeweled bolt, muzzle break. A gorgeous firearm.

[STANMAN]

ughhhh! more pointless gun talk! I use an old farmers shotgun, Mossberg 500 12ga. pump. You guys with your fancy shit, come shoot trap with me and bring your $1500 Benelli's or whatever you wasted your cash on and i'll bust 24-25 every time with my old junk! cracked stock, rusty barrel, hasnt been cleaned in forever...and I never miss!
Stanman, I highly doubt you've popped too many deer at 200+ yards...this is wisconsin, not wyoming.

I don't think I have ever even SHOT at a deer that far away

[DirtyMax]

Savage 7mm Rem Mag. Nothing has yet to run more than about 20 yards....

[94greenbandit]

I use a Remington 700ADL .308. Love it and have never missed or lost a deer yet with that gun

[-stew-]

I personally would never feel comfortable hunting with a round that small...lol.

Any one can use an axe. It takes a surgeon to use a scalpel.