When I was a kid here in Alabama most people ran deer with dogs and used shotguns loaded with buckshot. So did we. Buckshotgained a bad rep for just wounding deer but I feel that's sort of an unfair perception. When you are shooting at deer running full speed with a pack of hounds on their @$$ bad hits are common. You can hardly blame buckshot for not being lethal on a ham hit. Also you must respect the limited lethal range of buckshot and most people do not. It's just hard for them to grasp that something which is so deadly at 40 yards can be so inadequate at 60 yards. Shooting at calm deer from a treestand at bowhunting distances (Say 45 yards and closer) I would dare to say that I would never lose a deer with 00 buckshot. Back in those deer drive days and within that 45 yard rangeI have folded many deer up like a well hit dove with number 1 or 00 buckshot.