ORIGINAL: LebeauHunter
Agree with what has been said.
At close ranges the buckshot acts like a big slug. Although I don't think buckshot is as popular as it used to
be, where I hunt the underbrush and palmettos are thick, so people used it for that (brush busting). Some people obviously have problems with that (I don't use BS).
With a 3" mag and a 30" barrel, I knew guys who took deer at 100 yards with buckshot. While it increases your chances of hitting the deer at longer distances (due to disbursement), it probably also increases the chance of wounding. My cousin shot a running deer at 100 yards and one buckshot pellet hit the front of its windpipe (like a slice with a knife) and it killed that deer.
DON'T DO IT. If you're gonna use buckshot, consider it a sub-40 yard load. Yes, you can kill further... yes, someone has killed a deer at 100yards with it... but don't even consider that. Sub-40yards, unless you're willing to lose deer. Period. The only reason to use buckshot is that you're REQUIRED to, or... you're in very thick stuff, and shots will be under 40 yards or so (or you're got the discipline not to take shots beyond 40).
Maybe a fifty if deer is broadside, still, and you'll have opportunity for multiple follow-ups. I've killed alot of deer with buckshot... and it is my bottom-choice load for deer.