I have never used a shotgun for deer so I don,t know anything about that. I have shot several deer with a 22 Mag back before they had a deer season. I never had one run off but I would never recommend the 22 Mag for deer. I shot quite a few with a 22 rifle also. My mother used to send me out for meat when all I had was a 22. I shot everything edible with that old winchester pump with the exposed hammer. If I got close enough for a deer then thats what we ate. We ate mostly pheasant and grouse and ducks as well as a lot of cottontail rabbits.