Originally Posted by
burningredphoenix
hi all. i was wondering how effective buckshots are against deer....can i hit a deer at 100 yards? can i even get within 100 yards of a deer? or would it just be better to use slugs? how far can i shoot a slug at a deer before i get less than a 50% kill chance due to velocity drop....ive never hunted with a shotgun and just wanted to know if its even viable for deer...
wats the normal range that you guys will shoot at a deer with buck shot and wats the normal range that a person can get to a deer without spooking it
Phoenix,
It also looks like you are new to deer hunting with a shotgun. I have hunted in a shotgun only state all of my life and I have killed quite a few deer with a shotgun. I have never used buckshot so I have nothing to offer there. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Shotguns can be had with a rifled barrel or a smooth bore. Rifled barrels are for shooting the newer saboted shotgun slugs. Smooth bores are used for rifled slugs and buckshot. Yes you can shoot buckshot out of a rifled barrel but it will not pattern properly and be effective.
2. Rifled barrels shooting saboted slugs will generally give you the best long range performance.
3. I have a smooth bore shotgun and I shoot the standard 2 3/4" Remington slugger rifled slugs and I have killed many deer with that gun from 15 yards on out to 50 yards. The gun will shoot these slugs accurately enough to kill deer out to 100 yards if I do my part but most of my shots are under the 50 yard mark due to where I hunt
During archery season I had a doe so close I could have swatted her in the behind with an arrow and she never spooked. She was too close for me to get a shot so I just enjoyed the experience.
Bob