Lifehog,
I use a rem 870 with an improved cyl. choke, and winchester 3" super x 00buck (33 cal pellet), or a Browning auto 5 with same choke and load.

I like to use this setup when hunting with dogs or on drives.

This load has 15 pellets, and it'll keep 2 on an 11" pie plate at 75 yds.

I really don't like shooting deer inside of 30 yds or so with it b/c it seems that the vast majority of the pellets strike at this area, leaving me a huge mess.

Give this a try sometime, and hopefully you'll get the same results. Good luck hunting!

And to address the "knockdown" questions: It is impossible to convince people who only look at numbers (physics) the effectiveness of buckshot. Yes a slug has more energy, but so what. It is only making one whole. In order to steer this conversation in the direction I was aiming for, I must say that buckshot, in general, does much more damage b/c it creates multiple wound channels. (Also, for eveyone who wonders, I did earn an A in 2 physics courses at NCSU. I understand the numbers arguments 100%.)

And DAMAGE is what kills, NOT ENERGY. Energy is a component of damage, but so are many, many other factors such as shot placement, wound channel diameter, velocity, sectional density, and bullet construction.

Saying that 900 lbs is the minimum for cleanly killing deer is absurd. A 357 magnum has about 500-600 ft lbs of energy at the barrel. According to the "900 lb" argument, hunters could not hold a 357 to a deers side and clealy/ethically kill them. A 357 will kill any deer on the planet under these circumstances...so will a 45acp for that matter and it only has about 300-350 lbs of energy. Oh, and an arrow won't have 900 lbs of energy either.

So, in lieu of all this, as long as you can get multiple pellets on target, whether it be 5 yards or 75 yards, buckshot is very effective.

Example: I shot a 140 lb doe running down the street at about 15 yards one morning. We were running dogs, and yes we had the road registered with the state, so it was safe and legal. The doe was on the near-side of this 2 lane road, and upon impact, the buckshot picked her up off her feet, and threw her in a head over tail flip all the way accross the road (about 20 feet). Now thats knockdown.

I've killed several deer slugs, and none made the deer do that.