Hi folks, i hunt in super thick stuff in FL ...most of us sit outside these bayheads hoping for the deer to walk out...this generally does not happen. This year i was planning to still hunt right through the thick stuff using my 870 3 1/2 inch magnum 00buckshot....all my shots will be in the 20 yd range...do you think this will work.? Has anyone killed a buck 140 pounds or bigger using buckshot? I've never seen a picture of a buck killed by buckshot..does anyone have one? Thanks..c7

I have killed a ****pile of deer with buckshot. Not my choice anymore for thick brush I liley Win 30/30 lever gun.

Round the farm after turkey day we run some dogs and do drives all we use is buckshot so no one gets hurt.

I have killed a few deer with 00 buckshot. The deer were being pushed by dogs in the Tidewater area of Virginia. It does the job very well at reasonable ranges but you still must place the shot correctly in the neck or chest for it to be effective. Even 00 buck does not penetrate well from a bad angle, and the smaller sizes are much worse.

Deer hunting in that area is a social occasion with very large hunting parties and lots of dogs to run the deer for them. Some of the guys hunting with me blasted away at every deer that was pushed by them hoping the dogs would find the deer for them. This plan did not appear to work very well. Almost all of the local guys used #4 Buck ("in case I see a turkey"). It was sad to think of how many deer those guys hit but did not recover. However, those guys also brought a lot of deer out of the woods if they hit them well.

Thanks for the replies....i have a 30-30 Marlin as well

3 1/2" mags don't make your **** bigger. If you shoot them well, then good on you, but I haven't seen any reason to use them. I shoot a lot of buckshot for coyotes, it's nice using 3" over 2 3/4" for the shot count, but the 3 1/2's don't make up much more ground in my book, not worth the beating or recovery time for follow up shots should one be needed.

Don't fall prey to the opinion that buckshot gives you leniency for poor shooting. Each pellet of 00 buck is not even quite as powerful as a .22mag, so you need good placement, and ideally need more than one 'golden pellet' doing the job. Pattern your scattergun properly, know your POI and spread at different ranges, and practice shooting moving targets. I use scrap 5gal bucket lids, have a friend roll them across the ground. At 20yrds, you'll quickly see how foolish it is to think that 00buckshot REALLY changes the game on deer over slugs or a rifle.

But 00buck at 20-40yrds, well placed, will kill a deer.

at 20 yards use #4 buck and hold on the ribs, it will ruin they're day, I've used #4, 0, 00, and 000 at close range #4 works best.
RR

I suppose if you limit yourself to very short range , buckshot is OK. If I was hunting in thick stuff I'd rather have slugs.

But then my experience with buckshot is pretty thin. I saw a female police officer drop a guy DRT with a load of 00 at about 20 yards back in the 80s. That was impressive.

I've made 2 buckshot kills and I will not use it again and I don't recommend anyone using it! It is fine if the deer drop on the spot, but if they don't, good luck trailing it! Buckshot is not going to expand and more often than not, no exit! Awesome if they drop, just don't count on it!

I got my uncle's rem 1100 magnum that he used in va to hunt over dogs. He used #4 3" buck shot. He said it knocks them down the u must get their fast to cut their throat or shoot again. I never shot a deer with buckshot. I use that gun for turkeys now.

How do you cut their thoughts? Shoot them in the head?

Guess that would do it !!!!!