DannyD

Hi Barnes,
Possibly for the same reasons someone might take a bow out during gun season. Sometimes it's not just about killing anything that walks by at whatever distance. Maybe the hunter wants to use a 223 because he can and wants tochallenge him/herself to get closer to the deer than they would have had to with their 30-06 for example.

Splitear_Leland

Yeah, I killed a deer with a high powered rifle, and it was a little high powered rifle, I wanted the challenge of killing a deer with a high powered rifle, without having all of that high power stuff. Just me, my high powered rifle, and the deer. That's the way they used to do it you know, just them and a high powered rifle. You want a challenge, take a deer with a low powered high power rifle, then you've really done something.

AmateurHunter44857

Exactly, i saw a deer at 500 yards that had a nice rack, dang i should have had a .50 bmg instead of that shotgun. This is the third topic i believe about the .223 and your beating the same dead horse. If it is legal than apparently the Division of Wildlife in that state obviously thinks its "ethical" enough for a responsible hunter. We are shotgun only. The state obviously feels the shotgun is an ethical enough gun to kill a deer. If its ethical enough to kill a human at 300m out of the barrel of an M-16 than its ethical to kill a deer at 75 yards. JMHO

zrexpilot

800 yds ? wow how do you compensate for wind drift, a 5 mph wind would affect that .223 by at least 6 feet at 800 yds.

DOGCALLER

You sound like quite the expert on ballistics.So i am interested to know what weapon was of your choosing for the 800 yard shots.In my opinion if you actually did shoot a deer at 800 yards you are a better shot than you are a hunter if you had to shoot from 800 yards.I am also interested in how many shots it took to kill the groundhog.

isatarak

Back to the original question. No, I probably wouldn't take that shot. I don't hunt with the .223 but my girlfriend does. I doubt she would take any shot at 100 yards. In the places she hunts 70 is about the max.

Neither would I take a straight away shot at a buck at any range with my .270. I would wait for the deer to turn or wouldn't shoot. You can't condemn a caliber because of one scenerio. A hunter has to know his limitations as well as his weapon's limitations. I don't understand why people are pissed because someone else uses something to hunt with that is legal that they themselves don't use. It's just ignorance, I think.

devil dog

I for one think a .223 is sufficient for deer with the proper selection of ammo at distances out to 300yds, yes you need to wait for the right shot, you might let a few walk, but it will do the job!. As far as some of you bashing others for long shots, well thats just CRAZY!!!, do you know him?, have you seen him shoot befor?, hell he might have been trained from our nations finest! USMC!!!!. I know I have!, I know I wouldnt hesitate to take a 1000yd shot, I know I can read a mil-dot scope, watch the wind, know what my bullit is going to do at the 700yd mark, point is, dont bash another for what you might not be able to do, or think it cant be done because it can!!!!.

mikemac10

OK, here's 2 options. #1, figure out where to aim on a deer at 800 yards by calculating all the variables like wind speed, humidity, etc. etc...then take a shot. Or #2, hop on your 4 wheeler and drive (or just walk) 400-500 yards closer to the deer, park the 4 wheeler (or stop walking), find a good rest and take a shot at less than 400 yards. I dont understand why anyone would want or need to take a shot at a deer at 800 yards, much less 500 or 600yards.

Ridge, sounds like you could quit your day job and become a sharpshooter, unless you already are.

retrieverman

First of all, 250 lb body weight doesn't necessaily equate to the "buck of my dreams", but if he had a 190-200" rack, that is another story.

I don't advocate using 223 or 22-250 for deer, but at 100 yards, I would take a neck shot with either and drop him in his tracks.

To answer your question though, I do not think a 50 gr bullet has enough power for a body shot even at 50 yards on such a large deer.

I only hunted with my 22-250 once this season and killed a doe at 120 yards. I shot her in the neck with handloaded 50 gr ballistic tips, and she never even twitched when she hit the ground.

trophytaker_browning

i wouent take the shot i have nothing aganinst the 223 1of the members of our camp hunts with one its my grandma she has brest cancer so she cant handle the recoil , she has killed a few with it but 2 have gotton away