Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting How effective is buckshot?

I've killed multiple deer that had broadheads in them. By your statement, should I quit bowhunting?

Buckshot, like anything else has limitations. That doesn't mean that everyone will understand those limitations.

Buckshot is very effective IF you pattern your exact load and choke you'll be hunting with and realize it's effective range as well as know the POI in relation to POA. Shotguns don't always shoot where the bead is pointed, in fact many rarely do with certain loads and chokes.

Shoot at a large sheet of paper and find where you get 50% of the payload in a 16" circle. Call that your max range and you'll have no problem slaying deer.

I've shot a bunch of deer with buckshot and always thought 000 killed with much more authority if it patterned decent. OTOH if your gun puts up tight patterns with #1, that's what I'd use. Some guns will not pattern very well and some ammo sucks out of certain guns.

Federal's Premium CP buck is good stuff.

Good luck,

loder

Buckshot will kill no doubt but why not be precise and use a low power scoped rifle?

Thanks for the feedback. Plenty of good responses and I appreciate it.

All of my hunting, until I was 24 was done with a shotgun. We still hunted and ran dogs for deer and I got my share. I never kept count, but 4-6 deer/yr for 10 years averages out to about 50 deer. Add another 30 or so killed since then with a shotgun and now it's about 80. Learn your guns limit (how well it will pattern different shot) and have at it.

My guns do not shoot slugs very well and I never killed a deer with one.

Like stated before, pattern your gun to see what it likes. One of mine likes #1 buckshot and the other #4. Draw a 12" square on newspaper and back off 40 yds. Shoot the box with different ammo and see which one puts the most in the square. 2 3/4" #1 buckshot- one gun consistently puts at least 9 out of 16 in the square. 3" #4 buckshot- gun consistently put 21 out of 42 in the square. These are at 40 yds.

At 35 yds, you should kill any deer in the US, with buckshot, if it patterns good.

Most likely a result of a hail mary shot. Some fools think you can shoot a deer with buckshot at 100 yards and kill them, it penetrates the Skin readily but that might be about it . The BC and SD on a .33 caliber round ball is minimal at best at 100 yards

That's what I figured. The buck was all over the body from the neck to the hind quarters.

That's sure what it sounds like.

Buckshot isn't legal in TN for deer hunting except one county in west TN if I am not mistaken. So that should mean stick to slugs or rifle. That was easy enough

Why anyone would use buckshot, or a shotgun for deer is beyond me.

I can see it if forced by some dumba$$ law, but given a choice, not only no, fuuk no.........

I'd use it out to 35 yards no problem.

This. As good as buckshot can be, a slug is better IMO. My shotguns always shot best with the cheap foster style slugs, or Brenneke, I've never had to shoot twice with a 12ga slug, and never missed or lost one.

Evidently you never had to hunt deer in a thicket. Have you ever hunted deer with running dogs?

That's what I get for not reading the regs close enough. Thanks for pointing out to me for what I didn't know.

Have hunted in the thickest $hit anyone would ever care to hunt in. A nice little lever action, carbine or big bore handgun are much handier than any shotgun will ever be.....

Buckshot is some deadly stuff - I actually prefer #4 Buck but whatever patterns the best in your gun/choke combo is what I'd run...

The first 5 or so deer I ever shot was with buckshot. All within 40 yards. All were bang flops.

Whatever

It was forced on New Jersey hunters for a very very long time, they didn't change the law until the early 80's I believe and then we could use slugs and buckshot, Only time you could use a rifle was for groundhogs and not sure it is even legal today.

I had a nice SxS shotgun chucking 000 and never failed to kill a deer , I want to see the carbine,big bore handgun whatever except maybe a mini gun get on point faster and kill what they pointed at .

They are lighter and shorter than most shotguns. Why wouldn't they point as well or as quickly?

Shotguns were not designed for deer hunting. A fact that should be self evident. Much better tools for the job IMO........