Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Buckshot for Deer Hunting?

Is Buckshot commonly used for Deer hunting anywhere in the U.S. these days?

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I didn't ask where it was legal, read the question.

Just about anywhere dogs are used to hunt deer, which includes central to eastern N.C. I have never been on a dog hunt where anything but buckshot was allowed to be used.

Look up deer hunting with dogs on YouTube. Most of those deer are shot with buckshot and that's a lot of deer.

One would think it is commonly used where legal.

In the eastern part of Virginia there are many areas/counties that are shotgun only. The tradition for many is to run the deer with dogs, much like you would hunt rabbits, by having the dogs move the deer out of the thickets, and I can assure you there are very thick thickets to be had. Buckshot is the preferred ammo in those conditions.

I did years ago 3" 00 Buck shoot the doe's in the head.

















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What's in a name?

Virginia, North and South Carolina for sure . Lot of the areas where dogs are used buckshot is most common

Kill alot of pigs with buckshot, and a few deer

As has been said above, many here in the SC Low Country run deer with dogs. In some circumstances buckshot is required, in others it is preferred. There's a lot of boxes of buckshot loads on the store shelves here.

I have never run deer with dogs, buit would like to experience it. I have a tentative invitation to join a dog hunt last day of the season (Jan 1.) A neighbor here, originally from Wisconsin, went on his first deer hunt with dogs last week, killed a nice buck.

At one time, it was all that was allowed for hunting deer in New Jersey, I don't even know if they allow hunting in New Jersey any more.

A friend, now retired, who worked for the NYS DEC as a fish and wildlife technician, was sometimes required to eliminate problem deer populations in areas where it wasn't possible to allow hunting. He worked those jobs mainly at night and often with buckshot. He said nothing puts a deer down so fast as a load of buckshot within its effective range.

Thanks guys that answers my question. I live a sheltered life out west and didn't realize there were so many states still allowing hound hunting. Hounds aren't even allowed for Lion and Bear anymore in WA.

It is HUGE in Mississippi.

Buckshot is one of my favorites for hogs and deer. 2-3/4" #3 in a 20 ga does the job quite well. The fun gun is an Ithaca 37, IC choke.

I've used it a bunch of times
Of course, it's like everything else.
You have to find some your shotgun and
choke likes, and may have to play with chokes
if your shotgun has a changeable choke.

He's been gone for years now, but I can't
recall my pawpaw ever using anything but
00 buck for all his deer hunting
Some of them back then used punkinballs

Its been many years ago. But when I was a teenager I used to deer hunt in southern New Jersey with my grandfather and uncle. They belonged to a hunt club and they used to do deer drives. One time you would be a driver and on the next drive you would be a stander. you would leapfrog or alternate throughout the day. Buckshot was all that was allowed. I killed my first Buck (6 point) with 00 Buckshot while I was one of the standers. Used a 12ga Rem 1100. I was 13 years old. Back then Deer season was only 6 days long. Monday through Saturday. No Hunting on Sunday.

That load is nothing to Sneezer at.

A good shot with buckshot will drop them in their tracks. A bad or even marginal shot and you never find them.

My dad was a big believer in buckshot. Always carried a couple of loads of Hi-Vel #1 buck in the game pouch of his shotgun vest.
Biggest buck he ever killed was a load of #1's.