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

So many people talk bad about buck shot, like it won't kill a deer. I never have used it, but I've never run deer with dogs. It must work, dead deer don't lie. In our area where dogs aren't allowed, it doesn't make any sense..

And a patient and thoughtful fella can wait for things to align then shoot 2 or 3 critters with one shot. Did that to hogs 3 times with #3 buck.

What is this marginal shot you refer to?

I think that's why its usefulness is limited to certain areas and hunting styles. There's always that goofy guy that will take a 125 yard pot shot at a buck with it even though he's never practiced farther than 40 yards..

Some years ago I hunted with a friend in South Alabama who carried a Remington model 11 16 gauge loaded with number one buckshot and also a Remington model 7 in 308. He was prepared for most any situation and killed lots of deer.
To the OP;
Thanks for starting an interesting thread.
Merry Christmas to all!
Rick

Definitely one you want to pattern your gun first. Don't just slip a couple 00 in the old scattergun and hope for the best. Used within 50 yards its very effective

I lived in Mississippi in the 70s. I hunted one year in a hunting club where dogs and buckshot were what most used. I used a rifle. I did not like that kind of hunting at all. Most shots were at running deer, and many deer were wounded. After one season of that, I switched to bow hunting at a different place.
Some like buckshot for deer, but it’s not for me.

In places in MS you still have to use it.

My brother shoots the number 1 buckshot i cast and load for him out of several 12 gauge shotguns.

Numerous deer have fallen to them.

I have killed deer with buckshot. I have also shot at deer 30 yards away that I hit but ran off sporadicly dripping blood never to be found. After patterning it in my shotgun I have never used it since. My shotgun.clusters pellets together around the edge of the.pattern. From the patterns I got I could be centered on one at 40 yards and not hit the vitals. I would use a rifle. I have killed deer running with a rifle and a muzzleloader.

I’ve killed well over 100 deer with buckshot, probably closer to 200. Took a buddy from work who lives around Ithaca New York dog hunting in Ga last Sat for his first time. We killed 4-5 at the club. On a good day we can break 20. Kill over 200 every season at that one club. I clean missed one Sat. A rare occurrence but she got in the thick briars and that stuff sucks up buckshot energy about like cotton plants.

The day before at the local DOE bomb plant (SRS) they killed 57 on a 4 hour controlled hunt.

Surprised no one offers guided dog hunts. I had two Australian guys find my kennel on line, contact me and came to the US for a week of hunting. One of the Aussies killed 4 in one day.

So yeah, it works. Load, choke and distance are all important factors.

Our club is running dogs tomorrow and Sat, then Wed,Thurs, Fri, Sat next week. If I weren’t working I’d be dropping hounds at daylight tomorrow

Don't think it is legal here, used to be down east.

I've never wanted to use it, or slugs.
I know it will kill, so does a 22.


Heck, the 30-30 sits due to ballistics.

Sounds like a fun time

30 yds? 40 yards? Meh, Show me one in the open running wide open at less than 50 yards and I’ll show you a dead deer 9.5 out of 10 times. 60 yards and he is in real trouble and likely will get a truck ride. At 70 yards you wouldn’t want to be him, but that is starting to push it.

At 30 yards they usually fold like a dove with one shot.

12ga 00 buckshot is .33 cal cruising at 1300 fps. 3” holds 15 of those hornets.

When the hood rats discover it and learn how to make it shoot they’ll go extinct killing each other

I killed a small buck in Montana. A 12 gage with 00 buck in brush along the Missouri river. About 30 yards, he folded on the spot.

The shot load hit the neck just behind the head. As I remember about a 8 or 10 inch circle.

I've never seen or heard of anyone using it here, though it's legal. Never tried it myself either. Honestly, I didn't realize it was legal to run dogs on deer in other States before reading this thread

buckshot maybe good for small southern deer. in north jersey seen it fail 89% of the time in fact Jersey finally allowed slugs cause of so many wounded deer

Dude, I'd love to get in on a deer dog hunt someday. #bucketlist

Like most everything, inside its range limits and placed correctly, its immediately terminal. It's not legal here for deer but having hog hunted a time or two I don't understand why it wasn't, because a bird barrel with a slug wasn't better, safer and certainly didn't make hitting them on the run easier.

Not all buckshot is equal, also like most things.

I've been working on spent trap hulls and a 0 mold, heat treated of course, to get some 5 gallon buckets full. For whatever.

Fond memories of 12 gauges and #1 or 00. Busted a small 7 point front chest shot with a 16 gage and #1 running uphill behind an old Confederate cemetery. When Blue cut loose with his distinctive deep bark I knew a buck was headed out of that Cutover. Beagles black&tans Walkers Redbones don't laugh I killed two does two golden doodles walked out of head high pine trees you couldn't see 40 yards through but Kali&Belter barked them up to me and #1 handled its business.

The first 100 or so deer I killed was with buckshot, and most of them were being run with dogs. But, you need to pattern your shotgun with different size and makes of buckshot. One of my 12 ga. shotguns shoots Rem #1's best and will consistently put 12 buckshot in a 9" square at 40 yds. IIRC, there is 16 #1 buckshot in a 2 3/4" shell. Another 12 ga. shotgun likes Federal #4 buckshot and will consistently put 21 in a 9" square at 40 yds. Again, IIRC there is 42 buckshot in a 3" magnum shell. Neither of those shotguns shoots 00 worth a darn.