Originally Posted by JPro
Originally Posted by mwarren
No, not for any Buck or Doe that I'm interested in shooting. I've seen some of the photos posted on this thread with small does taken with .223. Why would anyone shoot does that small? 250 yard head or neck shot doesn't seem like ethical hunting to me either. Reads like a potential tracking nightmare.

Around here, a typical mature 3.5yr+ doe is going to weigh 115-135lbs. Every now and then we get one pushing 140lbs, but it is rare. A typical 3.5-4.5yr old buck is going to be 160-190lbs at his best weight in the fall.

I agree with you on the longer-range head and neck shots, there's just too much that can go wrong. If I'm just going to shoot a doe or sow for the freezer, I can afford to wait for an easier shot presentation, and at that point, nearly any centerfire rifle will do the job. But if we are talking "general purpose" deer and hog hunting, then shot presentations and circumstances are sometimes not ideal, and I like more gun for those times. A tough shot angle, right at dark, near heavy cover, is not really when I want a .22cal centerfire in my hands. Like the 6mm rounds, it'll certainly kill them, but I've had better results in the field with the "standard" deer rounds like the 7mm-08, 30-06, 308, etc. I simply get very few shots at decent bucks in a given hunting season, so I plan for the worst....

I've thought about your comment along with comments from TheKid about deer size and TheBigSky about bullet technology advancing...Being honest I didn't even give a thought about deer from different regions in the US being different in size on average...but it's true. The doe weights you mention seems consistent with where I hunt in NC. Typical bucks may be closer to 160 than 190 here though.

There is no doubt that bullets have advanced too. Me and my son deer hunt with a .270 and a 7mm-08. Everything we've shot with these rounds has been either DRT or one hop and crash. The shots have all been just behind the shoulder and low. Looks like we wreak havoc on the heart. All have had exit wounds. I can understand why a stout .223 in the same spot would give similar results. However, I do feel more comfortable and confident with what we are using.