Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Small area caliber choice?

I dont worry about the noise. People hunt all around us.
Not too far away folks target shoot.
Theres blastin going on in the county all the time.
Proly less there than in the city these days lol

44mag or muzzle loader

I’m coming up on having 9ac of an old farmstead, but I’ll have only some bordering country roads to contend with, and no neighbors within maybe a half mile. I’ll also have a decent range fan that I don’t have to worry about anything for nearly a mile. OTOH, I’ve done a good bit of coyote sniping in 5-10ac pieces, right in a small town, with neighbors spaced away through woods, at intervals. I’ve got some undulating terrain and some elevated stands, and there’s also some areas/certain directions with no neighbors, and I only shoot those directions, into the earth/hillside backstops. Otherwise, I pass the shots, unless I know where I’m gonna hit the the critter, catch the bullet in some dirt, and keep it on the property. I’ve been primarily using a 6.8 over a 223, due to just being more comfortable with straight line penetration. It’s not ideal, and requires some extra discipline for safety....but the problem warranted it at the time. I’d only sport hunt deer there from stands shooting down into the hillsides, and safe directions. Probably trying only cns, well inside 100......but I don’t hunt the deer there.

If I were you, I'd make damn sure you're high up in a stand, shooting at a relatively sharp angle on 9 acres. True story in Georgia. Hunter, on the ground, shoots at deer level with him 100 yards away. Misses. Bullet travels about a mile and hits an old man in the butt, who was bending over hoeing his cabbage. Long story short. Deputy Sheriff tracks down hunter. Hunter arrested. Hunter sued. Nice settlement for an old man with a sore butt.

Elevated shot, then use whatever you want. 223 with somewhat frangible bullets would likely be great at both dropping the deer right there and preventing bullets going where they shouldn't.

I have over a dozen rifles I can use for deer-from 6x45,.243's,25/06,6.5 creedmoor,.308 etc. I always grab my Marlin 336 A 30-30.It has a 24" bbl. and a 4x Leupold and shoots the 130 grain Speer flat point 2500 fps.8 shots in two years accounted for 6 deer and 2 coyotes from 50-221 yards.One buck ran 20 yards,everything else dropped.Last buck was at 50 yards and scored 174".

Buckshot!

Ruin a little meat, but no doubt the safest under his circumstances.

Also illegal under his circumstances...

I'm calling BS on that. Unless the guy had his rifle sighted in to hit 90 feet high at 100 yards.

20-60 yard shots?

I'd go with a lever gun in .44 mag.

We hunt small parcels with .44 magnum carbine ( Ruger M77/44) and Remington 870 12 gauge rifled barrel with cantilever scope mount and Hornady SST sabots. If your 870 trigger is not in the 9-10 lb range, Consider getting a rifled 20 gauge barrel for your 870 with cantilevered mounted scope for better shot placement and use the Hornady 20 gauge reduced recoil SST loads which use a jacketed bullet, offer .45-70 level performance, and perhaps less tendency to ricochet than lead Foster slugs.

Regardless of which cartridge you choose, shot placement is critical for DRT. Heart/lung shots with 12 gauge sabots may not drop a deer in it's tracks and following a blood trail for 150-200 yards after dark and rousting neighbors for permission to recover with vehicle is a PITA. Use something that you can make head, neck or high shoulder shots with.

I've had better luck DRT with the Ruger 77/44.....Scope, crisp rifle trigger....at 20-60 yard ranges with 240 gr Federal factory loads. Pass on 100 yard and longer shots.

I don't have an elevated platform, but agree that shooting down is desirable and would, in most instances, give one greater flexibility in picking safe shots. My limited experience in elevated shooting is that you can get closer shots from up high.

22 magnum, pick your shots

I’d hunt the .250 just for grins! What a great tree-stand rifle.

Live on 7.5 ac, mostly heavy woods with homes scattered around the perimeter. I know where the hazards exist and the safe corridors are as well. I understand ricochet dynamics better than most and would never consider the use of any rifle for taking game. It would be legal in my circumstances, but is far too risky IMO. Close quarters with a load of #3 or 4 buck is another story. 40 yds or less with the proper target aspect and I’d do the deed.

How long you been hunting? He was hunting
on a plateau, the bullet traveled past the deer, off the plateau, down into a valley where the old black man was hit in his butt while bending over. A high powered bullet, like a 30/06, can go a long ways if it's not obstructed. You see, sir, that's why they have backstops at firing ranges.

Whatever you say

Wow. Just can't be wrong, huh? What a passive-aggressive prick.