What do you harvest deer with?

Conquest351 wrote: This is why I live in Texas. I could use a .50 BMG if I really felt like it. LOL

They'll let us use that in indiana, but only if you have an out of season DNR depredation permit.....otherwise, in season we're limited to archery, muzzle loaders, shotguns, pistols, and pistol caliber rifles.

The miata of hunting rifles is indeed the Remmy 700 in .308.....I hate the .308 round in anything other than semi auto/full auto rifles. IMHO, its only good in those applications.

I own a 700, but it is in 30-06. Because, since I handload for -06, I can make them shoot softer than a .308, or I can make them nearly as nasty as a 300 win mag.

BoostedBrandon wrote: Longbow FTW.

Fixed that for you

Get 2 guns ! shotgun and a rifle w/scope . Pawn shop or get a hand me down Bonus ! Pick up a handgun and a holster for good measure . And Please Please read gun safety stuff and practice . There aint nobody that want's to hunt with a fool in the woods . My first hunt would be shotgun w/ double ott buck shot . Enjoy .

I alternate between a 7mm Rem mag and my 8mm Mauser. The problem with these is you better not run out of ammo. The local gas station does not carry these. I would use a 30-06 if i were buying today due to you can get ammo anywhere.

Chris

pilotbraden wrote: A gun that has adequate power, fits you and that you shoot well is probably more important than the cartridge type. Anything from a .243 to a .45-70 and anything in between will do a fine job.

That's pretty much how I feel about the selection of guns for deer hunting too. If it's got reasonable stopping power and you can do well enough with it in target practice, that's good enough in the gun department. Your biggest challenge will be finding the deer and getting a good shot at them.

cdowd wrote: ...my 8mm Mauser.

Someone else with good taste

I agree on the ammo thing. I finally had to break down and buy a new box of 8mm for this season and it was darn near $40.

Went out today and saw two bucks, both not legal to shoot. (We have that new BS thing where it has to have at least 3 points on one side) Passed up a really nice 4-point and a big old spike with a little split at the top.

Also could have shot a fox, 7 turkeys, and 6 Does

Its like they know what season it is.

No .25-06? Guess I'm the weirdo. The family has killed more with that round than anything else.

I harvest deer with guns and the miata.

Appleseed wrote: No .25-06? Guess I'm the weirdo. The family has killed more with that round than anything else.

Good round, I had one for awhile, but as that was before I reloaded, I couldn't find ammunition for it berkeleying anywhere.

I was going to joke and say people that have a 7mm Magnum is over compensating for a small pee pee, like Porsche and Corvette owners. Then I saw a couple of people here have them.

I went in to buy a deer rifle back in the late 70s. I was wanting something in a 243. The guy that waited on me wanted to sell me his personal tricked out 30-06. He said he had shot a deer with it and it didn't die, so he was going to get a 7 mag. I thought to myself that he should step down a caliber and learn to put the bullet in the right place. I got so confused I walked out the door with a Browning Auto 5 Shotgun.

I still don't have a rifle and likely never will. But if I did, I would buy a 7-08 or a Roberts 257. I'm just a little different. Or I might pop on a nice mil-surp like a Swedish 6.5 mm Mauser or Swiss K-31. Ammo's a bit pricey.

If I needed something to shoot long range, I would definitely consider the 30.06, 270 and 7 mm mag. I once had a co-operator that owned 10,000 acres on the GA-AL border that had some of the longest fields I've ever seen.

While I can use almost anything here for deer, my favorite is my shotgun. An old Winchester 1897, with a badly pitted and bent smoothbore barrel. I throw foster style slugs out it. With that combination, I can stay on a small paper plate out to 100 yards, which means I'm comfortably stay in the kill zone of a deer, and even take neck shots.

I want to hunt, but I never got around to the safety course. And I wouldn't know what to do with the thing after it's dead.

neon4891 wrote: I want to hunt, but I never got around to the safety course. And I wouldn't know what to do with the thing after it's dead.

backstrap

neon4891 wrote: I want to hunt, but I never got around to the safety course. And I wouldn't know what to do with the thing after it's dead.

do a google search for your states parks and wildlife or fish and game department, they'll usually have info on where and how to take a hunter safety class.

i think most of them now allow you to do part of the class online and then you show up to do the "hands on" part of the class, plus watch a vid or two about ethics, take the test and you're on your way.

Savage 10 FCM Scout (Gen 2)

It's competition for the Ruger Scout. It's got the box mag (yes, there is an aftermarket 9rd for it), iron sights, forward rail for scope, it's cheaper, plus you get 3.5 more inches of barrel (greater muzzle velocity), Savage's amazing adjustable Accutrigger and Accustock, plus their great customer service.

It only comes in .308 and it's a tack-driver -- I can group 5 rounds inside 2 inches at 300 yards. Can you tell that I'm pleased with mine?

I prefer the .308 because I'm a dooms-day crazy that thinks all of my personal weapons should be in the same caliber as those used by the armed forces...

my wife's drunk aunt harvested a deer with her GMC acadia on thanksgiving night after 3 bottles of wine.

Lucky she didn't harvest herself.

patgizz wrote: my wife's drunk aunt harvested a deer with her GMC acadia on thanksgiving night after 3 bottles of wine.

a: she needs to grow up and take some personal responsibility for her own actions (this said without knowing any of the circumstances )

b: someone else needed to step up and FORCE her to give up her keys ...

someone could easily been killed ... not just a deer ... hopefully she got charged .. even though that probably won't change her behavior ...

all this a sorta non-issue if it was a one time happening ... never before and won't ever happen again ...

ok ... rant over ... ( this from someone who did the same thing for MANY yrs )

So slight threadjack if you wanted a gun for both hogs and deer, what would use? 30-06?

I've got an old 30-06 that I inherited from my grandfather. Last year was my first time deer hunting and I took that gun. I'd like to get good at shooting and the 30-06 beats me up pretty good so I picked up a Ruger American in .243 this fall and put a 3x9 Nikon scope on it. Super fun to shoot, very low recoil, and I've been very happy with the accuracy at 100 and 200 yards at the range. Haven't gotten a deer yet, and regular season is over in WI but there is a four day doe season in two weeks. Going to see if I can't put some venison in the freezer with the Ruger!

In reply to 93EXCivic:

Several companies make 12ga shot guns in 24" barrell, smooth or rifled bore for slug use, specifically for hog hunting. The same setup makes for a pretty good deer gun if you're comfortable with it, out to 100 or so yards. It takes some practice and correct slug selection to get accuracy though.

I picked up a Mossberg 500 pump 12ga "Field and Deer" set that came with 28" smooth barrel for birds and 24" rifled barrel for slugs, a cheap crap scope for the 24" brl, and a swappable height comb for the stock - it pretty much covers anything I need to do if I really had to put meat on the table. I got the whole kit at a pawn shop for $230, but you can get them new for about $400, maybe less. There are better "perfect" guns for each situation, but a 12ga can almost anything well enough.

and despite what I may have claimed in another thread, if I were hog hunting around here, where 300lbers are pretty common, I'm packing something that throws a E36 M3load of lead.

ultraclyde wrote: and despite what I may have claimed in another thread, if I were hog hunting around here, where 300lbers are pretty common, I'm packing something that throws a E36 M3load of lead.

458 socom in an ar chassis..........and I HATE AR chassis rifles.

93EXCivic wrote: So slight threadjack if you wanted a gun for both hogs and deer, what would use? 30-06?

if the sight lines/distances are short enough, I still say the stopping power of the Marlin 35 is hard to beat

When I was young, nobody hunted deed with a rifle. All the hunters around us used shotguns with 00 buckshot. A few used slugs. Today, I'm not sure I want to go into woods with a bunch of dumb asses with rifles.

I don't know the exact details, but a follow who used to do contract work for the company I worked for was killed on a deer hunt. He was on a 4 wheeler trying to drive the deer through woods. Someone popped him. I don't know if it was an errant shot or someone thought it was a deer on a 4 wheeler. These guys lived and breathed hunting. I am still at a loss on how this happened.