Let me first point out that I'm western born and have always done my big game hunting with either a rifle or muzzleloader. Shotguns were only considered fit to use on upland birds and waterfowl. Hell, we even hunted rabbits with .22 rifles or pistols.

Now I find myself stationed on the east coast in Va and horrors upon horrors, many places require the use of shotguns for deer. Kind of a mind blowing concept. I've heard about it, but never had to experience it. Always kind of thought it was a rumor or something.

A navy buddy suggested I turn in for a special tag for the Rappahannock National Wildife Rufuge and I found out when I got the tag that I would have to use a shotgun. On top of that, I had to use buckshot, no slugs allowed. So, not being one to let a tag go to waste, I broke out the old Winchester pump and got some 00 Buck and patterned the thing. Didn't take me long to realize that I was going to be restricted to 30 yards or less.

Now for the important stuff, I went to the refuge this morning and was the only person hunting there. Most of the trees were spindly, meaning I couldn't hang a tree stand, so that left still hunting. I was wandering down a trail and saw a pretty good buck cross the trail about 80 yards in front of me. I was really wishing for my muzzleloader or 7 Mag right then. I think the buck was a 7 point, but I may have missed 1 or 2 points as he was moving. Pretty nice deer, nothing earth shatterings, but nice. I walked up to the trail he had been using and was considering going after him since he wasn't spooked when I heard something else coming through the fallen leaves. It was a nice young 4 point following the same path the bigger buck had been on. Since the entire purpose of the refuge hunt was herd reduction, he fit the bill perfectly. I just stepped behind a big oak tree and let him keep coming. When he was about 15 yards away he stopped and looked dead at me. Hammer time!

I have never in my life seen a deer drop so quickly to the shot. I mean he was literally thrown sideways. The shells I was using had 15 pellets in them and when I skinned the buck out, he had 9 holes in his shoulder, 2 in his neck and one right between the eyes. His lungs looked like swiss cheese. Needless to say, I was definately impressed. He probably weighed about 130 lbs live weight. Not a monster, but a good average buck for that area of Virginia.

Maybe there is something to this shotgun hunting after all. Sorry, no pics available, I was hunting light today and was actually set on trying to take a doe.

Cheers

Mac

MAC

I'm originally from Maine and in the coastal country I hunted the cover was often thick and the shotgun was used very successfully. I remember one particular buck I shot quartering to me at a dead run. One blast of #4 buck at about 20 yards and he just plowed leave for 10 feet and never lifted his head.

Congrats on a new hunting experience.

Mark

I've never hunted with a shotgun either other then bird and small animals.

However, I've always heard there is quite a bit of knock down power with them at close ranges.

Congrats on the buck. I hope to harvest one in the next 10 days or so.

SG's can be quite devastating when you hit your animal right and the distances are close, I have shot quite a few head of game with them and have found they either work great or not well at all.

Hey MAC, Congratulations. Yes indeed, good old Buck Shot does the job when applied properly.

It has worked for a long time.

I used to work with a guy who took a 10 Gauge loaded with 00 Buck elk hunting. He swore he was going to get a elk with the thing. The last time I talked to him he hadn't had one come close enough, but when he does, that 10 gauge would sure knock an elk over.

I will let you guys in on a little secret. Several years ago I read something about long range buckshot loads with materials from Ballistic Products in Long Lake, Mn and got curious.
Using a 10 gauge with Federal hulls and their components you can shoot deer at 100 yds with buckshot. You can't buy buckshot loads that will get anywhere near that.
After you dump the powder there is a gas seal that is inserted, then felt wads, then stacked 000 buckshot. By stacked I mean 3 columns of 4 by using spacers that you make yourself. Slowly remove a spacer in add buffer until you have it full of buffer, top it with a light card and crimp. Before stacking there is a teflon wrap that replaces shot cups. Use their high antimony 000 buck. It takes a little pracice to get it right. You can order all the instructions from them.
What happens using this load is that the bucks come out of the improved cylinder choke unrestricted and fly straight. A 26 to 28 inch barrel is best. I tried a 24 and it loses a little distance. I tried other hulls but the Federals allow the 000 buck to stack very nicely due to the wall thickness.
People think you are nuts until you take them to the range and show them. I prefer the Browning pump rather than an automatic. There is always a little pressure loss in automatics.

Well I never plan on hunting deer with a shotgun, but I may need to get a 10 guage press just to try that!!! Sounds like fun, thanks Dwight. I was impressed when I shot a turkey at 90 yards with #4 buck. The bird had five holes in it and at least one exited. Only a 12 guage though.

I can't speek for buck shot as it is illegal to use on deer in NY but i have used rifled slugs and they are deadly on deer to 100 yds although i haven't used them beyond 55 yds. Now the sabot slugs are a whole other story they are giving great accuracy now to 150-200 yards. I hope to give the sabot a try next year.

quote:

Originally posted by MAC:
The shells I was using had 15 pellets in them and when I skinned the buck out, he had 9 holes in his shoulder, 2 in his neck and one right between the eyes.

Mac

I'm not a shotgun expert. Were you shooting 3" magnum shells? I have some 2-3/4" stuff and I think it has 8 or 9 pellets. I had it for use in south Alabama 20 years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by naja302:
Well I never plan on hunting deer with a shotgun, but I may need to get a 10 guage press just to try that!!! Sounds like fun, thanks Dwight. I was impressed when I shot a turkey at 90 yards with #4 buck. The bird had five holes in it and at least one exited. Only a 12 guage though.

The law and terrain dictate the correct weapon at the time. I certainly prefer rifle terrain but since I have been in the shotgun terrain many times I tried to maximize the potential for success. My largest buck was killed with a 10 gauge while he was running through heavy cover. Never could have got him with a rifle that day.
I checked the Ballistic Products Inc site and they do not have the manual that I once used called Pagoda Loads. They have a manual now just for buckshot so I assume it is in there.
You can do pagoda loads with a 12 but you get limited as to choices. The 3 1/2 inch 10 with Federal hulls just makes the perfect package with 12 000bucks stacked in it.
Good luck if you try it. It is a little time consuming but I doubt if anyone is going to shoot skeet with them. A friend of mine shot 3 fast shots with my 10 and he was wearing a t shirt and got a nice strawberry from it. It can rattle your cheek bone a little also.

Don't recommend this but:

Certain older generation family members would "ring" their shotgun shells. They would cut a ring around the base of the plastic so that when they shot the hole piece of plastic flew out as a giant slug. Left big holes at close range!

quote:

Don't recommend this but:

Certain older generation family members would "ring" their shotgun shells. They would cut a ring around the base of the plastic so that when they shot the hole piece of plastic flew out as a giant slug. Left big holes at close range!

Called 'cut shells". The old timers did it with paper hull bird shot shells to create an improvised slug. No question buckshot works if used at reasonable range. The downside is the individual pellets don't retain energy very well and it can be a crippler at longer distances. A lot of my hunting is in a mandated shotgun area and with modern slugs I would never use buckshot unless it was required by law.

Jeff

I've punched holes through deer with a shotgun here in New York all my life, never further than 25 yards. Not an imposed limit, just never had to shoot further. At least not until I decided to use a .44 revolver! Within that 25 yards, I can't imagine anything hitting harder than 427 grain chunks of lead. Buckshot is not allowed.

NY has decided to open up vurtually the whole state to rifles this year but I'll stick to my old smoothie if I decide to leave my taurus home. This season's a wash anyhow, I'm deployed to Antartica where I can't even think about shooting and guns without getting dirty looks from the local hippie tree hugging nut jobs that populate this place. Good luck to every one this season. What ever your choice of impliment and projectile, shoot straight and be safe.

This year I ran into a guy hunting deer with buckshot and a long-barreled Remington 1100. He said he shoots for the head and it works just fine. I may have to try it.


Okie John

There are few things as effective as buckshot at close range, that being defined as a distance in which most if no all pellets will remain within about 15" by my standard. I've had better success with modified to full chokes regarding patterns, and urge anybody wishing to hunt with it to take the time to properly pattern your loads. Typically I shoot within 30 yards but may stretch that a bit given the particulars of the situation. I prefer the smaller shot sizes, #1 down to #3, in lieu of the "ought" varieties, this being a matter of pattern density in MY guns. I killed a hog once with #8 bird shot...buck has a range advantage though, and I wouldn't recommend such loads for the beginner.

Lots of folks are skeptical about its performance, likely they never tried to use it properly. I don't know anything that will drop hogs and deer size game any quicker, and it's a natural for Southern bottom country still hunting.

Used #3 buck in my 20 when dog hunting (deer) in North Louisiana. Most of the guys I hunted with in N Louisiana used #2 or #3 in a 12ga. Very effective out to 50 yrds. Have since ended up in Indiana and rifles are not allowed...can use a 308 Thompson though. Dropped my buck this year at 57 yrds with a H&R single shot rifled slug barrel that holds a 2" group at 100 yrds. If allowed, the area we hunt in would be perfect for buckshot.

I have done 90% of my deer hunting with buckshot. Most of the places I hunt you can not use a rifle or slugs for deer. In my early years of hunting I often cussed and praised buckshot on the same day. The real trick is to limit your range and find the right shell for your gun. I shoot a full choke in a Benelli with a 21" barrel and I limit my range to about 40 yards. I can usually get about 12 of 15 pellets in a pie plate at thirty yards using Remington 3" 00 Premier Magnum shells. I know some folks who get some real tight patterns and frequently kill deer at fifty plus yards. There are some custom chokes that are being made that are designed to throw real tight buckshot patterns and I may eventually try one. In thick woods where the shots are 10 to 30 yards or on running deer, buckshot is awesome. You run into problems when you shoot at deer that are out of range or if you fowl up the shot. Deer do not bleed well with only a few pellets in them, in the wrong places. Do not ask me why we are not able to use slugs and rifles as I have no good answer! If you look at the hunting accident reports for the year around here, most involve buckshot. However those that have grown up hunting with buckshot and dogs do not seem to feel restricted or under gunned because It what they are used to.

I've hated Buckshot at times and Loved it at other times. We used to run dogs quite a bit several years ago and still do from time to time. Over a few years of trying different guns and diff loads the best I found was Federal Premium 000 3" loads (I believe 9 pellets) out of my Winchester 1300 Pump w/ a Modified choke. If they are from 50 on in w/ that set-up, they're toast.

The times I hated Buckshot was back when I tried it out of a couple of my side by side 20s. I shot two bucks one descent buck at around 40 yards and one nice 8pt at 35 yards w/ 3" #2 buck and I was very disatisfied. I shot both of those bucks standing still broad side and we searched for hours w/ no luck, I haven't shot at a deer w/ a 20 ever since. I'm sure it would have worked if they had been at 20 or so yards but, at the time it just seemed like it was so easy.

I'd feel confident w/ that 12 ga 000 load anytime if were the only legal means of taking game.

Reloader