RC,

I would take #1 in a heartbeat.
I would take #2 also, unless the actual shot distance is beyond my comfort zone. So, it depends.
#3 Is the grass moving? Yes, wait for a clear shot. No, I could thread a 53gr Barnes through the ribs.
#4 is a no go. Keep hunting, working the animal until a good shot is presented.

The others are already dead, so I can't tell you.

As far as the jackalopes.

#1 is definitely a go. World class speciman. Was this one actually killed? And by who? I am curious to the score and all time ranking.

#2 I would have to wait for the animal to stop moving.

Jackalopes don't eat worth a dang though.

Prefer their smaller cousin, the cottontail. But the trophy potential of cottontails is lacking, and that turns some people off from pursueing them.

I have seen to many deer that have been wonded by the 22 cals over the years, if you cann't shoot a deer rifle because it kicks to hard for you take up a sport more fitting to you like knitting. Its not whether you can kill a deer with a 22 its how long it lives after being shot, I have to much respect for them to not use a proper rifle. Its funny to me to hear people say how great a deer rifle a 223 is and in the next breath say that the M-16 is to small for killing bad guy and the gov should switch back to the M-14 in 308.

Dear gawd..isn't this re-visited with frequent regularity? Next you'all wanna know who's using their 416 Rigby for bunnies.

quote:

Originally posted by 460 wby shooter:
I have seen to many deer that have been wonded by the 22 cals over the years, if you cann't shoot a deer rifle because it kicks to hard for you take up a sport more fitting to you like knitting. Its not whether you can kill a deer with a 22 its how long it lives after being shot, I have to much respect for them to not use a proper rifle. Its funny to me to hear people say how great a deer rifle a 223 is and in the next breath say that the M-16 is to small for killing bad guy and the gov should switch back to the M-14 in 308.

Sounds to me like you've been exposed to a bunch of crappy shooters over the years, not crappy cartridges.

quote:

Originally posted by DTala:
I've killed probably two dozen deer with a 22 rimfire shooting 22 short hollow points and subsonic long rifle lead hollow points. Seldom had to shoot one twice....

still dosen't make a .22 rimfire a good deer HUNTING rifle cartridge.....deer rifles START at .24......

Around my place, deer rifles start at .308 caliber!!

quote:

Originally posted by 460 wby shooter:
I have seen to many deer that have been wonded by the 22 cals over the years, if you cann't shoot a deer rifle because it kicks to hard for you take up a sport more fitting to you like knitting. Its not whether you can kill a deer with a 22 its how long it lives after being shot, I have to much respect for them to not use a proper rifle. Its funny to me to hear people say how great a deer rifle a 223 is and in the next breath say that the M-16 is to small for killing bad guy and the gov should switch back to the M-14 in 308.

Big difference between shooting a deer and an armed enemy. They deer will lay down and die. The bad guy will shoot you before he dies.
Personally I don't use anything under 25 caliber for deer but know many who do with great results. I also know guys who loose deer with 30-06 and the like. Bad shots are bad shots. I personally lost a deer I shot this year with my .257AI. Deer jumped into a thick patch of jaggers before it started bleeding. After about 20 min looking for blood I decided I missed. Yotes found the dead deer that evening. From this I could say the .257 is not an adequate round for white tail but we all know better. Fact is I never shoot deer when they are near the jaggers in this area. I always wait till they cross the fence into the open field. This year the cows were in the field where the deer would come out so I took the shot. Bad decision on my part. Maybe a .22 in the head would have kept the deer from getting into the brush better than my 115 grain bullet behind the shoulder did. Then again maybe a 180 grainer from my .300 Winny would have done better.

Personally I blame it on myself shooting the deer where I knew tracking could have been hard if the deer did not go right down.

Well, I've taken deer with rifles chambered for 6mm Rem, .260 Rem, 30-30, 8mmx57, 8mm-06AI, and 45-70. I am certain .22 CF's do kill deer, but that's a little too small for my tastes. That said, deer aren't bullet-proof, and any bullet that will hold together long enough to reach the vitals to do the damage will take deer cleanly. However, smaller calibers mean smaller margins of error.

I just wonder when I read threads like this of just how many deer and other game were LOST due to marginal shot placement (but aren't mentioned), as those who post using a .22 CF never seem to lose a deer due to bad shot placement (even though it happens with much larger calibers). I'm just dreading the thread that says it's cool to take deer at 250 yds with a .17 HMR...

I do say if it can be done, it ain't bragging, but I guess I just like bigger holes and better blood trails (when needed). Just my personal preference.

quote:

Originally posted by TAO:
I do say if it can be done, it ain't bragging, but I guess I just like bigger holes and better blood trails (when needed). Just my personal preference.

Me, too. I recently saw several smallish red deer shot with a .243 Win and regular SP bullets. It killed them, too, in most cases but not in all. However, the remaining margin for error is very small. Something in the range of a 7x57 mm or a 30/06 just keeps you on the safer side.

A bad shot with a 30/06 might result in a deer which is not dead but no longer runs. With a .243 already this is different. Yes, one can kill deer with a .22 Hornet over a bait site by headshooting them. Under regular circumstances this is just not the way to go.

Well said DUK A 22 will kill a deer if everthing goes right but MR Murphy allways finds a way to ruin things.

quote:

Originally posted by 460 wby shooter:
Well said DUK A 22 will kill a deer if everthing goes right but MR Murphy allways finds a way to ruin things.

How about when deer are hit with a 30-06 or 300 mag and are not recovered? is that the fault of the cartridge as well??

No it is not but you have a lot better chance of recovering that deer if shoot in the same spot with a 30-06 than with a 22 anything. I have killed over a hundred deer with a rifle and can tell you that you will always be better off with a 25 cal and up for deer.

quote:

Originally posted by 460 wby shooter:
No it is not but you have a lot better chance of recovering that deer if shoot in the same spot with a 30-06 than with a 22 anything. I have killed over a hundred deer with a rifle and can tell you that you will always be better off with a 25 cal and up for deer.

Well I have taken more deer than you, with both a revolver and a rifle, so do you have a point or just wanted to see who had the most kills?

No not a contest and if it makes you happy you killed more deer then me go for it, just saying the truth and you will always be better armed with a 25 cal and up for deer.

Projectile,projectile,projectile!It's the same in many applications.Choose the right projectile and taking deer all day long at suitable ranges with a 22 cal is no problem.An accurate rifle with little or immense power with a bad projectile will give bad results.

As far as wanting to pick on the 6mm,243 family,in capable hands I'd put them up against most "BIG" magnum shooters 7 days a week for deer.

quote:

Originally posted by 460 wby shooter:
No not a contest and if it makes you happy you killed more deer then me go for it, just saying the truth and you will always be better armed with a 25 cal and up for deer.

So you're a proponent of the 25-20 for deer? How many of your 100 deer were shot with a 22 of any kind? You can state a position like that but without having experienced both sides of the issue in equal amounts you're just like Hot Core telling us we've been wrong 'lo these 30 years of hunting. He's an attorney so the truth don't matter, as long as he wins

Beside that, your nomenclature is all over the place, man. A 30-06 can be anything from a 55 gr Accelerator to 220 gr round nose. There are at least (5) 30 caliber bullets I can think of off the top of my head that would be far worse than a 22 caliber TSX in any 22 centerfire from 222 through 220 Swift.

Cottonstalk said it right; it's all about the projectile.

quote:

Originally posted by tiggertate:
you're just like Hot Core telling us we've been wrong 'lo these 30 years of hunting. ..

You are still WRONG and a total FOOL to boot!

Like a moth to a candle.

I have always loved these idividuals that profess that thier idea of the minimum of perfect deer caliber is the be all end all. If you can kill a deer with a bow and arrow basically a sharp knife , any centerfire or rimfire can work well within its own limits. I hear about these super long shots and such and think wow thats hunting! I have killed deer and most other NA big game in almost every legal way. With everthing from 22 to 458 caliber rifles and handguns as well as shotguns.
If a person thinks he needs a 416 mag for deer so be it.
I like to hunt period and the weapon is just my feeling for the day. Lots of time i grab my 308 because it just shoots so good. If you miss with it its your own fault. The deer ans boar i have killed with a 223 died just as fast as with my 300 weatherby. But most of mine have been shot at under 30 yards. A few at longer distance but i guess i have been lucky anough to get in close to my prey over the years. Its ok to shoot a 125 lb wolf with a 55gr ballistic tip but look out if some one suggests it on a 150lb deer. Just face it whitetail deer are not hard to kill and they dont try to get you after they are shot. We are not talking Grizzly Bears!!
I love shooting a 223, great round.
JM2CW

Before I knew any better, I took 10 or so deer with my .22-250 (that dad gave me when I turned 12). All were 1 shot kills, and all dropped within 100 yards of where I shot them. In point of fact, I killed the largest (weight) whitetail I've shot with the .22-250. It went around 200 pounds dressed. One shot, which hit the shoulder, and he was down within 25 yards. I used a standard-issue remington 55 grain soft point.

The only problem I saw witht the .22-250 as a deer rifle was that I almost never got a blood trail, because the bullets typically didn't exit.

In terms of how fast it killed them, how far they ran, etc I honestly couldn't tell much difference between the .22-250 and the .308 I use most of the time now.

Whitetailed deer get credit for being a lot tougher than they really are.

quote:

Originally posted by 22Rimfire:
I have always loved these idividuals that profess that thier idea of the minimum of perfect deer caliber is the be all end all. If you can kill a deer with a bow and arrow basically a sharp knife , any centerfire or rimfire can work well within its own limits. I hear about these super long shots and such and think wow thats hunting! I have killed deer and most other NA big game in almost every legal way. With everthing from 22 to 458 caliber rifles and handguns as well as shotguns.
If a person thinks he needs a 416 mag for deer so be it.
I like to hunt period and the weapon is just my feeling for the day. Lots of time i grab my 308 because it just shoots so good. If you miss with it its your own fault. The deer ans boar i have killed with a 223 died just as fast as with my 300 weatherby. But most of mine have been shot at under 30 yards. A few at longer distance but i guess i have been lucky anough to get in close to my prey over the years. Its ok to shoot a 125 lb wolf with a 55gr ballistic tip but look out if some one suggests it on a 150lb deer. Just face it whitetail deer are not hard to kill and they dont try to get you after they are shot. We are not talking Grizzly Bears!!
I love shooting a 223, great round.
JM2CW

Yep.

quote:

Originally posted by kjjm4:
Before I knew any better, I took 10 or so deer with my .22-250 (that dad gave me when I turned 12). All were 1 shot kills, and all dropped within 100 yards of where I shot them. In point of fact, I killed the largest (weight) whitetail I've shot with the .22-250. It went around 200 pounds dressed. One shot, which hit the shoulder, and he was down within 25 yards. I used a standard-issue remington 55 grain soft point.

The only problem I saw witht the .22-250 as a deer rifle was that I almost never got a blood trail, because the bullets typically didn't exit.

In terms of how fast it killed them, how far they ran, etc I honestly couldn't tell much difference between the .22-250 and the .308 I use most of the time now.

Whitetailed deer get credit for being a lot tougher than they really are.

It is legal in Oregon to hunt deer with a .22 caliber centerfire with no restrictions on bullet weight.

I have a good friend of mine that used his 220 Swift on deer for years. He had no problem with a blood trail or with losing animals as most animals were DRT. I guess it must have been pure luck.

Not legal in Colorado and that's where Im from and where I mainly hunt. So, never used a 22 on deer and probably never will. Frankly I want a little more bullet weight for deer than a 22 gives me.