Hi!
I was wundering if any of you use/or have used Buckshots for hunting?? what sort of hunting? how did they work?
I have heard that they are very effective as a "stopper" at close range 0-25 yards...
//Overkill

Buckshot works well for animals around deer-sized. That all depends on how your shotgun is going to pattern the shot as well, and it is best to test several loads through your shotgun to find which one it likes the best.
I've hunted fox several times with buckshot, as well as taken a few deer. It's quite effective with the modern advancements on shot these days, out to even 60 yards. It's best to keep the shots at a reasonable distance, from 30-50 yards to ensure the ballistic performance is optimal from the shot.
As for a stopper, what exactly are you talking about stopping? A enraged deer? It will work on various animals to stop, as well as in self defense against the two-legged variety, however I would not suggest using buckshot to stop a enraged animal with large teeth or claws. Such as in example bear, leopard, etc. It's common practice however IMHO I wouldn't feel the most confident with such a combination.

For what it's worth to you, in my state of NY, buckshot has been illegal for many years on deer. I'm 76 and was told by farmers in upstate NY (who shot deer illegally during the Great Depression when everyone was desperate) that buckshot simply wasn't very good for much else than "tagging" the deer. If shot within 15 feet or so, it wasn't bad. (How often do you get such a shot?) The problem with buckshot, as I heard it, was that penetration just wasn't that great. The Southerners at the time had hounds who could trail so apparently the deer could be tracked down. Anyone else had a problem. Just my thoughts.

It's illegal to use on deer where I live also. I know a few fox and coyote hunters that use it. Remember 00 buck is about .32 caliber, probably 12-1400 fps. Those pellets wouldn't give much penetration. I wouldn't shoot a deer with my .32 muzzleloader. Range would be limited, but I've never found it hard to hit a moving deer at buck shot range with a slug.

I think Gerry nailed it with the southern hunter's using dogs also the deer tend to be a little smaller.

in this part of texas we use oo buckshot for hog hunting 2 reasons ... a large percentage of our hunting is done at night at close range on large groups of hogs around cows.. 50 yards or less with a full choke and oo buck.. you can fill up the back of a pickup real fast... not very sporting but the feral pig population has gotten out of control