SO many of my hunts in Texas have been from blinds. The distances were short, the blinds steady. Taking a whitetail spike with one head shot from the Hornet made me a believer. Instant kill, no meat damaged. And, quiet. Seems to me that would work as well with any of the deer family even the reds.

BillInTheWild

I've been trying to tell people that for years, but there are so many doubters!

If you put a 45 grain bullet into the middle of a deers ribs, he won't go very far and usually will drop right there!
Obviously as you found out, a headshot will do it all instantly!

I've lived in Texas all my life, and of all my hunts, less than 10 percent (probably less than 5 %) have been from blinds.

Yes, in a perfect world, a .22 Hornet can and will take a deer. But we don't live and hunt in a perfect world.

And no, I am not condemning all .22 centerfires for use on smaller deer. In skilled hands and given proper bullets, the 22-250, .220 Swift, .224 TTH, etc. are extremely effective on deer-sized game. But I won't delve deeply here as this is a subject that's been rehashed here time and again.

22LR at short range will drop a whitetail with a head shot....don't ask me how I know!

22 mag will lay them out flat right there same with pigs but you must wait for the right shot.
you can ask how i know but i wont tell.

quote:

Originally posted by CRUSHER:
22 mag will lay them out flat right there same with pigs but you must wait for the right shot.
you can ask how i know but i wont tell.

I am going to have to agree, not from personal experience, from many stories of a someone near and dear that regularly uses an old pump action Winchester .22 magnum to bring home the venison (during legal season mind you). For the few deer I have taken, a .22 mag would have been sufficient, and a Hornet would have done the job nicely because they were all very close and holding still (which takes a LOT of patience, but not wanting to leave my dry tree spot to wander helps too) so yes, under the IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES they work fine.

Well, yeah. So will the .22 LR, or in a rather odd collusion of circumstance, the CB short insofar as hogs are concerned. Never did a deer with RF's but a whole bunch of 'em meet their end that way every year.

OH YES THE CB IS GREAT BUT THE 60 GR AGUILA SSS THROUGH A 1 IN 9 BBL AND MY SUPRESSOR IS FANTASTIC ON PIGS.BROWNELLS SELLS A BBL FOR A 77-22 IN 1-9.

YOU ARE IN A HIDE AND BEATING ON THEM FROM 40 YDS AND THEY ARE QUITE CONFUSED

THE FIRST PIG FALLS DEAD AND THE REST LOOK AT HIM LIKE WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM GET UP YOUR EMBARASING US REALY QUIT SCREWIN AROUND MAN THEN THE 2 3 4 5 FALL AND THE LAST ONES ARE LIKE HEYYYY SOMETHINS UP HERE.

IF YOU HIT ONE RIGHT AND THEY DONT SQUEILL THE REST JUST STAND THERE.

Wow Crusher!!

That's "makin bacon!!"

Bluepuma,

The 22mag may do what you say it does when it comes to deer, but in Texas rim fire cartridges are illegal for deer and migratory birds.

IMO, it should never be used for deer.

The rimfire law in texas is just plain stupid but it is the law. that is why I am working on a 5.7 x 28 rifle because it is a centerfire and therefore not verboten.

I like to wait til they look away and breack c1 with a lite bullet when they have no idea im on the same planet now thats a rush.