EricTheBarbarian
Member
My pistol hunting in ohio it says a caliber .357 or larger. .38 special meets that criteria
Hunting deer with a .38 Special
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mohican
Member
a .38 special is really .357 in diameter, and is not legal in Ohio for hunting deer
or at least wasn't
or at least wasn't
EricTheBarbarian
Member
10, 12, 16, 20, 28, or .410 gauge shotgun using one ball or one rifled slug per barrel (rifled shotgun barrels are permitted when using shotgun slug ammunition); or muzzleloading rifle .38 caliber or larger; or handgun with 5-in. minimum length barrel, using straight-walled cartridges .357 caliber or larger, or longbow, crossbow (draw weight limitations same as for Archery Season).
Thats straight from the site. .357 caliber or larger. I dont see how a .38 special could be illegal in ohio. heres the link
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/regs/deer.htm
Thats straight from the site. .357 caliber or larger. I dont see how a .38 special could be illegal in ohio. heres the link
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/regs/deer.htm
In NH it is legal. I shot 1 deer with a 38 special using a 173 grn Keith hard cast bullet. A doe that weighed 140 dressed. She was spooked into me by my father; I doubled actioned 5 shots into her chest from about 15 feet. She fell in 2 steps.
I have also taken a fork horn with a 45acp took 4 shots and trailing for 200 yards. IMHO the 38 worked better he only weighed 120 pounds. Load was a 230 grn hard cast RN.
I have also taken a fork horn with a 45acp took 4 shots and trailing for 200 yards. IMHO the 38 worked better he only weighed 120 pounds. Load was a 230 grn hard cast RN.
MudPuppy
Member
The size of the deer I've seen lately, a 38 is overkill! 
Clipper
Member
.357 refers to the bullet's DIAMETER, not it's nomenclature... :banghead: .38s are perfectly legal in Ohio & Michigan.
So I was taking a walk with the wife last night and right next to my house are 3 does staring at us from about 50 ft away from a small forested area. They happened to be right behind a fire hydrant and the biggest one was about 2 x the height of the hydrant (bit short of 5 feet). I've seen dogs bigger than those and deer just sizing them up they were in the 90lb-120lb range. Now I live in a metro area in Texas (it just happens to be a nice spread out housing area with plenty of trees and big lawns). I see alot of deer at night chewing up people's lawns and just walking around. From what I'm reading it wouldn't be much to take a deer that size.
smokemaker
Member
I shot a little blacktail with a .38, albeit loaded to +p+ levels. Little bugger went about 40 yards and keeled over. I'll not do that again. Don't even know why I did it in the first place, except maybe to say I did it with a .38.
More to it... I was an arrogant bastard when I was younger. It took some lessons learned to calm me down. Divorce helped... so did hodgkins disease. I was out to prove it could be done. Maybe I should have understood at the time, that just because it could be done, doesn't mean it should be done.
More to it... I was an arrogant bastard when I was younger. It took some lessons learned to calm me down. Divorce helped... so did hodgkins disease. I was out to prove it could be done. Maybe I should have understood at the time, that just because it could be done, doesn't mean it should be done.
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sixgunner455
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Huh. Where in this thread did you get that idea?!
There will always be controversy over what is enough for this or that. At an appropriate range, I'd shoot one with a properly loaded .38. No question. Or 9mm. Or .45. Or .357 mag. Or 10mm. Or .223. Or .30-30. Or SKS. Or anything else.
Wouldn't deliberately go out to hunt them with my J-frame -- might put a crippled one down with it, but an M&P of at least 4" barrel? Would.
Greybeard
Member
Quote: "I shot a little blacktail with a .38, albeit loaded to +p+ levels. Little bugger went about 40 yards and keeled over. I'll not do that again."
Don't feel lonesome. That's just the nature of deer getting shot sometimes, even with rifles. They are often dead and just don't know it yet. A couple years back, I put a 240 grain XTP moving at around 1900 fps from .454 SRH through the top of heart and one lung of a big doe. She turned and ran like the wind for about 100 yards before she went down. Similar thing last fall with cow elk. Broadside shot from 80 yards with 165 grainer from 30/06. She also ran about 100 yards with top of both lungs perforated ...
Don't feel lonesome. That's just the nature of deer getting shot sometimes, even with rifles. They are often dead and just don't know it yet. A couple years back, I put a 240 grain XTP moving at around 1900 fps from .454 SRH through the top of heart and one lung of a big doe. She turned and ran like the wind for about 100 yards before she went down. Similar thing last fall with cow elk. Broadside shot from 80 yards with 165 grainer from 30/06. She also ran about 100 yards with top of both lungs perforated ...
smokemaker
Member
Hey Greybeard,
I wasn't commenting on the deer running a bit before expiring. I understand it takes a few seconds for the blood pressure to drop and the lights to go out. I shot a big doe here in NY a few years back. Double lung shot, blew the top of her heart to shreds. That deer ran almost 200 yards before nosing into the snow. I use the shoulder shot mostly now.
By saying I won't do that again, I was saying that it was silly of me to use a marginal caliber handgun, when I had bigger & badder things in the gunbag.
I wasn't commenting on the deer running a bit before expiring. I understand it takes a few seconds for the blood pressure to drop and the lights to go out. I shot a big doe here in NY a few years back. Double lung shot, blew the top of her heart to shreds. That deer ran almost 200 yards before nosing into the snow. I use the shoulder shot mostly now.
By saying I won't do that again, I was saying that it was silly of me to use a marginal caliber handgun, when I had bigger & badder things in the gunbag.
Greybeard
Member
Comprendo there, smoke. Yep, .38 Special is way down near the bottom of my list for the right tool for the job.
rantingredneck
Member
From the North Carolina DWR website:
Up until this previous season the law read that you could legally use a handgun for deer, bear, and wild boar as long as it was "minimum .357 caliber (.38 Special excluded)" and minimum 5.5 inch barrel.
Now it's minimum .24 caliber with no restrictions as to barrel length. I guess that means that the 9mm I'm wearing IWB right now is a legal hunting firearm. As a matter of fact I know it is because I called the DWR for clarification on this one once I noticed the change.
Up until this previous season the law read that you could legally use a handgun for deer, bear, and wild boar as long as it was "minimum .357 caliber (.38 Special excluded)" and minimum 5.5 inch barrel.
Now it's minimum .24 caliber with no restrictions as to barrel length. I guess that means that the 9mm I'm wearing IWB right now is a legal hunting firearm. As a matter of fact I know it is because I called the DWR for clarification on this one once I noticed the change.
Mannlicher
Member
Evidently Florida allows any Centerfire handgun in any caliber, in the general rules. There may be some restrictions in the individual WMA regs.
Concerning Ohio and the 38 Special. A .357 bullet\Caliber is the dia. of the bullet. The law doesn't say 357 mag. or larger so my thoughts are a 38 Spec. is allowable. But to be sure I called the Division and they stated the 38 Spec. is allowed since it shoots a .357 dia. bullet. Would I use a 38 Spec.? probably not as my goal is to deliver a one shot stop and even a top end 38 Special is a little lacking.
Turk
Turk
Use of a 38 special is an ethical question of the following:
Will it be powerful enough to do alot of debilitating damage to the intended game?
Will I the hunter be accurate with it, and be able to put a shot into a vital area of my intended game?
If you want to use a snub nose 38 to hunt deer, DONT dream of doing so. If you intend to use a 158 grain hollowpoint or jacketed soft point on said whitetail out of a 4-6 inch barrel and you can get close enough to put a bullet through the vital organs then do so.
Honestly, I could take a 6 inch Rossi in 38 special, load it up and go outside tomorrow night when i feed my goats and get within 30-60 feet of a dozen deer, mostly large does and a few bucks. AND i could get at least 3 or 4 deer if i had the inclination to. But alas i hve no handgun or inclination.
Will it be powerful enough to do alot of debilitating damage to the intended game?
Will I the hunter be accurate with it, and be able to put a shot into a vital area of my intended game?
If you want to use a snub nose 38 to hunt deer, DONT dream of doing so. If you intend to use a 158 grain hollowpoint or jacketed soft point on said whitetail out of a 4-6 inch barrel and you can get close enough to put a bullet through the vital organs then do so.
Honestly, I could take a 6 inch Rossi in 38 special, load it up and go outside tomorrow night when i feed my goats and get within 30-60 feet of a dozen deer, mostly large does and a few bucks. AND i could get at least 3 or 4 deer if i had the inclination to. But alas i hve no handgun or inclination.
.38 special is legal in ohio. Regs call for a "handgun with 5-in. minimum length barrel, using straight-walled cartridges .357 caliber or larger..."
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/regs/deer.htm
Personally, I'd go bigger.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/regs/deer.htm
Personally, I'd go bigger.
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