A smaller caliber for cougar than for deer?

[priv8ter]

So, I'm flipping through the newly released Hunting Regs, and noticed something I never noticed before.

Here in Washington, to be legal for deer, you need to use at least a .24 caliber(6mm) rifle. For cougar though, you can get away with using a .22 centerfire.

Now, I've never shot a cougar. Heck, I've never even seen a cougar out in the woods. But, I have seen and shot deer. And, here in Western Washington, I have come to believe that most cougar and most deer average about the same size, average somewhere between 100-150 pounds. In Eastern Washington, I think you will find that some mulies probably start growing bigger than the cougar do.

I understand that cougar aren't built like bears. And, I also understand that there are some places where it is legal to shoot deer with things like .223 and .22-250, so I'm not debating the ability of those calibers to kill deer.

What I am debating is the...wisdom I guess we'll call it, of using a .22 centerfire on a cougar. I mean, these things have teeth and claws! Am I being a wimp, or is this a case where just because something is legal, it might not be right?

greg

 

[GunNut]

.22 caliber for cougar is more than enough, and for deer if it matters. But the WDFW has decided that we atleast need a 6mm or .243 for deer.



You think that is dumb, check out the regs for handguns.

For deer, the specs are .24 caliber or larger centerfire with a minimum 4" barrel. Yeah, a 4" barrelled .25 auto is perfectly legal to hunt deer with in Washington.

 

[HSMITH]

A big cat is 150 pounds. They have a much lighter bone structure than a deer. Most are shot out of a tree too, with a reasonable angle and plenty of time to take the shot. 9mm to 357 magnum class handguns are among the most used lion guns, but there are some who use 22 rifles and 22 magnums. For a 15 yard shot with time to get a rest and wait for the perfect shot it seems to work fine and eliminate pelt damage. I sure as heck wouldn't do it though!

 

[Smoke]

I'm one of those guys that shoots deer with a .22-250, never had any trouble putting them down. Our deer are smaller than many other places.

But if I see a Mountain Lion, I want the biggest baddest loudenboomer I have so he doesn't crawl up the barrel and tell me that my .22 round hurt a little bit.

Smoke

 

[GunNut]

If legal, I would definitely feel comfortable hunting deer with my Tikka 22-250.

 

[Art Eatman]

From what I've read, lions are killed in two different ways: In Texas, they're incidental to deer hunting, and most deer hunters here use cartridges above .243. Elsewhere, they're killed via organized hunts, and the ranges are shorter--as in a treed lion. Again, from reading, .30-30 is about the upper size. Pistols are common.

FWIW, Art

 

[sm]

But if I see a Mountain Lion, I want the biggest baddest loudenboomer I have so he doesn't crawl up the barrel and tell me that my .22 round hurt a little bit.

-Smoke
CLASSIC!

I know about human anatomy. I know a little about certain/some critter anatomy. I have NO knowledge of cougar...anatomy or anything.

When in doubt I subcribe to Use Enough Gun.

I did not think the .480 Ruger, or the .454 I've used on rabid skunk / raccoons was excessive. You were not there...I was.

[minor detail perhaps I may or may not have been dared, wanted to see if I could, had free ammo to use and all...nope...don't count]

 

[Art Eatman]

Aw, sm, just think of critters as bent-over people. The ribcages are differently shaped, but the innards are basically in the same place. Ruminants got more stomach(s), but you try to avoid shooting that part; it makes the post-mortem a lot less smelly.

, Art

 

[Stand_Watie]

I'll bet you that it has to do with the manner in which your fish and game department expects you to be hunting. They probably figure that if you're shooting at a cougar it will be 15 yards up into a tree, with three or four guys and a pack of hounds to trail it, but shooting a deer will just be you at possibly one to three hundred yards, and no dogs allowed.

It may also be a reflection of how the policymakers value cougar vs deer. Perhaps they consider the cougar a pest, and are glad to have it killed anyway possible, and don't really care if you simply injure it and have it die days or even weeks later without being recovered, but consider the deer a valuable resource.


I'd want more gun for cougar, all other conditions being equal...

 

[GunNut]

They probably figure that if you're shooting at a cougar it will be 15 yards up into a tree, with three or four guys and a pack of hounds to trail it

Stand_Watie,

Boy do I wish that were true. But the great people of the State of Seattle/King County, decides what the rest of us do.

They decided that hound hunting and bear baiting were "illegal".

Now they wonder why there are sooo many run ins/attacks and close encounters with Cougars.....

Steve

Stupid Sheeple Damn PETA

 

[Stand_Watie]

Well that's how I would prefer to hunt them anyway steve. I suppose my imaginings of how cougars are hunted are probably a little dated. I still think there must be some political reason for cougars to be allowed to be taken with a .22 centerfire rather than a larger caliber. Not sure what it is though now.

P.s., I know exactly how you feel regarding Seattle. I used to live in Michigan, where a pretty conservative/rural state has it's objectives dictated by Detroit/Wayne county.

 

[sm]

Art

Oh then I did good.

"Rocky Raccoon" was standing up like us humans.
I went for triangle ( Adams apple and nipples).
I know we are "supposed" to do 2 COM, but didn't.

One COM from .454 in the "raccoon triangle" works.

( stomach area was fine...now the rest...)