What caliber do you deer hunt whitetail with?

[jdkelly]

35 Whelen


Respectfully,

jkelly

 

[wanderinwalker]

.260 Remington in a M700 Mountain Rifle topped by a VX-I 2-7x33mm. Light, quick handling, accurate, low recoil.

sumpnz,
In all the reading and listening I've done, I wouldn't have thought an elk would fall to less than a .300 Maggie, even a cow elk! Interested to hear how it goes...

(Seriously, I'd probably take my little .260 elk hunting if I ever get a chance to.)

 

[rbernie]

For a while now, my primary deer calibers have been:
7x57 (1895 Chilean Mauser) - primary
303R aka 303 British (1944 BSA/Shirley No4Mk1) - backup

This year may be different, though - my Savage 99s in 308 and 243 are itching to get out and play and I'm almost of a mind to let 'em (if I can get the loads dialed just right in time)....

 

[Art Eatman]

About half and half with .243 and .30-'06. Sorta depended on mood and where/how I was hunting. I wouldn't use a .243 in mule deer country. I always preferred the '06 when I was walking-hunting.

Since my legs aren't as young as they used to be, I'm now playing with a 700Ti in 7mm08.

Art

 

[meathammer]

I use a Rem 700 ADL in 7mm Magnum. When I was a kid I used my Dad's 700 ADL in .30-06. Both kill deer dead. I'm thinking of picking up a .30-06 bolt gun of my own, just because I think everyone should have one.


--meathammer

 

[critter]

Lets see: I've taken deer with each of these:
Shotgun: 12 ga #00 Buckshot
Shotgun: 12 ga Foster Slug
30-30
30-06
25-06
300 Win Mag
45-70
.44 mag
.35 Whelen
Muzzleloader: .45 cal Kentucky
Muzzleloader: .54 cal Renegade

 

[rick_reno]

50 caliber muzzle loader.

 

[sumpnz]

wanderinwalker - No problem. I might not want to use that rifle if I were going after a monster bull on a trophy hunt just becuase I would want the insurance of a bigger gun on "the hunt of a lifetime". But for the smaller cows I'll be hunting that should prove a pretty adequatly lethal round. Mature cows are usually 450-600#, whereas bulls are usually 600-900#. I'm loading up 140gr Barnes XLC bullets, and am getting around 2850fps. If that won't kill an elk then my shooting is just too poor and a .300+mag probably wouldn't help that much.

 

[Quickdraw Limpsalot]

Usually:
.54 (Flintlock)
.35 Rem (lever)
.308 (bolt)
.44 Rem. Mag. (handgun)
.454 Casull (handgun)

 

[griz]

Mostly now a 50 cal muzzle loader and a 250 Savage, but have used:
223
243
6mm TCU
762 X 39
357 mag (rifle)
12 gauge
20 gauge
Bear compound bow

 

[smokemaker]

.50 cal ML- Omega
.54 cal ML- GPR
I have a 12 Ga with a rifled slug bbl, not that I ever use it anymore. Muzzleloaders are too much fun.

 

[fisherman66]

280
7mm express
7mm-06

of course those all all the same and out of the same heavy barreled Ruger with a petrified stock. They don't make'm like that any more.

Maybe I'll get one with the GP100 .357mag this year.

wish list for white tail et al: .308 rem lam varm

 

[newfalguy101]

The last several years I have reverted to the gun I killed my very first deer with, my Norinco SKS chambered in 7.62 X 39.

I have also used:

.44 mag
.357 mag
.243 Win
.308 Win

Only the .243 and the .308 had scopes. Each time they had the same scope, a Tasco "golden antler"/ tv view.

All in all though, I much prefer to shoot with iron sights

 

[Smoke]

.22-250 & .300 Savage ...most often.

Smoke

 

[skynyrd1911]

model 1300 Winchester 12 gauge using rifled choke and Winchester platinum tip sabot slugs. 2 3/4 " 400gr. haven't hunted with a rifle yet.......but I do own a Marlin 30-30 that I'd LOVE to harvest a deer with.

 

[Blacklabman]

Ruger Redhawk .44
Ruger 77 in 30-06 every once in a great while.

 

[Brian Williams]

357
45 Colt
7mm-08

 

[45crittergitter]

None of the above. .416 Rem and .300 Win

Likely to try: .348 Win and .223 Rem (75 gr. Scirocco)

 

[Johnny Guest]

I've HUNTED deer with a bunch of different calibers

Haven't always been successful, though . . .

I've killed deer with rifles in .30-'06, .243, .257, and .32-20. And handguns in .45 ACP, .45 Colt, and .357.

I've also gone afield, willing to shoot deer with .30-30, .303 Brit, 8mm Mauser, .308, and .45-70. This season, I intend to blood my .35 Whelen and .45-70 Guide Gun.

Best,
Johnny

 

[20cows]

7.7-06 (Arisaka Type 99)

.38-55 (Win. 94)

 

[dtalley]

in the Texas Hill Country
from age 10 to 28 - .222 Rem.
age 28 to present - 6mm Rem.

 

[Ol' Badger]

6.5x55 swedish

Light recoil on my boney shoulder and hits deer hard.

 

[GunGoBoom]

Except for the .270 Win,

None of the other 5 calibers I have used to hunt with (not always successfully) or will use this year are on your list:

2. .243 Win
3. .25-'06 Rem
4. .45-70 gov't, and
5. 6.5x55mm swede

(and .50 cal inline muzzleloader)

so I don't know whether to vote none of the above or .270. Can you modify your poll to include more choices?? The two most commonly used (to be used this year) will be .243 and .45-70, but I plan to add a really good 6.5x55 as my primary deer rifle when I get the fundage (probably a CZ 550). I consider my .308 win, my 7mm rem mag, and perhaps the 7.5x55mm swiss to be my elk rifles, along with the .45-70 as well (though never actually been elk hunting yet). I also have a 10mm carbine, .454 casull revolver, a .223 rem, and a 7.62x39mm which I *in theory* may try and use at some point on whitetails. Also want to add a .35 rem marlin 336 for a brush gun at some point. Oh, I did hunt 2 days last year with a .44 mag revolver...no deer seen.

 

[Remington788]

12 guage. Illinois does not allow the use of a rifle.

 

[GRB]

Kind of limited choices in your poll and you only allowed one answer for each person so I just chose other. I have hunted with multiple calibers including: .30-.30, .35 Remington, .358 Winchester, 7.62x54R, 7.62x39, .357 Magnum, 12 gauge to name most of the ones I have used. Right now I go with 12 gauge and the .35 Remington.

All the best,
GB