I guess I need to keep my pie hole shut when it comes to where I place my shot, however, I never miss. Chipmunks, Squirrels, Groundhogs, Rabbits, House Sparrows, and so on. All head shots with an appropriate caliber firearm. If I'm dealing with "buck fever" (getting excited about taking a deer) I won't take the shot. But like I said, I need to learn to keep my pie hole shut in that respect because a good number of folk tend to get their undies in a bundle, like I've committed the worst sin of the century. I'll go one step further! In case y'all haven't checked my profile, I am female! Add to it, I'll be 65 in a few months. I hear quite a few talking about how accurate they are, but yet they take shots that really don't require all that much accuracy. Kind of makes one wonder if all that talk is nothing but ! FYI, one can't eat a heart if it's blown apart. Grilled Deer Heart Recipe
I understand your points. I don't want to get into a peeing match with anyone. Like you said in an earlier post it's all about who's hands the weapon is in. And in my hands I am more than confident in the .222 to ethically and quickly take down any whitetail I pull the trigger on and a lot have in my hunting ventures.
I love deer heart. I tell all my buddies who get deer to take a ziplock Baggie with them and when they get one save the heart for me. They stick them in my mailbox.
I'm a pretty decent shot and typically take headshots with squirrels and rabbits if possible, but anything can happen when hunting so I prefer to have the largest target possible with larger, tougher game. Several years ago I had a doe broadside to me at 30 yards in the woods, a very easy shot. I aim my shotgun and fire, and she drops and is still. But as I get close to her she suddenly gets up on her front legs trying to get away but her back legs are paralyzed. My slug had hit her in the spine directly above her heart. After I put her down I went back to where I had taken the shot from, and noticed that between myself and the doe there was a small, low twig freshly snapped off that my slug had hit and then glanced several inches high. I hadn't seen the branch when aiming, either because of the excitement or the low light in the early morning or the snow that was falling. But it made me realize that having a larger margin of error is always a good thing.
I have seen deer killed with a number of guns-seen then dropped with .22 long rifles, seen them go 800 yards with a poor shot from a 12 gauge slug. I don't comment on anyone's choice of weapon. Myself, I'll stick with my .243 and bigger rifles for deer. I have shot a deer with a .25-20-neck shot at 90 yards-but I have more suitable rifles and will use them.
There is a big difference where y'all and I achieve the same end result. You go hunting, and I've never been. You go out into the woods, and I shoot them when they are in my yard. The longest shot is about 55 yards with no obstacles. The average distance is around 25 to 30 yards. I don't bait or plant a plot. The majority of the ones I have shot have been from my front porch. So I don't have to have any special gear. The way I know they are in my yard is I have video cameras that cover the majority of it. So see, I don't actually hunt. I am of the opinion that a .222 long rifle would be the ideal firearm for my circumstances. I doubt it would take me long to become proficient in it's use as well.
Star, trust and believe you will fall in love with the cartridge. Not many manufacturers make the .222 anymore. CZ, Tikka, Ruger No.1's, Howa came out with a model this year. You can hit up most pawn shops and find older savages and Remington's in 222 very easily at modest prices. Just make sure to inspect the rifle inside and out. Gotta make sure that bore has been taken care of.
Thanks for the tip. I'm all for saving a few dollars here and there and if I can pick up a nice used one, I won't be one to complain.
I don't and would not. It's illegal here. Not worth a ticket or points on my licence to me. Besides I don't have trouble killing Them with my .30-06??
I have had them pile up like a bag of rocks and I have had them run, it seems like there is almost no consistency.
Exactly this is why I won't shoot them in the head. There is no point. Plenty of body or even neck to hit? You can't control let alone see sticks or grass all the time that may be between you and the deer. That's all it takes to deflect that bullet from right behind the eye to right in the nose.
Same here. 2 years ago I shot a nice 10 point at 50-60 yards. Perfect broadside shot behind the shoulder. that buck ran 10 yards and stopped. I thought what the ...... Then he started getting wobbly and dropped. Lights out. Last year I shot a small 8 point about the same distance, same shot placement and that deer crumbled. They all act different.
Our rifle season runs from the Monday after thanksgiving and lasts 2 weeks. we also have our archery season from beginning of octtober that runs for 6 weeks and then a flintlock season that starts the day after xmas and runs 3 weeks.
The load I worked up for my .30-06 a few years ago I put 3 out of 4 through the same hole at 100 yards. The 4th was like .5" off. I don't think I can shoot any more accurate than that regardless of the rifle or calibre. Now I do admit that was off a bench on a range and I did have the cheapest vice money could buy which actually still required me to hold the forearm for elevation and control my breathing to steady the gun, not just pull the trigger. This with a factory remington 700. And I am not a bench rest shooter that shoots thousand of rounds a year either. My point in the last few sentences is that despite that level of accuracy, I won't see quite that good with me sitting up uncomfortably in a tree , loaded up in heavy chlothes and possibly being forced to be still as possible to minutes on end before I get a shot, and with the possibility of brush between me and said animals chest. I say possibility because I don't try to shoot through the bushes but like I and another mentioned there is the inevitable branch you will hit not even seeing it. I gut shot a deer just over 100 years about 6 years ago. He laid down but ran when I went to get him a half hour later. I shot hi. But backed out till morn. Well he died near where I jumped him. With holes all in him. The broadside shot I had so much confidence in centered his guts. I had my confidence shatter and was questioning my gun??? The other holes were where I shot him from back through the ham. It came out on the front of his ham and hit the chest cavity and Then exited again. Still not knowing what happened that night I climbed the same tree looking around and I shot a branch out in front of me like about 10 to 20 foot away. In the dim light I did not even see this branch, causing my bullet to deflect sideways 12 to 15"s or so and center him in the guts. Ok sorry for the long winded reply just adding experience here.
Really? Are we trying to decide "how small can I go" for white tailed deer and are we debating double-lung/heart vs. neck/head? Listen, any grown adult can handle a .30-06 or similar round for 1-3 shots/season. Also, just shoot the lungs out. Two dropped lungs and no deer can go more than 100 yds. In contrast, some local yahoos are known to take head shots at deer with their pistols. Personally, I once saw a deer that had it's lower jaw blown off by these ***holes. It ran about 3/4 mile and bedded down under my stand. The shooter never tracked the deer. Thank goodness another neighbor found the blood trail, tracked the deer and finally delivered the coup de grace. Honestly, I would never have seen this deer, even though it bedded down about 20 yds from my stand, just before I got there. So, here's my opinion, even though you didn't ask for it. Please shoot a plenty big caliber bullet and please only take high-yield lung/heart shots at deer. The feeling of wounding but not recovering at deer is way worse...
