Deer Hunting

[capo2186]

Hey guys,

Quick question. I am going deer hunting in PRMA this year for the first time and will need to user shotgun and not a rifle (PRMA law). What is the best ammo I should use? What size? I know by law here you can't use rifled slugs. Any ideas? Also I have a Mossberg 500 SP shotgun and was wondering if this will work or should I trade it for a Remington 870?

Thanks,
Capo

[2beararms]

Allow me to preface with the fact that I am not a hunter and never have been.

So addressing this question from a point of complete ignorance, I feel I am recognizing a point of even more ignorance and that scares me.

As a non-hunter I have had the non-hunters need to understand that hunting is not some fun, lets torture animals venture and that both for the purpose of population thinning and food the concept of quick, clean kill certainly makes total sense under the heading of humane handling.

So is not lobbing shotgun pellets at a deer much more likely to create a whole bunch of small aggrevating perhaps torturous wounds on a still living deer than one good shot from a high power rifle?

This seems inhumane and insane to me. Am I correct? (somehow I am hoping not but fear I may be). If so please tell Capo of a load that will do the job efficiently, not for him ... for the deer.

[capo2186]

hold up a minute....I think I read the abstracts wrong....I believe you can use a slug only during deer season. I think I need another cup of coffee or two and then should read this again

[hiwall]

buy two or more brands of slugs and try them in your shotgun. Find the one that shoots the best and and use that with your present shotgun. Limit your shots while hunting to the distance where you know you can make a clean kill. This distance might be anywhere from 10 yards to 100 yards, thats why you pactice. Once you decide on your max range then its up to you to let deer go if they are beyond that distance. I have not shot alot more often than I have shot.

[HootmonSccy]

Originally Posted by 2beararms

So is not lobbing shotgun pellets at a deer much more likely to create a whole bunch of small aggravating perhaps torturous wounds on a still living deer than one good shot from a high power rifle?

.

There are seasons and areas that you can only use shot gun (usually bow also during these seasons)
Every time I have seen these restrictions it is for "slugs" only.. I have never heard of pellets being legal for big game hunting..

[capo2186]

Originally Posted by HootmonSccy

There are seasons and areas that you can only use shot gun (usually bow also during these seasons)
Every time I have seen these restrictions it is for "slugs" only.. I have never heard of pellets being legal for big game hunting..

In PRMA we can only hunt with shotgun. Hunting with rifle is not permitted. Blackpowder is allowed I believe through special license.

[srshadwi]

Here in Illinois we may not have the best gun laws, but we do know a thing or two about deer hunting. The largest bucks around come from West Central Illinois and deer hunting is quite an interesting time for many reasons.

For the non-hunters (I do not pretend to be an expert hunter, but I am fairly familiar with the rules). . . Many states require shotguns for harvesting deer. A slug is more than capable of humanely dispatching a white-tail and the idea behind restricting the use of rifles is more of a range issue and an issue with the way deer are hunted. There is concern that rifle bullets carry too far and could cause injury to people and property away from the field. This is especially true on hunting property that is not very far from small towns and/or subdivisions.

The other problem we have in Illinois is . . . Chicago. I know there are many well-informed, capable, crack-shot sportsman who live in Chi-Town, however, there are a lot of idiots who think they are going on Safari and load up their ultra expensive equipment, find some land "down state" and try their hands at hunting. I can't count the number of stories (most of them documented) I have heard about non-deer animals being checked in at the local check stations. Along with a few deer, these city-folk have managed to check in cows (jerseys AND holsteins), donkeys, mules, and a horse. The funny thing about making it to the check-in station is that it means they thought they had a white-tailed deer. For those of you you aren't familiar with cows, holsteins are black and white and can be 6-7 times heavier than a big buck, jerseys are smaller than holsteins and brown, but still not forgivable. (To be honest the holstein was only killed and not taken to the check in station, but the story was confirmed by a respectable, young student of veterinary medicine who convinced the deranged "hunter" that the cow was worth $3500 even though she hadn't produced milk in the last year due to mastitis.) My point is that there is a definite safety concern about high powered rifles in the hands of these people in the many areas that allow deer hunting. I grew up hunting deer with slugs and know that they are every bit as humane when used by a responsible hunter. They just won't travel a mile and pick off the farmer's wife while she is out in the garden.

Sorry for the rambling,
Steve

[utimmer43]

Originally Posted by capo2186

Hey guys,

Quick question. I am going deer hunting in PRMA this year for the first time and will need to user shotgun and not a rifle (PRMA law). What is the best ammo I should use? What size? I know by law here you can't use rifled slugs. Any ideas? Also I have a Mossberg 500 SP shotgun and was wondering if this will work or should I trade it for a Remington 870?

Thanks,
Capo

Originally Posted by capo2186

hold up a minute....I think I read the abstracts wrong....I believe you can use a slug only during deer season. I think I need another cup of coffee or two and then should read this again

If they do infact prohibit rifled slugs, then what about a saboted slug though a rifled bore? I think I would opt for that over a rifled slug anyway.

[JWS]

OO Buckshot

[capo2186]

Thanks for all your help guys!