quote:

Originally posted by VonFatman:
i would not shoot a deer with any slug out past 75 yards...some would.
i have not seen accuracy at 100 yards with slugs to warrant such a shot.

if you have confidence and experience with slugs out to 100 yards or beyond, heck, go for it, i would use a rifle.

good luck with your classes op.
good on you for teaching!

Unfortunately some states only allow shotguns for deer.

The National Rifle Association reports some states enforce restrictions on firearm hunters pursuing whitetails. Ten states mandate shotgun only during the firearm season. These states are inclusive of Illinois, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachuetts, Delaware, Maine, and Rhode Island.

Most usually a 7mm Rem Magnum. With most of my hunting in Colorado a versatile rifle was needed. Shots could be up close in black timber or out in the open across sage flats. Mule deer tend to be a lot larger than whitetail. And in Colorado, deer and elk seasons ran concurrently so if it was big brown and fuzzy with antlers you could shoot it.

It would probably be easier to answer whether a specific cartridge wouldn’t be suitable for deer in a specific area.

As mentioned, there would be scores of cartridges that would work fine, but some might be inappropriate, especially in individual jurisdictions. For example, and as mentioned, some places ban .22 calibers for certain big game. Other places permit only shotguns and/or straight wall rifle cartridges. Then there’s the hunting conditions to consider. A subsonic load in 300 Blackout might be marginally adequate if shots are limited to 50 yards or less because of its trajectory if nothing else. For long distances flatter trajectories offer the advantage of being more forgiving of range estimation errors.

If I were teaching such a class, I’d ask the students to tell me what they have in mind and then discuss its pros and cons for the purpose.

I don't hunt, but I know alot of hunters.
Here in New Mexico 7mm mag is very popular for elk and mule deer. For antelope, .270 is very popular.

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My buddy and I both have a 26" bull barreled 6.5 CMs as long-distance range toys. Of course, both guns have heavy, highly magnified glass on too as they usually never move more than a few yards from house to truck and truck to shooting bench.

The bolt on his entry level .270 hunting rifle broke the week before his hunting trip so he lugged his 26" bull barrelled 6.5 CM on the trip. Guess what, 6.5 CM killed a deer just as dead as a .270.

He came home and was telling me that he is buying a new hunting rifle as he just can't keep humping that beast. He ended up taking my suggestion of buying the hunting version of his 6.5 CM (i.e. same controls) and buying it in 6.5 CM. He has been slaying Texas deer with it.

Texas has small-bodied, but huge horned deer. However, for some reason Texas hunters buy magnum chamberings made for moose or elk (e.g. 300 win mag). Most would be better served with 6.5 CM or 7mm-08.

I used to help cull deer at the local airport so I had time to experiment. I’ve shot deer with the following:
45 colt in pistol
45 round ball from a flintlock rifle
45ACP
223 headshots
22 hornet
38 special Rossi carbine
357 magnum pistol and carbine
357SIG pistol
12 00 buck
12 slug
308
30-30
45-70
44 special in a handi rifle
44 mag pistol and handi rifle
.69 round ball from a Brown Bess
And probably a few other calibers...I don’t remember right now

What I found was that almost any caliber will do with the right shot placement
I even shot them with. 22 pistol but they would walk up to us if we rode out on the tractor they were so used to the machinery. I didn’t include it because I would not hunt deer with a 22, we were literally popping them in the head with a suppressed pistol while an employee drove the tractor/mower

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
However, for some reason Texas hunters buy magnum chamberings made for moose or elk (e.g. 300 win mag). Most would be better served with 6.5 CM or 7mm-08.

It's not just Texas hunters. Many hunters I know have way too much gun, and way too much glass.

E.g. shooting deer at sub-100 yards with a .300 Win Mag with a 10x scope.

30-06 for me. I have a battery of various caliber, but my fall back is 30-06. It is versatile, will suffice for any North American game animal, comes in a wide variety of bullet weights, and is widely available at any place that sells ammunition.

I would recommend a .308, as it is similar to 30-06 but has less recoil. Otherwise a 6.5 Creedmore would be very flat shooting, and 7mm-08 is also excellent.

quote:

Originally posted by c1steve:
I would recommend a .308, as it is similar to 30-06 but has less recoil.

For strictly deer, yes. But the benefit of .30-06 is that you have the option of some heavier bullets than .308, for larger game like moose and bear. Which gives .30-06 the slight edge in all-around hunting capability.

Haven't been deer hunting in five years but these are what I have; .308, 6.5x55mm Swedish, .35 Remington and for handgun .44 Magnum. Last deer I got was out of season, and a Subaru Forester was in my hands.

I keep it simple.

30/30 in a Marlin 336
12 gauge in Remington 870 Wingmaster

If Blackpowder is included.
50 cal. percussion
54 cal. flintlock

In many/most western states .24 caliber is the minimum allowable for “big game,” including both deer and pronghorn. I’ve never lived in a state with a shotgun only restriction. I have a Remington Mdl 700 in .270 and it works well for pronghorn, deer and elk. I know, however, that the right-of-passage first rifle for a lot of kids for deer is a .243.

I have several rifles for hunting. I have Winchester '94 lever-action rifles in .30-30, .45 Colt, and .44 magnum for deer hunting in the brush. I have a semi-auto in .308 for open area hunting. I have a Winchester M77 in .338 Winchester Magnum for long range deer hunting or big game hunting.

I always tell people if they are going to have only one rifle for hunting anything in North America, it should be a bolt-action .30-06.

quote:

Originally posted by VonFatman:
i would not shoot a deer with any slug out past 75 yards...some would.
i have not seen accuracy at 100 yards with slugs to warrant such a shot.

if you have confidence and experience with slugs out to 100 yards or beyond, heck, go for it, i would use a rifle.

good luck with your classes op.
good on you for teaching!

Have you seen the Savage 212/220 bolt action slug guns? My 220 is accurate to 200 yards with sabot slugs. Of course the ammo runs about $2-$2.50 a round but it would take a Deer at 200 yards.

There are too many factors to narrow it down to a few calibers, it depends on the area and the hunter. I’d tell them to learn the vital areas and become a great marksman then they can choose their caliber and it won’t matter - it will come down to picking what caliber will preserve more meat.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
My 220 is accurate to 200 yards with sabot slugs.

What size groups do you get at 200 yards?
And what is the trajectory like with that ammunition? How precisely do you have to determine the target distance to ensure a good hit on a deer?

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
However, for some reason Texas hunters buy magnum chamberings made for moose or elk (e.g. 300 win mag). Most would be better served with 6.5 CM or 7mm-08.

It's not just Texas hunters. Many hunters I know have way too much gun, and way too much glass.

E.g. shooting deer at sub-100 yards with a .300 Win Mag with a 10x scope.

I may be slightly guilty of 'too much glass' on my 270.

Nikon Monarch 4-20x50

At least with that, you can dial it down to 4x, which is actually a nice magnification for most typical 0-200ish yard deer hunting.