I went this year, like last year, with two rifles. I always take a back-up. On Monday, I got a a doe with my Remington 700 in 6.5X55 Swede. She dropped in her tracks. My back-up is a Winchester Model 70 pre-64 in 257 Roberts. What rifles and calibers do you use when hunting whitetail deer?

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That's gonna leave a mark.

I’ve killed whitetails with a Remington 700 in 270, a Remington 660 in 350 Remington Magnum and a Steyr Scout in 308.

These are all a bit more than necessary for whitetail, but I primarily hunt mule deer and elk.

I don’t bring a ‘back up’ rifle: never occurred to me that such a thing does anything but take up space in the truck. One rifle per hunting trip is plenty.

I only have two deer rifles both are 3006. One was my first center rifle bought over fifty years ago. More than needed for whitetail but if it isn't broke don't fix it.

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Old Age Ain't For Sissies

I haven't gone since 1984, got a doe that year, but I always used a Marlin 30-30 lever gun. Good for about as far of a shot you can get in the woods wherever I went here in PA.

Up until a couple of years ago Iowa was shotgun only for deer.
My trusty 870 Express 20 ga never failed to get the job done.

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Super Snooper

I hunt with Titanium Rem 700 .270 in Tenn. In Fla I hunt with 30-378 most of the time due to flatness & 400 to 800 yard shots & carry S&W .44 mag. for the hogs because usually the run into thick stuff to finish them off
Sometimes in both states I use my 45/70 Marlin SDT if I walk or still hunt vs sitting in a stand .
I am leaving after I posted this to hunt on my stand in Tenn. because it is supposed to be a god hunt according to:
Solunar Day Detail For Friday Nov 27

My rifle hunting days I used a Rem 700BDL in 25.06.with 3X9 Redfield wide field. It shoots well worked up hand loaded 120 grain hollow points. Got this rifle/scope in mid 70s. This load was the most accurate for this rifle and I took deer from 50 to 200 yards with it.

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

I have seen plenty deer so far but none that I wanted to shoot. I kind of like the whole hanging in the woods thing, and the guys I hunt with.

I don’t eat venison, but have donated meat to various food banks over the years.

Used to shotgun hunt with slugs or a Marlin 1894 in 44 mag, in NY back in the day.

Now, 300 BLK goes with me, and a large bore handgun.

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Sure you did

Hey Doug I see you are from Ohio...where were you hunting? You can not use those rifle calibres in Ohio...you also can not carry 2 weapons while hunting in Ohio...

I am now down to either a Marlin 30-30 or Lyman .54 Great Plains
Rifle or I could use a shot gun. Also carry my S&W .44 Special.
The last deer hunt with my older brother, now passed, I used the
30-30. What some would call a 6 point, I call a 4 point dropped in
his tracks. One shot at about 60-70 yards. We were back to my
brother's house in time for breakfast.

For deer and elk I use a 30.06 based off a Remington 700 action .... it has a Bartlein barrel, Timney trigger, and H-S Precision stock (top in pic below). I also use a Remington 700 in .243 with an H-S Precision stock for deer and coyotes (bottom in pic below).

Don

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Laus Deo! <><

I've hunted with many guns over the years, mostly rifles. Bolt actions, semi-autos and lever actions in 30:06, 308, 243, 300 Win Mag, 7.62x39. 44 Mag and 30-30. Several years ago I bought an AR in 6.8 SPC and haven't looked back, much. When NC changed the law to allow hunting with SBR's and suppressors I went that route. I hunt with a 6.8 SBR in 6.8 when on a stand and a .300 Blackout SBR when going with the dogs. I use a suppressor on both.

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Bill

I have never rifle hunted for deer, but back when I gun hunted, I used a Thompson Center Encore 50 caliber muzzleloader. As mentioned earlier, Ohio did not allow rifles until recently and still only allows straight walled cartridges. That Thompson is a tack driver with a 250 grain polymer tipped shock wave over 3 pellets of triple seven. Killed 6 or 7 deer from 40 yards out to 150 with one shot. Most dropped in their tracks. Now I hunt with a Ten Point Ultralight crossbow. Just as lethal. The longest shot 55 yards. Honestly, in Ohio you kill most deer inside 75 yards.

I hunt in West Virginia. I have a back-up in case something happens to the primary gun. You could trip and fall and knock the scope out of alignment. Obviously, I don't carry both at the same time.

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That's gonna leave a mark.

See above. 270,308,30-06 are my usual favorites. Drive too far to not be prepared for rifle trouble.

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

Marlin .45-70 for me. I am less successful at deer but better with hogs. SWMBO typically bags Bambi here and she prefers a Savage M99 in .250-3000. We try to get at least one deer and one hog to stock the freezer.

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KM
S&WCA 3110 S&WHF 625

Over 40 years I've used .30-06, 8mm Mauser, 7.62 NATO, .30-30, and .357 S&W Magnum pistol. I have for at least the last 16 years used the .30-06 fired from a 1903-A4 replica that routinely keeps five round groups at or under one inch using decent factory ammunition. With M-2 ball it is a 1.4 average five round rifle. It has a 2.5x Weaver scope. That rig is pure poison on anything that walks or crawls inside of 250 yds. I last used it to drop a doe as she jumped over a cattle fence. Hit her right behind the right shoulder. She never even kicked. Just an ideal rifle for anything I might ever hunt including hogs, etc. Sincerely. bruce.

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<><

Why in the world can you not use a 6.5 Swede or .257 Roberts? Is this a shotgun only area?

Randy

Winchester 70 Varmint in .243 from 1960. Federal Bonded 95 grain went 210 yards until impact.

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308 in a Savage bolt action... 629 6 inch as second deer gun... haven't used the S&W yet... December may try my T/C 50cal muzzle loader... have never done the smokepole hunting before...

.280/30-06/444 Marlin/35 rem/30-30/44 mag and if dog hunting a Browning A5 w/#1 buckshot. I like a variety for different places and situations........And I've killed one with a .22 pistol and several with Chevy trucks

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S&W Accumulator

Ruger American 30-06 for the last three years, 1950’s Marlin 30-30 prior to that.

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Support Israel!

My brother got one with a 77 Dodge Magnum.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Ohio is basically flat except the southeast. The ODNR felt the high-powered rifles carried too far. A few years ago the ODNR allowed the use of rifles that fire straight wall cases.

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That's gonna leave a mark.

The last deer I killed was with a 640-1.

It was hit by a car, had its 2 front legs broken, was trying to stand up and failing, and was in the parking lot of the place I used to work in 2008.

One of the office women who knew I carried called me in my office crying and asked me to put the doe out of her misery.

I did, and later PENNDOT picked up the carcass.

I enjoyed going to the cabin, hanging out, playing cards, drinking beer etc.

I have no desire to shoot any 4 legged creature unless I'm putting it out of its misery or as a defensive act.

2 legged varmints, different story.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

I started out with a ‘72 western Auto Revelation 30-06 ( mossberg), backup was a 444 marlin. In ‘94 I purchased a Remington 700 in 338win mag. Used it till I stopped hunting. We enjoyed bear hunting more. I purchased the 338 to do one of those guided hunts someday.

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Plant garlic in the fall

TC Pro Hunter .50 cal Muzzle Loader. 1 shot, 1 Kill...

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

When I used to hunt I used,
Winchester 94 in 30/30
Swedish Mauser 96 in 6.5 x 55 ( made in 1911 and shoots flat and straight)
Hawken .50 cal black powder. ( built from a CVA kit in the early 80’s)

As a teen I shot my 1st two with win mod 94 32 win spc, pre 64. Then I shot quite a few with mod 70 30-06 pre 64 throw in 5 or 6 with shotgun and the last one with Tikka 7mm08. I have stopped hunting now.

That's what I used in the last few years I went deer hunting. We hunted on the wooded part of my late uncle Richard's farm, and most shots would be under 125 yards. With that big 300 grain bullet I didn't have to worry about a tree branch getting in the way. I never needed more than 1 shot for a deer.

When I use a rifle, my favorites these days are a .358 win Browning BLR, a Ruger 77 compact in 7mm-08, and a Kimber 84l in 30-06.

PA opening day for firearms starts in about 6 hours. Cant sleep. I'll be using a S&W PC Magnum Hunter in .44 mag with a red dot sight. 240 grain XTP's at about 1300 fps.

Larry

Started out using a Rem. 700 in 30-06. With 4 of us hunting and 25 doe tags, the rifle became less of a challenge, 2 of us did most of the population control. I turned to my Contender and rarely grab a long gun any more. Now have a hunting handgun with me when I head to the woods.

Ohio law does not allow these cartridges...only straight walled rifle cartridges...

I haven't hunted since I was a kid but I have my dad's Remington 700 in .243.

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Dennis
SWCA #2409, SWHF #353

My primary go to meat getter is a Ruger M77 MKII All Weather bolt action in .30-06. I once had a guy tell me "you'll never kill a deer with a stainless steel rifle, it's got to be blued steel and walnut." A dozen deer later downed with this rifle I think he's wrong.

My first alternative is typically my short barreled Marlin 336Y.

Once I've gotten meat in the freezer, I sometimes revert to one of my fun guns to hunt with. I've taken deer with a M1 Rifle (Garand), Russian SKS, Lee Enfield No4 MKII, and M1 carbine.

I also like to hunt with my .357 magnum lever guns for close in hunting in deep woods.

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- Change it back -

It seems the 450 Bushmaster has taken over in lower Michigan (must use straight wall cartridges). And what’s not to like about a bolt action shooting 250 grain rockets at 2200 fps?

Took this nice doe yesterday with my Ruger American .....

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Pass it on.
Mark

My view from the shooting house this morning.

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Dropped this young fellow this morning with a Model 70 Winchester Classic Featherweight chambered in 280 Remington.


I've no idea why a man would see the need to carry two rifles hunting.

Got My first whitetail with a borrowed Savage 340 in 30-30. Got My second with My brand new Weatherby in .300 WM. Overkill for a WT, but darn it, it's a Weatherby.

Henry 45-70 Government. No shots over 100 yards where I hunt. Works well for me.
Hugh


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So, in Ohio a 30-30 or any other bottleneck cased is illegal, but I can use a 45-70 or 50-110 because it is a straight wall casing?

Seems idiotic to me..

I have a Howa 6.5 Creedmor with Vortex 4-12X BDC reticle, Marlin 30/30 w/Weaver V1-3X, and a Rossi M92 .357 20" barrel and iron sights. Also two AR-15s with optics.

Got a 700 and a Remington Model Four. 30-06 and .270 Win. Brings home the venison

I've used a lot of long gun's to hunt deer like .12 ga. slug ,.243 Win. ,30-30 ,.308 Win. , 30-06 Springfield ,. 300 Win. Mag .338 Win. , and 45-70 Govt. .

My favorite's were a Ruger mod.77 in .243 Win. and a Ruger mod. 77 International in .308 Win. but also like Remington mod.700's

Per the regs:
Straight-walled cartridge rifles: All straight-walled cartridge calibers from a minimum of .357 to a maximum of .50.

When I was growing up in Ohio it was shotgun with slug or a muzzleloader. The inclusion of straight wall cartridges is a HUGE improvement.

The straight-wall restriction has been the easy button for meeting the DRN's goal, while still offering better options the shotgun w/ slugs. The concern has always been range. 45-70 or 50-100 do not travel nearly as far as most bottle neck rifle calibers.

For years i used a Remington 760 pump in 30-06, and probably should still. They are lightweight, reliable, and accurate. Powerful as well. Lately ive been using a Browning BAR in 25-06 for the soybean fields and a Marlin Glenfield 30-30 or a T/C Contender in .35 Rem in the woods. We eat 4 deer a year here so a good reliable deer gun is a necessity. For anyone who doesnt care for venison, try some that has been ground with bacon added. Delicious.

I always take two. My 94 in 30-30 is always there as a back up, loaner.
Scopes can fail
I don’t carry both of course, but the second sits in the rack, in case.

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“Look life in its iron face”

Winchester Model 70 circa 2017 in 270 Winchester during our October and January doe seasons, and during the regular November firearm season, timed by our game and parks to coincide with the rut. Usually carry a Smith Model 65 just in case I get lucky and see one real close. Hasn't happened yet. And a CVA Optima V2 in December smokepole season. 105 grains of Blackhorn 209 pushing a 44 caliber XTP gets 1850 fps from my rifle, got one at 164 yards a few years ago. Didn't take a step.

308 now days when and if I go big game hunting.
Have a Ruger #1B in 30-06. I don’t shoot it anymore unless someone is holding a gun to my head. Worst recoiling 06 I have ever shot.
Really liked my 25-06 Ruger M77 until I went and chased whitetails on the Clearwater breaks in north Idaho. Too heavy for these old bones.
My 308 weighs less than 6.5 lbs with a scope and is pleasant to shoot.

'68 Winchester Model 100 in .308.