Deer Hunting

[Doug627]

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?

 

[Rpg]

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.

 

[perryhd]

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.

 

[jeffrefrig]

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.

 

[pawngal]

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.

 

[Robspeire]

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

 

[NYlakesider]

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.

 

[ladder13]

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.

 

[pharman]

Not in Ohio!

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?

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...

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

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.

 

[woodsltc]

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

 

[WCCPHD]

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.

 

[llowry61]

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.

 

[Doug627]

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.

 

[vonn]

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

 

[kmyers]

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.

 

[brucev]

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.

 

[growr]

caliber

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...

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

Randy

 

[smith17]

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

 

[robvious]

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...