[haffieldj]

I have been hunting since I was 10 (19 years of experience). I hunt in Florida, Penn., Maryland, and WV. Since I reside in Florida most of my hunting has been here. Over the past 7 years I have become OCD with different types of rifles. What I mean is I have gone through several (20) guns over this time trying to find the right "ONE". I have read forum after forum, article after article, website after website, and word of mouth. I have owned a few .270 win which I absolutely love, a few .243 win, .308, 30/06, 30-30, and a .223 rem. My all time favorite rifle that I now own is the Tikka Hunter 7mm-08. If you want a rifle that has a glass-like action, one of the crispiest user adjustable triggers (2-4 lbs), a Sako match barrel, and a handsome stock, then you better go with it. You can get one for under $600. Also, the caliber choice is perfect. You'll be using a bullet that was designed for accuracy and silhouette shooting and later became very popular for hunting. It is very accurate and has awesome knock down power. You won't be sorry! Hope this helps.

[dwalkerman]

There is no substitute for making the right decision and shot placement. I never pull the trigger unless I know that I have a shot that will put the animal down for good. Sometimes that means not taking a shot on a trophy animal. The more I hunt...the less important it gets that I "kill" something. Now it has gotten to the point where it has to be a deer that is very special. I think all those long time deer hunters out there know exactly what I'm talking about. Shoot what is comfortable for you...make good decisions on your shot....and the rest will follow.

[SecurityPro]

Good points all and as a 65 year old hunter who has been fortunate to hunt most of our western states and several foreign countries, including Africa, I certainly agree about how little actually killing a deer is now but it wasn't alwys so and it only comes with age and experience. I recently acquired a 7 mm-08 in a single shot New England Firearms handi-rifle for my grandkids to shoot and it is was a great choice. Very accurate, mild recoil and extremely effective on our South Texas whitetails.

[4rum]

May have already been stated (I'm a little late gettin' here), but the best gun is the one that is legal in your area, that you are comfortable, familiar and proficient with, that has adequate power to take the animal you are hunting as humanely as possible and your wife will let you buy.

[sarg]

SecurityPro, I agree with you on the Single shot NEF rifle, I have one to play with (Harrington/Richardson) in .204 Ruger, Love the single shot concept. I even use a break action Muzzleloader. I hunt deer here in Kentucky with a Rem.700 in .308. Muzzle season comes in Tomorrow morn. and we got 3" of snow last night.

4rum, good post....

[oucorry]

Good luck to ya Sarg, hope you kill a wall hanger

[0rion]

Someone hit the nail on the head when they said "it depends on where you hunt". Having a 500 yard range means very little in thick woods. Where I hunt there are very few places where you'd have a shot over 100 yards. Most shots would be in the 50-75 yard range. The state also doesn't allow rifle hunting so we're pretty limited as to what we can use. Shotguns and muzzle loaders are about it. A muzzle loader is a pretty effective gun and loads of fun to shoot.

[udarrell]

Originally Posted by 0rion

Someone hit the nail on the head when they said "it depends on where you hunt". Having a 500 yard range means very little in thick woods. Where I hunt there are very few places where you'd have a shot over 100 yards. Most shots would be in the 50-75 yard range. The state also doesn't allow rifle hunting so we're pretty limited as to what we can use. Shotguns and muzzle loaders are about it. A muzzle loader is a pretty effective gun and loads of fun to shoot.

What state are you hunting?
Every state usually has areas where an appropriate caliber center fire rifle would be okay to use.

In my opinion in WI a 243-WIN is safer to use than a 300-ultra mag. Experience proves that with the proper bonded or core-lokt bullet & appropriate shots, the 243-WIN will kill a deer as quick & effectively as any caliber that exists.

They could put a bottom & top end on what caliber center-fire cartridge could be used.

I have never bought a muzzle loader or hunted with a bow.
With a bow, if you hit a shoulder or gut shoot, you will loose the deer. The realities are that bow hunting has its problems as a deer can duck while the arrow is in flight causing a miss or a shoulder hit, etc.

I had relatives that could shoot little gophers with a bow.

Every state would have less wounded deer if they had center fire deer seasons. Here in WI the statistics would demonstrate that we don't have wounded or shot humans due to a center-fire rifle being used. - udarrell

[driftlessbamboo]

Originally Posted by udarrell

What state are you hunting?
Every state usually has areas where an appropriate caliber center fire rifle would be okay to use.

In my opinion in WI a 243-WIN is safer to use than a 300-ultra mag. Experience proves that with the proper bonded or core-lokt bullet & appropriate shots, the 243-WIN will kill a deer as quick & effectively as any caliber that exists.

They could put a bottom & top end on what caliber center-fire cartridge could be used.

I have never bought a muzzle loader or hunted with a bow.
With a bow, if you hit a shoulder or gut shoot, you will loose the deer. The realities are that bow hunting has its problems as a deer can duck while the arrow is in flight causing a miss or a shoulder hit, etc.

I had relatives that could shoot little gophers with a bow.

Every state would have less wounded deer if they had center fire deer seasons. Here in WI the statistics would demonstrate that we don't have wounded or shot humans due to a center-fire rifle being used. - udarrell

Wow!,
I don't even know where to begin. I pretty much disagree with everything you wrote. I guess the only thing I agree with is the case you made for the .243 Win.
And I don't agree with that carte blanche. That .243 will indeed kill any deer that walks the Wisconsin woods as long as one keeps range in mind and never takes an iffy shot which in my experience many "hunters" will try. Putting that little 100 gr bullet through a ham on its way to the vitals at long range is a certain recipe for a crippled deer.

I can see the need for a "bottom end caliber for deer but what is your reasoning behind limiting the size at the "top end?"

Hitting a shoulder does not mean a lost deer when bowhunting. I have blown all the way through deer after hitting the shoulder with a broadhead tipped arrow. Very quick recovery with both lungs ventilated. A gut shot deer that may be lost is lost generally due to lazyness of the hunter. A deer shot in the gut will still die in a fairly short time if the hunter does not push the animal. Best to wait overnight as it is likely that the animal will lay down within 150 yards of the shot and expire.
The same can be said of a gut shot deer hit with a rifle bullet. To say that the blame of a lost deer is soley the result of shooting it with the wrong weapon is lunacy.
BTW the reason a deer ducks as you say is not to avoid an arrow. This is called jumping the string. It is in fact the deer beginning to run away. As the deer hears a loud noise, in order for the animal to run it drops to begin its flight to "load" the muscles for its first bound. The reason for this is that the archer
A) is shooting a noisy bow that he should have quieted during practice.
B) the archer is shooting at an already alert deer.

Finally to say that every state would have fewer wounded deer if they simply adopted the use of centerfire rifles.......Man, you are kidding right?
Just because someone is carrying a .30-06 instead of a 12 guage does nothing to make them a more ethical hunter. Which if we really examine the "lost deer" question is undoubtedly the biggest reason we have "lost" deer to begin with.
I'm not saying that sometimes there are variables that can lead to a poorly placed shot. What I am saying is that if rifle hunters got their rifles out of the cabinet more than a week a year and actually practiced shooting we would have fewer crippled up deer running around the deer woods.
There are ethical hunters in every genre of deer hunters and there are also meatheads in each. But I will say I've never seen a group of bowhunters standing around behind a truck flinging arrows at a running deer 700 yards away as it heads for parts unknown. I can't say the same regarding rifle hunters.
The reason people are shot during gun season has absolutely nothing to do with which weapon one carries into the woods. It is all about common sence and basic hunter safty.
I am also in Wisconsin are you actually saying we don't have any instance of hunters being shot??????
How many hunters were shot during the gun season in Wisconsin over the last ten years?
How many hunters were shot by bowhunters?

[dwalkerman]

Originally Posted by 0rion

Someone hit the nail on the head when they said "it depends on where you hunt". Having a 500 yard range means very little in thick woods. Where I hunt there are very few places where you'd have a shot over 100 yards. Most shots would be in the 50-75 yard range. The state also doesn't allow rifle hunting so we're pretty limited as to what we can use. Shotguns and muzzle loaders are about it. A muzzle loader is a pretty effective gun and loads of fun to shoot.

Having a 500 yd range means very little to most hunters out there anyway!!!! Unless you are shooting off a solid rest and know exactly what your rifle is capable of!!! Most of my deer kills with my 7 mag have been less than 100yds....I just know my gun and if I need to take a 400 yd shot...... and to me that's stretching it..........I know my rifle is capable of doing so. I do hunt with a Contender in 30 Herrett....limit my shots to 100 yds and take quite a few deer. Dead is dead no matter if you shoot a deer with a bow, muzzleloader, pistol or centerfire rifle...or whatever is legal where you hunt. Like I said before..........practice, practice........hunt with what you are comfortable with.....take good shots....the rest will follow. Great comments.......Dana