Bulet size for whitetail

[Forest Walker]

I know I'm probably opening a can off worms but what doe you consider to small/light for whitetail

[flintlock]

Mighty vague question...Are you inquiring about muzzle loaders??? Handgun??? Center fire?

What size deer??? What range??? How much experience do you have??? How well can you shoot??? Etc....

[Forest Walker]

I can shoot just dandy I 'm looking for opinions on diameter and weight for center fire cartridges on white tail deer. I know what the laws state as far as minimum caliber. I also know P.O. Ackley shot a few with a 17 caliber. I'm just looking for opinions.

[flintlock]

I've killed about 150 with a .243...80 or so with the 100gr CoreLokt, 30 or so with the Federal Premium 85gr BTHP...Other bullets used with good results include the Federal Premium 100gr Nosler Partition and Sierra GameKing, Winchester Supreme 100gr PowerPoints, Hornady Custom
100gr InterLokt, Nitrex 100gr, Federal 100gr Hi-Shot Soft Point...

[K.K]

In other areas of the country where open shots at smaller whitetails are common, a 17 or .22 centerfire may work. However, for me, in the North Country, .243 is my minimum, and almost always use a heavier caliber/bullet combination. Deer can go well over 200lbs. often in thick cover, so obviously, there is little room for error in situations like these. Personally, I like at least a .270 or .30 caliber. I don't want to open a can of worms, but I think that our quarry deserves better, and there ain't no such thing as too dead.

[beemanbeme]

depending on where you hunt can be a consideration.  If you hunt public land, you certainly want to use a larger calibre and a heavy for calibre bullet to put the deer on the ground as quickly as possible. 
My deer cartridges start at .260 with a 140gr bullet.  I've never killed a mulie with that rig altho I don't doubt it would do the job.  My favorite of all times is a 7-08 with a 140gr bullet. 

[jhm]

For the most part stay away from the 17 and 22 cal. those are for expert shooters and if you have to ask then you are not a expert, ( I wasnt taking a pot shot at you ) deer can and do get killed by them but for the most part use something in a cal. that will give you a quick kill, starting with any 243 up thru. the 30 calibers.   JIM

[backstrap]

The smallest cal i would shot is a .224 being 223 my son has shot 2 deer with this cal being in a H&R rifle shooting a deer with this small of a cal is like shooting a deer with a bow and arrow when hit they will go a ways the buck my son shot got shot in the heart he ran about 50 yards and then fell over dead shot with a 55gr HP the doe he shot same year she ran about 20 yards and fell over dead, mind u these where close shots buck 50 yards doe 40 i wouldnt want to shot this round over 70 to 80 yards  for a good kill shot past these ranges u just might cripple the deer and run off, i wouldnt go shot any giant bruser buck with this round eather and as fare as the 17 cal that is to small in my opinon thats just a good varmint round, if u need a good fast clean kill where the deer drops in his tracks shoot 270, 308, 30-06,7 mag so on, but it all matters on the shot dont matter how big a gun u use if its not a good boiler room shot they most likely will run off to be lost and never seen again

[statelinerut]

I believe there are two types of answers you will get here. For those who like the deer to hit the ground and no tracking no caliber under a 270 will suffice. Not that a 243 or 223 will not do that, but that is the same thought process that you always see. Most shots that drop deer in their tracks are high shoulder shots and neck shots. Now for the hunters that always aim for the lungs staying away from the shoulder, they believe and use 223 and up very effectively. I hunt with guys on our lease that use 300RUM. Way too much gun for whitetail in our area. But hey, who am I to judge. For me it is the 243 with a 95gr Fusion. I have taken 20 deer with this round, all thru the lungs and all very dead.

To answer your question. If you are proficient with your firearm and you aim for the lungs, you will cleanly harvest your animal with the smaller calibers. Will you have to track it? Yup, sometimes. But hey that's hunting

[flintlock]

I have dropped many in their tracks with my .243, no problem, just put it through the shoulder blades...

[billy_56081]

Caliber has much less to do with "dropping then in their tracks" than where they are hit. I have seen many deer that were dropped instantly with a 22lr with a CNS hit and many shot with some very large calibers run for a bit wit a fatal, but well placed heart lung shot. I would say a rifle is too light not by caliber but by bullet construction. Make sure your bullet is well enough made to reach the vitals on your shot and you will have a dead deer in very short order. Just as long as the deer cooperates by giving you a shot and you do your part by placing the bullet where it belongs.


Bullet placement is KING and bullet construction is Queen.

[rockbilly]

For approximately 30 years I leased and managed a 4600 acre ranch in West Texas, I sub-leased to hunters.  I usually leased to a maximum of eight hunters each year, some maintained their lease for the entire time I had the lease.  Now to your question.

I have seen deer killed with just about every caliber on the market.  One hunter shot a deer 7 times with a .17, said they were all heart/lung shots, we ain't found him yet.  In the .22 class bullets, I have seen a lot of deer killed with them, but the .22 is likely responsible for the loss of more deer than I can count.  I can't count the number of times I spent half the night looking for a deer that had been "hit" with a .22 bullet.  

The problem here is not the size of the bullet, it is the ability of the shooter.  Oh, I have talked lots of hunters that were excellent shots at the range shooting from a bench.  Shooting off-hand, or under field conditions they were not as good as they thought they were.  Once exposed to a large buck, or a first time deer, the adrenaline starts pumping and no telling where the shot may go.  I remember one case where we had two friend hunting together, one was to video tape the other when shooting a deer, now mine you, this ole boy was a very good shot at camp while zeroing the gun, he cut the X ring out, but when he took a shot at a large buck you could clearly see dust kick up five feet over the deer's back, a clean miss, yet again on the range he continued to cut the X ring out.

My point, it is not the caliber of the gun in most cases that is responsible for a clean kill, it is the ability of the shooter!

[dougk]

Given your asking this question, you should not be using anything less than a 270.

This season I am thinking about using a 9.3x74r 286 gr instead of the venerable 30-06, and that's on Texas deer which are typically smaller than northern deer.

Doug