Anyone hunt with a 20 gauge Tamer+buckshot?

[wreckhog]

Was in the front yard by the pond today. Dense brush, swampy. and lots of big hoof prints. Way too dense for a rifle. Thinking that my Tamer might do well though.

[FLNT4EVR]

You will have to be real close,probably 25 yds or less. A slug may be a better choice,lots more energy on target,and with a good hit, a sure killer.

[Markus]

I'll second the slug over buckshot suggestion. I find dead buckshot deer on my property every year. In my opinion buckshot for deer hunting should be outlawed.

[PowPow]

During hand-thrown spear season in Alabama, I had 4 does walk within 25' of my tree stand.  Found out a deer can side-step a spear.
Plan to go back with my 20 ga o/u with full choke and #3 buck, because it holds one more shot than all my other guns and the daily limit on does is two. Headshots that close will get it done.

[Markus]

If you can get close enough to kill it with a spear why would you not use a slug instead of buck shot?

[PowPow]

I don't know how accurately I can place a slug with a beaded barrel on a moving deer, specifically a head shot.
Also, I am not sure what a slug does to a barrel with choke tubes.
Do you know if its a problem to shoot a slug through a choke tube?

[Markus]

Foster style slugs through a mod or ic tube shoot fine. you pattern at 25" isn't gonna be that much bigger than a slug anyway. I wouldn't shoot at a deer unless I was sure I could kill it with one shot anyway. Just found a nice 8 point tody that somebody gut shot and lost. Wait for the opportunity to make a clean kill shot.

[bigbuckdown280]

I think buckshot gets a bad rap from people that don't have first hand experience with it. A gut shot deer will be hard to recover, no matter what its shot with. Shot placement is just as critical with buckshot as with a rifle. Keep your shots under 50 yards with the 20ga and you'll be eatin backstraps for supper. I have killed over 50 deer with buckshot and have found it more than adequate if you put em where they're suppose to be. Good hunting!!

[Markus]

If you can put buckshot were it's suposed to be why wouldn't you just put a big ole slug there instead. I'm not saying buck shot doesn't have a place but I don't think it's deer hunting. My HD gun is loaded with OO.

[shot1]

Many shotguns will shoot really high or really low with slugs but will put a load a buck shot where you are aiming. I agree that many who poo poo buckshot for deer have never used it. If you keep your shots inside 50 yards with most any shot gun and put them in the heart/lung area or in the neck and head, fire up the grill. With a real dedicated buckshot shooting gun, one that you have played with chokes and different size buck to get the best pattern you can stretch the yardage out to 75 yards or so with no problem. 00 or 000 buckshot are best but for a 20 ga you only have the choice of #3. I have killed a number of deer with #4 buck from a 12 ga Rem 1100 that had a 30" full choke barrel. That was the only shot size it would pattern good with. I killed deer as far as 75 yards with it. At 30 to 40 yards it shot a pattern the size of a man's hand.

[Cookiemann]

Buckshot is not legal up here in Minnesota.  I have never used it, I have taken deer with a 20ga with Foster slugs.  I would not be comfortable hunting deer with buckshot.  Just my 2 cents.

[Doublebass73]

I've never tried it, in my state it must be 00 buck or larger so that rules out a 20 gauge. I have a .410 Versa Pack that patterns Winchester 2 1/2" 000 buck into a perfect 2" triangle at 25 yards. My daughters have both used this for deer hunting but haven't seen a deer yet with it so I'm not sure of the performance but they can both shoot it very well so that's what they used. They knew if the shot was longer than 25 yards then don't shoot. I look at buckshot as bow hunting with a shotgun but I wouldn't hesitate to use it at short range.