Taking whitetail with 45-70

[mechanic]

The military tests at Sandy Hook, NJ in the late 1800s were shot at a 36 foot target at a mile.  A deer's vitals are a lot smaller at 300 yards. 

I have an uncanny ability to stalk deer to withing 1500yds...   I can EASILY get inside a mile!

If the wind is right, I can too.......
 
Ben

[geezerbiker]

I have an uncanny ability to stalk deer to withing 1500yds...   I can EASILY get inside a mile!

If the wind is right, I can too.......

That's nothing, I can be inside asleep while the deer are in my yard eating my plants only 50 feet away...

Tony

[nanuk-O-dah-Nort]

I have an uncanny ability to stalk deer to withing 1500yds...   I can EASILY get inside a mile!

If the wind is right, I can too.......

That's nothing, I can be inside asleep while the deer are in my yard eating my plants only 50 feet away...

Tony

I've had deer within 20 ft of the house, and the Rotti "Gruffing" at them

surprised me, as I snore so loud, they must think there is a Logger in the house.

[rfd]

a little noisy popping off a full load 45-70 from inside the house, but the critters are literally eating us outta house and home. 

[ironglow]

Actually, here in NY State where the whitetails do grow to a generous size, any centerfire is allowable.  Most hunters have better sense than our legislators however, and don't opt for the Hornet or .17 Rem..

Bobby,
 Didn't they stop production/discontinue the Ranch Dog line? (A lee mold correct?) I would love to try some but cannot find any listed?

Iron,
 Question for you... MY last NY license was '08. Is the NO CALIBER restriction something new or only for your zone?  I hunted mostly 46, we have property on the Ulster county line near the Rondout res. I thought it had been a 243 MIN.

CW

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
  CW;
   In my area (Catt Co) it is any centerfire.  It used to be .243 and up in rifle counties..but since other counties have been brough under rifle usage..I believe it is simply centerfire.  perhaps this link will help:
    http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/35010.html#Implement

[petemi]

rfd, the noise is only momentary.  Those flat toppers fit the freezer very handily and really shine on a dinner plate

Pete

[rfd]

rfd, the noise is only momentary.  Those flat toppers fit the freezer very handily and really shine on a dinner plate

Pete

yes indeedy, sir! 

[cwlongshot]

Actually, here in NY State where the whitetails do grow to a generous size, any centerfire is allowable.  Most hunters have better sense than our legislators however, and don't opt for the Hornet or .17 Rem..

Bobby,
 Didn't they stop production/discontinue the Ranch Dog line? (A lee mold correct?) I would love to try some but cannot find any listed?

Iron,
 Question for you... MY last NY license was '08. Is the NO CALIBER restriction something new or only for your zone?  I hunted mostly 46, we have property on the Ulster county line near the Rondout res. I thought it had been a 243 MIN.

CW

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
  CW;
   In my area (Catt Co) it is any centerfire.  It used to be .243 and up in rifle counties..but since other counties have been brough under rifle usage..I believe it is simply centerfire.  perhaps this link will help:
    http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/35010.html#Implement

Thank you for the link!!

I am on the line of Ulster and Sullivan in the southern teer. Looks like I too am any CF... Interesting.

Thanks,
 CW

[Shu]

A large 80 lb black tail requires lots of killing power. I often feel under gunned with my 458 mag.
 
I have killed several of these small deer with a .222. Never lost one. Bigger deer would require bigger gun.  For anything over 125lbs I use a 358 winchester or 45-70.
 
NY legislatures aren't that different than CA legislatures. They both write laws about stuff they know nothing about.
 

[rfd]

whitetail deer are thin skinned, for the most part.  i hunt 'em with a longbow and typically get double lung complete pass-thru's at 10-20 yards and easy to track pink-red foamy blood trails.  eastern deer, like the ones on my property, can go near 200#'s, i have seen them, they're around for sure.  out west, where i hunt in texas, they're in 100# class or so, and the last buck i killed outside of austin (in my avatar) went just over 160# on the hoof.  bottom line, it all depends on the weapon, the effectiveness of a good projectile that's well placed, and the shooting distance.  we do our part, and the critters will go down in an ethical, quick manner.  at *reasonable* distances i'd have no problem taking down deer with a 45-70 case loaded up with trail boss and a 405 grain lead bullet.

hogs are another story, and i love to spot 'n' stalk them with a longbow down in south carolina or georgia ....








 

[nanuk-O-dah-Nort]

I think I'm gonna set out some cameras around the yard

[gcrank1]

Ive listened and read about this need for 'horsepower' in our hunting cartridges for most of my life, yet I know the Indians ate well enough in their stone age culture as long as there was some game in the area. Lately around here the 'yotes have cleared out most of the small game and the deer population is way down ('yotes and the DNR 'management of CWD?). Even with my big calibers we would be eatin' slim and gettin' slimmer!
An old poacher once told me that he would pop a whitetail with a 22 feeding in his 'deer plot' 50yd. from the house and it wouldnt know it was dead until it fell over out there. He ate good.

[geezerbiker]

When I was a kid I remember hearing stories the old guys told about hunting deer with a .25-20 and how great a deer gun it was.  I suppose the more is better mindset has taken hold on hunting rounds too.

Supposing you could find a black tail deer around here, you could probably take one with a rock and a sling.  They're just not that big or tough. On the other hand, they're as wily as any critter out there.

Tony

[rfd]

... On the other hand, they're as wily as any critter out there.

man, does that ever spell out "texas whitetail" - those deer are plain Wired Spooky!  most of us who trad bow hunt them know to aim Underneath them, at the ground (up to 25 yard shot distances) and for the very most part they'll duck down into the arrow for a lung/heart hit ... if you don't aim very low, the arrow will almost always fly clean over their back.

[rdlange]

Remember hearing that about deer ducking down.  I tried it a decade or so ago.  He just stepped back, raised his head instead so the arrow went under his neck, and looked at me like... "wanna try again?", then ambled off into the brush when I reached for another arrow.  That was Virgina though.

Like that longbow.  Bet you made it yourself.

[rfd]

Remember hearing that about deer ducking down.  I tried it a decade or so ago.  He just stepped back, raised his head instead so the arrow went under his neck, and looked at me like... "wanna try again?", then ambled off into the brush when I reached for another arrow.  That was Virgina though.

Like that longbow.  Bet you made it yourself.

the first time i hunted texas whitetails i was 0 for 5.  i had a heckuva time not aiming AT the deer!  next year, it all came together and i was privileged too take a buck.  but every time i'm hunting texas, i've got to psych myself up to aim at the ground and not the deer!  never had that problem with nor'east or so'east deer.

i had a hand in designing that special sparrowhawk longbow, but vince @ mohawk is the bowyer.

[petemi]

I love my My Handi .45-70, and it drops deer right where they stand, but I wouldn't hesitate to take a 200 lb. Michigan deer at 300 yards with my Handi .243....only because I know exactly where that bullet is going..  it's not what you shoot, but how you shoot it.  A number of years ago, I took a 150 lb doe at close to 400 plus yards with a Remington 6mm.  She went ten feet and didn't know what hit her.  I normally carry mid to large bore rifles deer hunting (not belted magnums) and I'm comfortable with that.  Those are my mainstays.  If I were carrying my .223 or .32-20 and the proper shot presented itself, there'd be venison in the freezer.  Again, it's the proper shot that counts.

Pete

[jdl41389]

 
  +1 with what pete said Iquite often use 22-250 with no problem as long asI put the bullet in the right place .But I like my 45/70 as well.
 
    JDL

[ousooners1baby]

Where is the only place you shoot with your 22-250? In the neck?

[petemi]

Where is the only place you shoot with your 22-250? In the neck?

I may gather flak for this, but to my way of thinking a shot on a deer with a .22-250 requires a bit more forethought.  I'd look at the range, the size of the deer, its postion and actions, what bullet and load I was shooting.  I wouldn't poke a varmint bullet through a shoulder, though it may work fine behind an ear.  Conversely, I don't hesitate to take shoulders out with the .30 plus calibers and a penetrating bullet.  Head and neck shots are wonderful if you do them right the first time.  I've seen some nasty results from wannabees.  Jaws shot off, throats ripped out, etc.  Only you can make the right decision.  You can line up on a deer to make the perfect shot and he'll move as you squeeze.  You can't call that bullet back.

Pete

[BBF]

My last Doe ( White Tailed) was taken with the 405 gr Rem FN pushed by 27 gr of 2400. A close shot, probably 15 to 20 yards. Full chest penetration that may have taken a bit of heart as well. The Doe still walked /hobbled further than the shot distance.

[rfd]

My last Doe ( White Tailed) was taken with the 405 gr Rem FN pushed by 27 gr of 2400. A close shot, probably 15 to 20 yards. Full chest penetration that may have taken a bit of heart as well. The Doe still walked /hobbled further than the shot distance.

"the walking dead" - i've seen that more than a few times.

[tacklebury]

I saw a lot of meat damaged from ftx bullets and 300 gr. hP's in my experience.  I now use the 350 gr. RNFP Hornady Interlock bullet over 48 gr. Reloader7 now and it's still knocks em flat.

[Singlebarrel]

Leverevolution bullets shoot very accurately in my rifles, but in the 45-70 tare up too much meat.  I went to cast bullets in my Handi, 405 grain at about 1400 fps.  All you ever need for deer.  I shoot 405 grain Remington Jacketed SP at about 1400 fps and 350 grain Hornady FP at about 1600 fps in my Marlin 1895.  The Hornady load is a little flatter shooting, but I don't use it much.
If I want more range I go to another caliber.  My injuries will not let me tolerate heavy recoil and the 45-70 does quite nicely without it.

[BBF]

I saw a lot of meat damaged from ftx bullets and 300 gr. hP's in my experience.  I now use the 350 gr. RNFP Hornady Interlock bullet over 48 gr. Reloader7 now and it's still knocks em flat.

That load would cause more "hurt" on my side than I'm willing to suffer.

[LONGTOM]

You know, I kind of hate to say anything but I am here to tell you that a 300 HP 45/70 will mess up less meat on a shoulder shot then say a 06 or 270 will.
I am a devout 270 man all my life with well over 100 deer to that caliber alone and some of them have been a mess.
With a 45/70 there have been less then 5 out of 63 that had as much meat loss as the 270.
The next time you start saying that a caliber ruins to much meat, take a moment and really look at it.
In reality you don't lose that much meat at all.
What, a couple of large handfuls.
A pound, maybe 2.
That ain't much really.
Sure I hate to lose any of it but it is kind of hard to shoot an animal and not do any damage.
Head shots are great if you have the skill, the gun and load is that good and everything else is just right but often they are not.
Behind the shoulder is a sure kill shot 99% of the time but will require tracking at times.
Tracking on a neighbour that don't allow it is kind of hard, deer lost!
I will gladly give up a small amount of meat for a deer that is down right there or with in a few yards verses one with all the meat in great shape but where the heck did it go.
 
 
LONGTOM

[gcrank1]

+10 on that LT

[mitchell]

Down here in MS most of the hunters that use the 45-70 for our primitive season tend to favor the Hornady Leverevolution hot rod loads trying to flatten out the trajectory as much as possible.

what he said. those little 300 gr flex tips are awesome and can really add some range to your 45-70. just dont shoot the shoulder and you wont have to worry about meat loss

[Rustyinfla]

   I don't have a .45-70 but I'm planing on getting one soon. By what y'all say the 300 grain bullet will do most everything that needs to be done with it.

[theratdog]

 Rev that bullet looks a lot like a lee tumble lube. i got some 405 grn bullets loaded max with trail boss waiting for my tag to hunt antelope they should really tip them over big time.