Tennessee Regs

[robinsroost]

It is legal, in Tennessee, to hunt whitetail deer with a muzzleloader as small as .36 cal. This is incredible, to me. I would think that a lot of wounded deer escape to die a lingering death. I, personally, would not consider taking a shot, with a .36 unless I had a head shot at about 10 yards.

 

[Sperit de bois]

Know your limits and the limits of the rifle you are shooting........
I wouldn't shoot a deer at 200 yds with a 54 cause it isn't going to get the job dont.I know my and it's limits.
Here in Maine you can hunt deer with a 22 RFM but not a 22 LR...it's all about limits.
When I hunt with C/F rifles 308 I dont shoot at deer 400yds out,,rifle can,,, shooter cant,limits.
Like the states that let hunters use buckshot,,,,,how many of them get hurt and die much later.
Know your limits and you will have no problems.

 

[TennesseeJed]

Yep, you can hunt deer (or bear or elk) with a .36 muzzleloader with a round ball. But you can't hunt deer with a 12 gauge loaded with 00Buckshot that fires 9-15 pellets of slightly smaller balls. Makes you wonder about the people writing the regs, doesn't it?

 

[Sperit de bois]

With Buckshot you don,t know where the shot will hit,and OO buck is 30 cal,might be driven by the Smallest Cal.....is 36???
Buckshot has no place in hunting,,,,except Coyotes if you run out of BB #4 shot

 

[cynthialee]

If I was really good with the rifle I would. But not farther than about 30 yards. Like was said, know the limitations of the gun and you will do fine.

 

[fyrfyter43]

Buckshot has no place in hunting,,,,except Coyotes if you run out of BB #4 shot

I wouldn't say that. For example, my father has hunted for about 55 years. He has killed more than 100 deer with buckshot. Every one he has ever shot at has been dropped where it stood.

I've killed somewhere around 20-25 deer with buckshot, with exactly the same result.

Again, it's all about knowing your and your weapon's limitations.

 

[Roguedog]

Just my personal experience, but I killed a deer extremely fast with a load of buckshot. I had loaded 10 00 pellets over about 90 grains of powder. Using a modified choke, I shot a big doe at about 25 yards. She went down like a sack of potatoes. 9 of the pellets were contained in her chest cavity area. Within proper range, I would not feel bad using it. Again, this is just my experience with a single deer.

Jeff

 

[Little Wattsy]

Buckshot has no place in hunting,,,,except Coyotes if you run out of BB #4 shot

I wouldn't say that. For example, my father has hunted for about 55 years. He has killed more than 100 deer with buckshot. Every one he has ever shot at has been dropped where it stood.

I've killed somewhere around 20-25 deer with buckshot, with exactly the same result.

Again, it's all about knowing your and your weapon's limitations.

Man I hate to call :bull: but with a tally of 120+ deer "dropped where it stood" I aint buying that... You can liquify a deers heart and watch it run 70+ yards, poke a "magnum" hole in both lungs and it can run 50+ yards.. The ONLY way to "dropped where it stood" is to disrupt the nervous system like a spine or brain shot and THAT would be a pretty bold claim on "Every one he has ever shot" and "with exactly the same result"....
Just :2

 

[Chris Hayes]

Coming from a family deep in law enforcement, I have had the pleasure of shooting and seeing many tests done with different ammo. I have seen what buckshot will do to a pig carcass at varying distances. It's devastating.

 

[stinkyfeet]

Ok well let me put my 2 cents in the discussion here as well. I have shot a few deer with 000 buckshot, and a 3-4 hogs as well. AT ranges of 50 yards or less and a full choke, in my on game assessment it hits the animals harder then a 1 oz slug does. As for the comment of having to shock the nervous system is true and not true. If an animal or human takes 9-13 pellets of 36 caliber bullets it turns the entire chest cavity to hamburger at one time this in fact causes a shock to the system while it may not kill them dead on their feet only one has gone more then 10 yards before dropping. Most hit the ground do the blahhhhhhhhhh noise and die about 15 seconds later if that. I don't use 000 buck much anymore, because I don't hunt the same swampy, close quarter areas anymore that I did back when. If I slow stalk a corn field with a shotgun and expect very close shots I will use it with great success, if a buddy wounds a deer and it likely to jump it at close range I will switch to buckshot, if I am still hunting thicket I will use it. I won't use it for sitting area where shot over 50 yards are likely ever. But at 50 yards with a full choke I can keep 75% of my pellets inside a paper plate which is pretty good. 30 yards 100% most shots are around 20-30 yards when I use it. Theres a time and place for buckshot, its not used for sprayin and prayin like some people use it for. My home defense gun is loaded with buckshot all 5 shells, it wicked nasty and drops game and people right now and thats what i use it for. Seen it in action in Combat. When used properly within its limits theres nothing wrong with it at all.

 

[stinkyfeet]

We use buckshot all the times in the army, for breaching doors, shooting off locks, close quarter battles, and everything in between. I have seen people shot with a .308 (7.62), and 223 (5.56), and a shotgun the man was shot 4 times at close range with a 223 round and kept returning fire one round of buckshot he was on the ground stone dead. Thats all the proof I need right there.

 

[cynthialee]

it's called 'buckshot' for a reason
:grin:

 

[MattC]

I thought it was because it costs about a dollar per shell.

 

[MattC]

:grin: