Deer hunting with slug guns

[PETE]

I'm thinking about using a slug gun for deer next season because they're simple and pack a punch, especially rifled ones that are dialed in. I will like to know what ammo work best from 75–150 yards?

 

[Alan]

Are you planning to use a 12-gauge rifled barrel or a smoothbore with rifled choke and do you prefer sabot or Foster-style slugs?

 

[Wadlow Palerider]

I hunt in public lands or WMA mostly and the woods are pretty thick. I own a few rifles but I am thinking about taking my shotgun - 28 in barrel with a modified choke & using buckshot instead of one of my rifles. I am contemplating a rifled slug barrel and a 4-power scope. I'm now intrigued by the ammo choices. I didn't know sabots were an option and I don't know what a Foster-style slug is. I'm going to investigate the ammo choices before I make the purchase. Mossberg has a sale on slug barrels right now. It ends in a week or so. I do know of a few friends back home who only hunted with a shotgun and a rifled slug barrel. They almost always got a deer. Are you using the shotgun this year? Are you going smooth bore or rifled barrel? What ammo are you loading with?

 

[Clint Osborn]

I have a Savage 220 Slug Gun that is a favorite. It's a bolt action, rifled 20 ga. I mounted a basic scope and it shoots clover leafs. It absolutely amazed me to see a shotgun shoot that well.

 

[HighRanks]

I use a rifled slug gun with saboted copper slugs, zeroed at 100 yards. I like bonded 250 to 300 grain slugs for shots between 75 and 150 yards. I always chrono my loads, pattern them and practice shooting from a rest

 

[Wadlow Palerider]

To my surprise - hunting whitetail deer with buckshot is prohibited although not specified in the regulations. The reg's state No T-shot may be used or No shot smaller than .020" and must be larger than no.4 shot. Buckshot qualifies in each instance BUT according to TWRA-Redline_1660-01-14.pdf, section 3 Miscellaneous, sub section (f) prohibits the use of buckshot. Go figure ? ? ?

 

[Wadlow Palerider]

Also - I didn't find this in writing but it is apparently unlawful to dispatch a wounded whitetail with a side arm ?

 

[Gunnnn]

Also - I didn't find this in writing but it is apparently unlawful to dispatch a wounded whitetail with a side arm ?

It depends on the pistol caliber 357 mag is legal and 44 rem mag is legal not sure about others it has to do with the amount of foot pounds of energy I think you can call twra they can answer for sure

 

[Jamie]

Go with sabot slugs in a rifled barrel, they shoot much straighter past 100 yards.

 

[Wadlow Palerider]

Just spoke to a wildlife officer - in my last post, I reported it was unlawful to dispatch a wounded whitetail with a side arm. I should have added during muzzle loading season or archery season. The response I got from the wildlife officer - TN is an open carry state - that much is true. He did point out that even if your intentions are to dispatch a wounded deer, the question will come into play - whether or not you used a side arm to shoot your deer and while it is laying in the dirt - you shoot it again with your muzzle loader or compound bow to make it look like a legal harvest. To prevent this kind of dispute in court, he recommended the use of your knife or another round from your weapon to put the suffering animal out of misery. I always say a little prayer ahead of time and ask for a clean shot to minimize any stress or suffering. Sorry if I mislead anyone.

 

[Tag_bud]

Rifled slugs aren't accurate past 125 yards, they drop quite a bit.

 

[41Magnum]

Only taken one deer, a doe, with a slug, 12 ga Remington Foster type slug from my Winchester Model 1300 18 1/2” smooth bore slug barrel that was accurate to about 60 yards, after that it dropped like a rock, this was at AEDC many years ago. I marked trees out at 60 yards around my stand.

 

[NukeRef]

Winchester says to use sabot slugs in a rifled barrel (e.g. my cantilever buck), do not use rifled (Foster-type) slugs. Sabot slugs are not suitable for smooth barrels.