wtnhunt Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Have not had one of these in a while, sitting out over a carcass/gut pile with my varmint rifle in hopes of catching a yote yesterday afternoon got me to thinking about a what if scenario, so here goes: You have a couple weeks left of your deer season and you already have plenty of meat and took a deer worthy of the wall early season that is at the taxidermist. You are hunting in a state where it is legal to use any centerfire rifle caliber for deer and you have a semi auto AR15 varmint rifle in .223 with a full loaded clip. The rifle is an extremely accurate semi auto you have total confidence in and with hunting a field in the afternoon you would have an opportunity for a follow up shot if you were to take a shot. You make a calling set and some time passes and are about to get into another calling sequence when you have a trophy caliber deer far bigger than the one you currently have at the taxidermist on its way right to you. You have another buck tag, so that is not an issue. Deer in the state you are in typically do not go over 240 lbs and this buck this late in the season is probably a trim 200 on the hoof. This deer has never been seen on your property and with multiple trail cams you have no photos of the deer, so no clue when or if he will ever show up again. Rutting activity is done so chances are this buck may just be passing through. The buck gets within 50 yards of you and you have a steady hold on him standing broadside in your scope with a full field to follow him in if you were to opt to take the shot. Still an hour of legal shooting light left and conditions are absolutely perfect. Do you take advantage of the opportunity and take the shot? Do you pass and hope to get back out with another chance to see the deer with your deer rifle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Boom boom! Not the best caliber for deer, but will do the job when put in the right spot! Sounds like the end to a good year to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoosierhunter Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Well I'm not familar with that gun and load but if I remember shows right it's like a 30 to 50 grain bullet that Les uses on his predator show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebohio Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 had to do some research but under the conditions you described i would be comfortable taking the shot. i may take a follow up shot immediately if deer doesn't drop in its tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Right on the shoulder I'm afraid.... :gunsmilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Boom! Boom! Out go the lights!..LOL William,,please dont tell me you let it walk?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthehuntinman Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 50 yards away I would take the shot not the biggest gun to take a deer but at that distance it would do just fine. Saying that guess there would be another deer going to the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I would chase it down, tackle it, break its neck while shooting a yote over my shoulder with the AR. But if I had to do it your way, I would pull the trigger on the deer at 50 yards and have no regrets about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohiobow Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 so where's the pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntnfish Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 As others have mentioned, not my caliber of choice but with that close of a shot i would not have any regrets about pulling the trigger and placing one right in the boiler room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Unlike Ben (92xj) I'd chase it into a train, making sure it got hit in the rump with minor damage to the meat and no broke antlers, and then get a second mount for the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnatecsteve Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Well, seeing how you posted this as a moral question, it shows that you are trying to obey hunting regulations......But I know it is very tough when everything else is perfectly ligit, it's just a matter of personal ethics. I have had to pass up easy shots on trophy animals before, only to go to work and share the story and have everyone almost smackin me on the forehead, but I don't judge others, only myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Boom! Boom! Out go the lights!..LOL William,,please dont tell me you let it walk?? LOL, No Martin, let me clarify here that this is a hypothetical situation. I did see some deer while coyote hunting and got me really thinking about this. Have long time said I would not deer hunt with a .223, however after seriously thinking about it if the conditions were as above I would probably take advantage of the opportunity. Well I'm not familar with that gun and load but if I remember shows right it's like a 30 to 50 grain bullet that Les uses on his predator show. 55 grain soft points Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Sorry William..guess I missed the hypothetical part...on that note..Id just let Buckee loose with his jacknife....LOL No... seriously, I'd put a shot right behind the shoulders:gun1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Bucknasty Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Have not had one of these in a while, sitting out over a carcass/gut pile with my varmint rifle in hopes of catching a yote yesterday afternoon got me to thinking about a what if scenario, so here goes: You have a couple weeks left of your deer season and you already have plenty of meat and took a deer worthy of the wall early season that is at the taxidermist. You are hunting in a state where it is legal to use any centerfire rifle caliber for deer and you have a semi auto AR15 varmint rifle in .223 with a full loaded clip. The rifle is an extremely accurate semi auto you have total confidence in and with hunting a field in the afternoon you would have an opportunity for a follow up shot if you were to take a shot. You make a calling set and some time passes and are about to get into another calling sequence when you have a trophy caliber deer far bigger than the one you currently have at the taxidermist on its way right to you. You have another buck tag, so that is not an issue. Deer in the state you are in typically do not go over 240 lbs and this buck this late in the season is probably a trim 200 on the hoof. This deer has never been seen on your property and with multiple trail cams you have no photos of the deer, so no clue when or if he will ever show up again. Rutting activity is done so chances are this buck may just be passing through. The buck gets within 50 yards of you and you have a steady hold on him standing broadside in your scope with a full field to follow him in if you were to opt to take the shot. Still an hour of legal shooting light left and conditions are absolutely perfect. Do you take advantage of the opportunity and take the shot? Do you pass and hope to get back out with another chance to see the deer with your deer rifle? Considering where we live, I'd kill him. I'd probably bust him in the neck if he was that close though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 The gun I was holding, as long as it was legal, wouldn't have any bearing on my decision to shoot or not. Its all about the buck and whether or not I wanted him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Unlike Ben (92xj) I'd chase it into a train, making sure it got hit in the rump with minor damage to the meat and no broke antlers, and then get a second mount for the year. Hopefully he is stupid enough to where he would just walk out in front of the train and you would not have to chase him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 I'd shoot the deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t-bilt Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 223 cal is deadly with a neck shot... My only issue is figuring out where to source the extra taxidermy funds and worrying about running out of wall space...LOL :gun1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddyboman Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 Not a fan of shooting deer with a 223 but given this situation I think I would be blasting!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairiepredator Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 As long as everything about the situation was legal, I would start firing at him in hopes of taking him down. I'm pretty sure a .223 would take him down. In Saskatchewan you could not get away with that though because you have to use a caliber of .23 or over for big game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3seasons Posted January 5, 2011 Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 55gr soft point no question! Shoot him right behind the front shoulder. If you had a good brace and was steady the neck would work also. We let kids just starting out shoot our Model 7 .223 and there has been a many a deer fall to it. Anywhere from doe's to a 220lb buck which was the largest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted January 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2011 Since I asked, I guess I probably should give my answer too. Boom boom! What I was thinking John. I would not intentionally set out to hunt deer with the .223, but if such a situation ever came up, pretty sure I would be taking 2 quick shots right behind the shoulder and ready for another follow up if need be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC8point Posted January 6, 2011 Report Share Posted January 6, 2011 Well my finger wouldn't itch anymore boom, boom,boom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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