Olympus
Member
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Messages
- 4,212
This weekend we had a 2-day antlerless whitetail deer season. I didn't a chance to hunt yesterday, but I went this morning. I have always wanted to try out my CZ 527 in 22 Hornet on a whitetail and figured this would be a prime opportunity. I hunted over a clover food plot with the longest possible shot being 80-90 yards and figured I could try a neck or head shot. Wind conditions were ridiculous this morning and my ladder stand was blowing and swaying and bucking like crazy. A pair of does walked out and started grazing and I took aim at the largest one. I tried to hold on the neck, but the stand was moving so much that I couldn't get a steady hold. I ended up deciding to take a shot behind the shoulder as it was the only area I could keep the scope held in the kill zone.
I took the shot and she ran off with her tail down, which usually indicates a hit. She ran out of the food plot and into the woods. I gave her about 15 minutes and climbed down. Found her laying about 50 yards within the woods! Success with the Hornet! I hung her from a limb and field dressed her to see what the inside looked like. The Hornet round completely jellied both lungs. Entrance hole was big enough to put 2 fingers through and the exit hole was only big enough for 1 finger. I took the deer back to my shop and started the skinning process. I invited my neighbor over so he could see the results for himself. Once the skin was off, he and I both were blown away! The opposite side behind the shoulder and front half of the ribs were thickly congealed with blood everywhere. It was nasty! We simply could not believe that much devastation came from the little Hornet round.
I have to say that the Hornet should probably not be anyone's first choice for a whitetail caliber, but it certain works and would make a good first caliber for a youth or female shooter provided that they stick their shots behind the shoulder. The ammo that I used was Hornady 45gr Soft Point Match like this: https://www.luckygunner.com/22-hornet-45-grain-sp-match-hornady-50-rounds. And before anyone asks or comments, the 22 Hornet is legal in my state for whitetail hunting.
I took the shot and she ran off with her tail down, which usually indicates a hit. She ran out of the food plot and into the woods. I gave her about 15 minutes and climbed down. Found her laying about 50 yards within the woods! Success with the Hornet! I hung her from a limb and field dressed her to see what the inside looked like. The Hornet round completely jellied both lungs. Entrance hole was big enough to put 2 fingers through and the exit hole was only big enough for 1 finger. I took the deer back to my shop and started the skinning process. I invited my neighbor over so he could see the results for himself. Once the skin was off, he and I both were blown away! The opposite side behind the shoulder and front half of the ribs were thickly congealed with blood everywhere. It was nasty! We simply could not believe that much devastation came from the little Hornet round.
I have to say that the Hornet should probably not be anyone's first choice for a whitetail caliber, but it certain works and would make a good first caliber for a youth or female shooter provided that they stick their shots behind the shoulder. The ammo that I used was Hornady 45gr Soft Point Match like this: https://www.luckygunner.com/22-hornet-45-grain-sp-match-hornady-50-rounds. And before anyone asks or comments, the 22 Hornet is legal in my state for whitetail hunting.