Why are shotguns so reviled for big game hunting?

[Iggy]

Back east I can for sure see the value of a shotgun for hunting, but outchere on the high lonesome, maybe not so much.

There's 2 antelope in this picture. There's a two track trail road in the lower right hand corner,

Mebbe a feller could crawl down that road and sneak up on them speed goats.

 

[BobWright]

Many years ago I hunted with my son-in-law's grandfather who had been a game hunter for local restaurants around the Water Valley, Mississippi, area. His criteria was for a shotgun slug to be able to hit a beer can (or coke can) at a measured 100 yards. He could do this with ease using Brenneke slugs from his old 12 ga. J.C. Higgins pump shotgun.

That shotgun put down mad dogs, cottonmouths, whitetails, squirrels, rabbits, doves, 'coons, and possums with equal ease. Kept his family and local residents with table meat.

Bob Wright

 

[PabloJ]

It's true that on the whole, rifles are more accurate than shotguns and are better long distance tools, but given the manner in which a lot of people talk, you'd think that a shotgun in the deer woods is only a slight upgrade from a pointy stick.

I even have a coffee table book on the subject of shotgun hunting for deer by a man who has decades of experience doing just that who devotes a good deal of the forward to lamenting the hopeless inferiority of the shotgun.

I don't get it. Even I (who isn't that great a shot by any stretch) used to be able to keep slugs in a deer vital zone sized target at 100 yards using a smooth bore with ghost ring sights. It's not going to win any prizes, but it would mean venison.

Rifles will kill game at longer distances, true, and I wouldn't want a shotgun on a pronghorn hunt in Wyoming, but a lot of the hunting territory in this country is so thickly forested that a 50 yard shot on game is unusually long. Even in thick woods territory people look down on the shotgun. What gives?

One can hunt game to about 150m-175m using scoped Tar-Hunt with ammo the barrel clusters well. Not a big problem as long as there are no substantial crosswinds.
I use one long gun for all my shooting. It is fixed barrel Ohio-made Ithaca 37 Turkeyslayer with 24" tube and a set of choke tubes designed for different loads. The front and rear iron sights have tritium inserts for HD use. I use two optics for slug or turkey loads Sparc II or Nikon 'Safari' 1-4x20 with number 4 reticle.

 

[JSH1]

Back east I can for sure see the value of a shotgun for hunting, but outchere on the high lonesome, maybe not so much.....

How do people bow hunt in that type of country? Hunting with a shotgun would be the same except you would have 3x the range. Is a shotgun the best tool for the job? No. Could you get the job done? Yes.

 

[blindhari]

In the back of the Jeep is an old 18.5" barrel 20 guage H&R single shot, shot gun. It has a side saddle shell holder for 5 rounds. 2 Buckhammers, 2 4chill, 2 6chill, and buck shot in the barrel have walked me out of some difficult 4 wheeldrive situations. Also always carry water and matches. One firearm, hunt anything.

blindhari

 

[oneounceload]

Also, hunting for me has never been an activity I've taken to with a singular goal in mind. Even though it might be deer season, I'd rather end a day with a rabbit or few game birds rather than nothing at all. I like being able to swap out a slug for a load of birdshot and maybe bag some small game on the walk home after a long stretch of seeing absolutely nothing on the deer stand.

Sounds like you need a Drilling - ask H&H Hunter about his

 

[Jason_W]

Sounds like you need a Drilling - ask H&H Hunter about his

Some day, hopefully.

I had the Baikal combo gun for a bit. The triggers were less than ideal to say the least and the shotgun barrel with slugs was more predictably accurate than the rifle barrel.

Maybe some day I'll be able to afford a good one.

 

[Rockrivr1]

Here in Massachusetts you can only hunt with a shotgun plugged to only hold 3 shells, so you learn to become proficient with it. Most hunting areas in the state are heavily forested where you're lucky if you have a clear shot in the 25 to 50 yard range. This is right in a shotgun's wheelhouse. Took my first deer with an old 870 with a smooth bore bbl and rifled slugs. If you head north to New Hampshire that's when it's time to break out my dad's old 300 Savage.

 

[PowerG]

The first decade of my deer hunting career was spent for the most part hunting with dogs in the National Forests of southern Mississippi. Sections of woods were selected, standers were placed along the roads (often just logging roads) and the drivers went into the woods with the dogs. When the dogs jumped up the deer the chase was on. The only suitable gun for this type of hunting was a shotgun loaded with buckshot, due both to virtually all shots being taken at running deer at close ranges and the danger of shooting toward the next stander with rifles or even slugs. Scoped rifles were used for hunting cutovers and fields but when the dogs were used it was virtually all shotgun work. Buckshot is very effective out to about 35 yards or so, multiple or lucky shots would sometimes get one out to 50. For this type of hunting the shotgun was the best choice, anything else was pretty much useless/dangerous.

 

[BSA1]

Most hunters are whatever the complete opposite of a "minimalist" would be.

The Winchester 73 may have been the rifle that won the West but the shotgun was the gun that settled the West.

There may and still is very little a shotgun with proper loads can't do abet some better than others. In the Old West a shotgun was a ideal weapon for settlers. Small shot and light loads for small game, heavier shot and loads for big game birds and ducks, buck and slugs for big games such as deer, bears, elk which is to say nothing about it's use for self defense against those that choose not to follow the law.

With hard cash money hard to come by before W.W.II firearms were a unaffordable luxury for most folks. Since are nation during those times was largely rural shotguns saw a lot of use. Maybe that is part of the problems. Shotguns were and still are considered to be working tools.

The same rules apply today although as commented we have more specialized tools for the task. This doesn't mean they are always the best tool though. Speaking for myself (and most hunters I'm sure) I want a high power centerfire rifle for big game hunting.

However there are those who argue that true hunting is the skill of getting close to the game and shooting it from 400 yards away is not hunting.

It is recommended by some experts, on forums and LDS that a minimum of 1,000 rounds be kept on hand. With a shotgun a case (250 rounds) of 00, #4, #6 and #8 each one has covered a lot of bases.

For reasons unknown to me during The Great Banic of 2013 - 2014 shotguns and shotshells remained in stock on dealers shelves at regular prices (at least in my area). Perhaps the decline of bird and small game hunting has a lot to do with it. Stevens shotgun is a very affordable home defense weapon. I have seen new ones on sale for $180.00 - $200.00. I am tempted to buy one when they are sale that cheap again just because.

Speaking for myself a pump shotgun with long and spare short barrel will be one of the last firearms I would be without.

 

[onelastshot]

For me, there are several reasons why I use a rifle rather than a shotgun. Most importantly, my shots often exceed two hundred yards, distances that shotguns are simply not designed for. The recoil of my deer rifles are half that of shotguns with slugs and, the rifles are lighter. In short it makes no sense to me to modify a shotgun in an attempt to attain close to a rifle's accuracy when you can use a firearm designed specifically for deer sized game.

 

[BSA1]

Very true if the only hunting you do is for big game such as deer at long distances.

But that leaves close range 75 -100 yards big game, small game, small and big game birds and self defense.

I have read accounts in the Old West of hunters using heavy loads to kill buffalo.

Like you though a centerfire rifle is my first choice for big game.

 

[Jason_W]

I fully acknowledge the advantages of centerfire rifles over shotguns. And I'm sure that if I get back into hunting, I'll have a seldom fired big game rifle that mostly sits in a safe unless I have an opportunity to hunt game in open country.

Still, if hunting woods, even in a place where rifles are legal, I'll instinctively grab a shotgun if for no other reason than I like them better. Even though a rifle is undeniably ballistically superior to a shotgun, in places where shots over 50 yards are uncommon, I don't think choosing a rifle over a decently scoped/sighted shotgun will make much of a difference in the outcome of a hunt.

 

[Hookeye]

Shotguns, even smooth bored rigs spitting fosters............can be entirely accurate and incredibly effective.

I had a Mossberg 500 wearing a Tasco 4X (back in the 80's) and that was a 150 yard rig. Blasted many a deer with it. No probs.

But I shot WW 2 3/4" and it liked 'em. Plus I would buy 10 boxes from one lot # at a time. Did that with 2 others Mossbergs, similar results.

12 gauge..............a .720 hole tends to put a fair amount of red on the ground.
And that is a very good thing. Fosters (yeah I know the real name but that's what everybody calls them, so slang/corrupted term it is)........can d some odd things after contact (veer off line).

Had a 255gr hard cast .44 mag bullet do that up close. Stuff happens.

I went old school smoothbore one season, and it was fun. Got my deer with one shot too.

Fun.

Let me say that again.

Fun.

And THAT is what it's all about.

BTW, don't dis a recurve bow either. I shot a deer last yr, dropped it where it stood (over heart and into opp shoulder). It tried to get up, couldn't, so fell over and died.

Pretty quick demise. Old B50 strung 1983 recurve. Slowpoke killed the deer deader than heck.

Arrows work differently than bullets, and if the broadhead goes in and out...........kinda hard to tell what the hell shot it through the deer.

Recurve/compound...............make a hole in and out and it's good.

Very good.

I've made double lung and heart shots where the deer take a few steps, quiver and fall over.

Amazingly effective.

As for trad gear.............I paper tune my stuff, choose proper heads for the # and it flat out works.

Don't judge 'em all based on how some rube might have his gear set up.
Not everybody shoots a .30-30 lever gun with see through rings, junk scope only bore sighted, mixed ammo.

 

[Hookeye]

November morning, pump 12 gauge and that evening fresh venison with a woody ale.........that's a great day right there!

If one has not hunted with a good slug gun, in an eastern hardwoods...........I kinda feel sorry for you.

Good times. Classic even.

 

[Hookeye]

BTW, sold my best 870 rifled bore rig to my hunting bud, who took it to rifle zone in Wis. His in laws laughed at using a shotgun.

Until they went to the range.

They simply never thought a slug gun could shoot that well. When I shot it, I got 1.5" groups at 100. Repeatably.

 

[samweller]

"Reviled" seems like such a strong word I think some of it depends on where you live and hunt, plus times have changed. My first two deer were killed with a Winchester 12 ga. pump shotgun using slugs when I was in junior HS in the '60's. I used it for almost everything except squirrels, and I used a .22 for them. Every kid got a .22 first and then a shotgun. I did not get a "deer rifle" until I was @ 16, and that was a Marlin 30/30. Here in Ga., if you could only have one all-around gun it would have to be a shotgun. In the Great Plains and north country, totally different story. I guess rifles are sexier, but if you really want to get excited, cause trouble somewhere and end up looking down the bore of a 12 ga.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

For a while it looked like I was going to have to work out of state. The was going to be considerable limits on what I could bring. The two for certain weapons were a ccw pistol (glock 30SF) and a Mossberg 500 with three barrels (18.5" for home defense, 28" for clays and birds, and a rifled slug barrel). That shotgun configuration would have covered all of my needs. Since I don't shoot past 200 yards when hunting I didn't find myself worrying about the perceived limited range.

 

[red rick]

There is nothing wrong with using a shotgun on deer , you just have to know it's limitations . I actual prefer a shotgun where I hunt and I mostly use 00BK shot .

 

[rule303]

Slug shotguns have come a long way in the last couple decades, but even the best of them are at a disadvantage compared to a "deer rifle". Brutal recoil, 200 yard range with the best gun/ammo/shooter combos, poor triggers, expensive ammo, lackluster accuracy, etc. Can they kill deer? Absolutely. But if hunters in a shotgun only area had the option of a centerfire rifle, I would bet that 99% of them would choose the rifle.

 

[Slamfire]

I used to deer hunt on a facility that required shotguns and slugs only. Hundreds of deer were processed through the check in center every year. Coming back from a hunt, I would wait around and see the results. Slugs are very lethal to deer. I did shoot one deer with a 12 GA slug and it made a huge hole, like 2" X 4" hole in the side of my deer. That deer bled out very quickly.

Sure slug guns are not 500 yard things, but up to 100 yards, the only things that make bigger holes are cannons.

Nothing that I have shot ever kicked as bad as my 12 Ga H&R Topper with a slug. That has to be the worst kicker ever.

 

[cdk8]

There is something like 9 million people who still believe the Earth is flat...so perception and reality don't always align...

I really like the H&R Ultra Slug, and I've seen it used very effectively for hunting on numerous occasions. I've not used it to hunt myself, but I've fired it and the heft of the gun makes recoil manageable to a point where it's quite easy to place a shot well (even though it is still brisk.) As it can be purchased for less than many rifled barrels, in my book its a cost-effective field gun.

One thing that may work against shot guns is that some people may practice with loadings other than slugs, and then when they fire a slug the recoil is different to a degree that it interferes with shot placement. Consequently, it could be the difference between a clean kill and unnecessary suffering. The first time I fired a slug I didn't think it would be much different than the buckshot I had fired in the past, and was really caught off guard by just how different it is (and how my control was not as good.)

I may be wrong here, but I feel that the difference between bird shot vs. buck shot vs. rifled slugs is a huge difference compared to say the various available loads for a .243 or a .260.

 

[USAF_Vet]

I'm not sure where shotguns with slugs are so looked down upon. I grew up in Michigan in a shotgun only area and shotguns and slugs were the only way people hunted for deer during the "rifle" season.

My first gun was a 12 ga Mossberg 500 combo with a 24 inch rifled slug barrel and a 28 inch vent rib barrel with interchangeable chokes. That gun took care of all of my hunting and shooting needs; deer, rabbits, squirrels, backyard clays. When I got married I added a 18.5 inch barrel and it took care of home defense as well. For a little over 20 years that was the only gun we owned.

(Then I inherited a little revolver and that kicked off a gun buying spree but that is a different story.)

This year for deer season, I'm going to the northern lower peninsula. I'm taking a variety of guns, one of which will be a 12 gauge shotgun. The other will be my Arisaka type 38 in 6.5 Jap, and I'll probably take the SKS as well. Depends on whether or not the wife call dibs on it. She normally uses the .30-30, but she likes that SKS.

In years past, I've hunted in the shotgun only area (although certain rifle cartridges are allowed now), and it hasn't failed to put venison in the freezer when a deer wanders in front of it.

Most people I know have no problem shotgun hunting.

 

[farm23]

There are some places you have to use a shotgun by law. I have killed 100's of deer with a shotgun where it is the only option. They definitely have their place.

 

[splattergun]

How do people bow hunt in that type of country? Hunting with a shotgun would be the same except you would have 3x the range. Is a shotgun the best tool for the job? No. Could you get the job done? Yes.

For bowhunting antelope, a blind at a water hole works well. Or stalking behind a goat or cow shaped screen.

If your fieldcraft is not up to snuff, your shooting better be.