Could you kill a deer with a 22 rifle?

Answer 1

I know this question has been answered many times but I just thought I'd clear up a few things. First off as others have said, it is possible to kill a deer with a .22 rifle (though not legal). However there are many cartridges that would classify as a .22 (.22 lr/short/magnum, 223, 22-250, 220 swift, 221 fireball, 22 hornet, 222 remington, etc) I'm assuming you are talking about a 22 lr though. In all reality a .22 lr has sufficient power to kill a whitetail deer, but it is very impractical because it requires a relatively short range and a head shot. I've used rifles chambered for .22 lr to kill beef cattle that weigh a good 8 times more than a deer, but that is much different than hunting an animal in the woods. The key to any good kill is shot placement.

Another thing that was mentioned is that deer kill 100 hunters every year. I did some research and I can't find this to be true. In all my years of hunting I've never heard of anyone being killed by a whitetail deer. And saying that a deer could lodge it's hoof 4 inches into your forhead??? That is an absolutely ludicrous idea. I would like to see the source of this information if there is any.

Answer 2

Deer Hunting With A 22

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Could you kill a deer with a 22 rifle?

Answer 4

Could you kill deer with a .22? Sure, but in most States it is illegal to do so. In any case, a .22 (even the bigger centerfire .22s like the .22-250) is too thin and light to consistently take deer humanely. Deer are fairly big bodied, muscular creatures with heavy bones that too easily deflect lightweight narrow bullets. This condemns the deer to a slow, lingering death and no venison for the hunter. The minimum deer caliber is the .243 Winchester. The .25-06 Remington is an even better choice.

Best.

H

Answer 5

Yes,
but it's illegal to do so in all 50 states,
and unethical and inhumane to use such an underpowered round on an animal that large, due to risk of injuring it rather than killing it cleanly.

This is something that should only be done in a last-ditch survival-type situation, when there are no other options.
If you're lost in the wilderness and have to take a deer with a .22 to SURVIVE, they won't put you under the jail for doing so, but if you're not desperate, lost, and starving, then you're in deep trouble with wildlife authorities if you do.

The pissed-off deer answer may seem funny, but the whitetail deer is technically the animal a hunter is most likely to be KILLED by in the United States, by a wide margin. Every year over a hundred hunters are killed by deer in the U,S,
They approach a stunned(but very much alive) animal they've shot, -and the deer stands up and plants a front hoof about 4 inches deep in the hunters forehead. The next most dangerous animals are the rattlesnake...causing about 6 fatalities a year, then the black widow, causing about 4 deaths, then bears, causing about 3. Some years over 200 hunters and outdoorsmen have been killed by deer.
Don't believe me? Look it up.

Answer 6

In my state, you can kill a deer with a 22. You can also be arrested for doing so, and all the local hunters will be happy about it. If you want to go deer hunting, get a deer rifle, or a bow, or something else appropriate.

Answer 7

Well yes you could, but most states have outlawed shooting medium to large game with rimfire cartridges. You would have quite a few wounded deer especially if you were an inexperienced marksman. I would recommend using something a little bigger then a .22. Personally one of my favorite Hunting rifles is my Savage .270 Win. It's a beautiful long range deer rifle.

Answer 8

Yes, but I wouldn't try it except in an emergency and I was hungry and that's the best I had. Then I'd aim at the base of the deer's ear when the deer's head was looking sideways and make the shot no more than 50 yards. A few years ago in Virginia a boy squirrel hunting with a .22 killed a bear that was over 500 pounds with one shot. If it would have been a legal kill it would have been the Virginia state record. Instead, he got busted for killing the bear with an illegal weapon and his dad got busted for sticking an arrow into the bear to make the kill look legal. They got caught when the game biologist who was sent to verify the new state record found the .22 bullet in the bear's heart.

Answer 9

Yes.
Can a deer kill you after being wounded by a 22 rifle?
Yes.
Nearly experienced this as a young man while fishing years ago.

Rules are made not only for the sake of the animal, but for the safety of man as well.

Massive research has been done by each state and it would be best to adhere to its laws.

Answer 10

Could you? Yes.

Should you try? NO!

Hunters have a sacred responsibility to dispatch their prey in the quickest, most humane way possible. Our goal is to kill, not to cause to suffer. Wounded animals are tracked until they are found and as quickly as possible.

More than likely, a small rimfire .22 will wound a deer so that it still can run.....a very long way. This is not acceptable. Use a caliber of firearm that has a good probability of killing the animal quickly.