Is it just me?

Question

Or are we in a "generation of overkill" when it comes to hunting deer sized game, specifiacally whitetail deer? I go deer hunting at my camp every season up at my camp in Marienville, PA. The farthest shot I know of up there has been about 75 yards. With that being said, many of my grandpa's friends come up to hunt, as well as my uncle, grandpa, etc. My grandpa's friend uses a .300 Rem. Ultra. Mag. , my cousins grandpa uses a .300 Weatherby, and my granpa and uncle both use 7mm Rem. Mags. Me and my cousin are the only hunters with standard calibers (30-06 and 30-30), which is just ridiculous. Lastly, I was reading an article on how the magnum trend is increasind among hunters. Does everyone else agree. Thanks.

Answer 1

You are correct in saying that we are in an age of overkill. The weapons that you describe will not kill the deer any deader than the older rounds such as the .257 Roberts, the .308, the .243, the .30-30 etc. Even the venerable old .30-06 is really overkill for deer size animals. Those magnum rounds might be okay for deer size animals where you are shooting long range and need the flatter shooting rounds. My son made the mistake of buying a 7 mm Ultra mag. to hunt deer with. I don't kow why. He soon found that the ultra mag was like hitting the deer with an RPG. It messed up a LOT of meat. The other thing about the magnum rounds is that the shooter has to take a lot more punishment in the form of recoil than with a more reasonable round and the cartridges cost more. With the greater recoil and the cost of the cartridges, the owner of a magnum rifle is much less likely to practice with it so that he can make good clean killing shots. They depend on the power of the magnum round to do the killing rather than good shot placement. I think a guy ought to hunt with whatever cartridge he likes, within reason, but I sure agree with you that too many people buy way too much gun for the hunting that they do.

Answer 2

There was an article in the press about this early this year or maybe last year, basically saying that obviously animals were evolving very fast because they are so much harder to kill now. I've been marked down on here before for saying most rounds from 7mm to 340 are similar enough to make no significant difference in point blank range or terminal ballistics.

I don't like to hump my expensive rifles round the woods, so I usually take the 303 Enfield, it does amazing damage at the ranges I feel comfortable shooting, how much deader could a deer be? I've even taken the 357 mag Marlin lever action once, the round went right through the chest taking the heart out along the way, that worked as well as anything though I wouldn't use it past 50 yards with the iron sights.

I have 300WSM and 7mm Remington Mag but... well I have a 308 pistol too, part of the toy collection. My 300 is my most accurate rifle though, but it's a bench rifle.

Answer 3

I do not agree with your analysis regarding the sales and use of Magnums by Hunters. I have harvested Whitetail Deer using 218 Bee, 222, 22-250, 32 Winchester Special, 30-30, 30-06...*The 30-06 and 30-30 have harvested more Deer than any other caliber in existence.* As always proper shot placement is the key factor.* The other calibers are just that, other calibers.*

Answer 4

I agree. The magnum craze is outta control. I've killed Whitetail deer with a .223 (never again), .243 Winchester, .25-06 Remington (my personal favorite) and a .270 Winchester. I can't see any need for anything bigger than the .308 or .30-06 and that is if you are hunting where you might come across something bigger than Whitetail. I'll hunt with a .30-06, .350 Remington Magnum or 6.5mm Remington Magnum when I'm deer hunting and there are a lot of feral hogs not because I need a magnum caliber to drop a deer but in case a big hog is a target of opportunity.

Happy hunting.

H

Answer 5

The gun makers would have us believe that deer are harder to kill than they were 200 years ago.

If hunting survives another generation or two, you will be seeing .416 Rem rifles being dissed as being light for skinny Southern whitetails.

Strictly speaking, we really don't need anything more powerful than a .30-30 WCF. But don't think about trying to get my BLR .358 Win away from me!

Other than the .44 RemMag, .41 Mag, and .357 Mag, there really is no need for magnum cartridges for deer hunting.

Doc

Answer 6

You are so correct! My 2 hunting rifles are the old stand bys a 30-30 and .06. I can hit a target at 1,000 yds. with my .06 (Garand) not very lethal on big game at that distance. But, Ive taken bear, elk, deer, and a Moose at 50 yds. with my.06! I don't need anything else for my hunting needs of large game. If you hunt responsibily and take your time with your shot only ONE shot will take down a animal if properly placed. I see and hear of to many hunters using more than 3 shots to take down a black tail because they have Buck Fever and are not patient. What a waste of meat and ammo.

Answer 7

The 30-30 has killed more deer in the country than any other caliber. Considering the numbers on the newer rounds, yeah it is a bit too much. The flip side is that the ammo companies are always looking for the next thing.

For example, if you are Coca-cola, the more types of cola you can squeeze on the shelf leaves that much less room for the competitors products. It's marketing plain and simple and many people buy it to be in on the flavor of the month.

Answer 8

We women usually just chalk it up to 'boys and their toys' - it's just so much fun to have a new rifle and of course you want to use it! It's like buying a new car- naturally you want to drive it every chance you get!

That said, I do agree that it seems we are a 'generation of over-kill' in any number of different ways- not just the firearms we chose to take on a hunt. I recently had this same discussion with a friend in regards to not only the firepower that shows up in the woods during hunting season, but all the other expensive gear. When we were kids (1960's and 70's) and first got into guns and hunting, people were much more casual about it and it was a seasonal means of putting meat on the table. (My Dad was a commercial fisherman and we ate fish 7 days a week, so it was nice to get some variety in our diets.)

It may seem wasteful, but part of me is glad that it's helping to keep people interested in hunting. It'll be a sad day when such an ancient way of harvesting food is gone and forgotten.

Answer 9

i use a 300 winchester mag because i'm comfortable with it. it is very accurate and gives me the ability to place a shot where i want it. i hate the thought of pulling the trigger and losing an animal. overkill? perhaps. efficient? yes.
i have taken 2 white tail, an elk and a moose this fall with it and all were head shots. i never lost an once of meat and they never knew what hit them.
i also live in an area where there is as a thriving bear (black and grizzly) population so a little extra firepower is nice to have.
there are pro's and con's with a magnum just like any other rifle and i don't think there is one perfect cartridge for all around hunting.
i live in the British Columbia Rockies

Answer 10

They come out with new cal. all the time just like cars models. And everyone tries to stay up on the newest product thinking it's the greatest. I live in PA too and in Penn's woods you don't need anything more than 30-06. I use a 32 special with open sights, call me old school but I'm only 27 and that's how I roll.

PS. Hunting the west might call for more fire power.