From: keith@clodii.columbiasc.NCR.COM (Keith Boyd)
Newsgroups: rec.hunting
Subject: Re: Hunting Deer with .223?
Date: 15 Sep 92 15:13:57 GMT
Organization: NCR E&M Columbia SC
Originator: hunting@osnome.che.wisc.edu

In article <1992Sep14.075306.27612@doug.cae.wisc.edu> toby@milton.u.washington.edu (Toby Bradshaw) writes:
>>Keith Boyd
>>I certainly did not intend to imply that the .223 would not kill. 
>>Any centerfire caliber rifle will kill a deer in the hands of a 
>>competent marksperson. Rimfires will also. I have said this before 
>>but would like to repeat it: You owe it to the game you pursue to
>>use the proper weapons, the proper ammo, and of course, only 
>         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^      ^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>>take shots that you feel comfortable/confident with. 
>
TB>It should be up to the hunter to decide what's proper, and under
TB>what circumstances.
> 
>>Likewise, I was surprised and dismayed after looking through my 
>                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>>SC Wildlife and Marine Resources handbook that apparently there
>>is no minimum rifle caliber required to deer hunt in SC. I would
>>like to see the .25 caliber minimum in place here, also.
>
TB>I guess the .240 Weatherby, firing a 100gr Nosler Partition at
TB>3200-3300fps (don't have my loading manual handy), is less capable
TB>than a 7TCU (.223 necked up and blown out). :) for the sarcasm
TB>challenged.
>
>I bet the .243 and 6MM lovers in SC would not appreciate a .25
>cal lower limit for deer.  Why .25?  Why not .458?  You must
>realize that all such limits are arbitrary, and it's the
>hunter that makes the difference, not the weapon.
>

It is arbitrary up to a point, imho.  I beg to differ with your
opinion about the hunter making the difference and not the weapon.
This will be true most of the time but there will a respective
(but less) number of instances where caliber alone will make the
difference between recovering an animal versus losing one. We 
could get into all kinds of debating here but I am basing my 
opinions on learned experiences from taking 49 deer in about 15 
seasons and helping friends look for wounded game. I can recall 
numerous times when I helped friends look for wounded deer that
they had injured with .243, 30-30, 7mm-08 yet, they rarely have
to help me look for my deer when I tag them with a .270 .  I know
the 30-30 and 7mm-08 are bigger than .25 caliber, but they still
have a shorter case (than .270/.30-06) and therefore have less
energy to expend. Boy, have I opened a can of worms here or what??
I am sure some of you would like to comment on this? 


>Toby Bradshaw
>Department of Biochemistry and College of Forest Resources
>University of Washington, Seattle
>toby@u.washington.edu
>
>"A well-educated electorate being necessary to the prosperity of
>a free state, the right of the people to keep and read books, shall
>not be infringed."  Do you conclude from this that only voters
>may own books?
>


Keith


-- 
| Keith M. Boyd  (NCR MCPD Cola.) | Nothing could be finer than huntin' and  |
| 3325 Platt Springs Rd.          |    and fishin' in South Carolina! -Me-   | 
| West Cola., S.C. 29170 |   GO BRAVES!!     | keith.boyd@columbiasc.NCR.COM |
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