Some years ago there was a video at YouTube on which someone took deer with a .25 Cal cricket with a chest shot.
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PCP for Deer, your thoughts?
- Thread starter DrAngler
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I have taken 4 white tailed deer with PCP.
3 were taken with .357 and one with .30 Cal.
You can see the shots here:
Some hunting videos.
New platform allows to upload the videos. I will share my hunting videos. Do not expect perfection !!!www.airgunnation.com
Shot placement is really important and am quiet rifle too, in order the deer does not run away after the shot. You might not find it.
With a brain shot, noise Is not relevant. But with a chest shot it is.
Tomorrow I will go deer hunting and I'm taking with me my .357 and JSB Hades for first time. Last years I used JSB 81.02 pellets.
Themdeet Imtook with my Vulcan 3 700 mm .30,Cal was with JSB Hades and a chest shot. The deer walked 10 steps and lied down to die.
You often have to track a deer that runs off after the shot. Sometimes a long way. That's just hunting.
A guy that has some experience at taking game can hunt with an airgun and do well in certain circumstances. For whitetails at limited ranges I'm sure they shine. It looks like your making it work.
I would imagine they are comparable to a primitive rifle shooting balls or slugs. Sometimes they bolt into the woods after a killing shot and run 50-60 yards or more. The shot is set up so they don't make it over a fence, into thick woods or down into the canyon before they expire. Wait 10 minutes and let him die before going after him.
That's pretty much a regular occurrence with primitive weapons and even a bow. It happens shooting a 7mm. Mag sometimes. I would expect it to happen with an air rifle as well.
If you must get an instant kill the spot is the top of the head behind the ears. The brain is right at the back of the skull. Behind and under the horns. You can't hit it if they are facing you without penetrating the thickest part of the skull. A leaving shot just behind the horns is the best angle.
The brain is in the very back of the skull. Its about the size of a lemon. Shoot behind the ear or into the ear canal. Not between the eye and ear. It's at the top of the neck more than in the head.
It sits in the very back of the skull. You can see why a leaving shot works best.
You can't hit it from the front unless you shatter the thickest part of the skull at an angle. A frontal head shot is a fools shot with any rifle. Just don't take it.
A double lung shot can close over a wound. It may not leave a good blood trail. Especially with a slow moving projectile. It's lethal but it may take a while. Often you find the animal still alive and dying. A second shot with a rifle is a bad idea. A .22 pistol works if you know where the brain is. It's often best to just give it time. There is nothing unsportsmanlike about that strategy as long as your shot was placed correctly.
An experienced hunter will always dispatch an exhausted and dying animal with a short knife if it is safe to do so. Approach from the rear and get your boot on the opposite antler and control the antler in the air with your hands holding the head to the ground. Draw your knife and cut his throat to the neck bone from the bottom up. Right up under his jaw as high as you can get it and all the way to the spine.
I was taught to always make this cut even if the animal appeared dead and to consider him alive until his throat is cut. It helps bleed the animal and insures he isn't going to wake up and kick your ass while you are taking pictures. It happens every season.
That is how I was taught by my father, who was a professional hunter and guide. I have also guided professionally. It seems to be the way most guides and experienced hunters handle it.
A second shot is only needed if the animal is strong enough to put up a fight. In which case a .22 pistol is MUCH better suited for the job than a long gun.
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I test my guns for penetration in wet paper before shooting animals with them. My 177 to 25 caliber airguns go through 10 to 20 magazines which is about 3-6 inches (when they are soaked). I tested my 30 06 years ago in wet newspapers. With a 150 grain it went through 12 inches of soaking wet paper. With a 180 grain partition it went through 18 inches. I would want to see 12 inches for an air rifle to use it. But I think a 45 bulldog might make it with the right slug. If a 35 bulldog can penetrate this much I would be OK with it.
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