# Jump shooting deer



## Joraca (Dec 29, 2007)

I deer hunt in Oklahoma and except for dawn and dusk I usually I usually creep through brush or tall weeds, or sneak up on isolated thickets.

If I get lucky, I see deer before they see me, but I have jumped a fair number of bucks at from 5 to 15 yds and they don't offer me much of a shot.

Buckshot is not legal up there, and the rifles I use are a scoped bolt action 30-06 which is not real suitable because of the scope and lack of quick followup shots and an SKS carbine with a red dot, which is not real suitable on account of penetration and power issues.

I was thinking about setting up an autoloading shotgun with a red dot and slugs, thinking that might penetrate to the vitals from all angles but I wanted to check here to see what you guys are doing or might have to suggest first.

Joraca


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## Five Prongs Of Fury (Apr 15, 2008)

If you setup a shotgun your gonna have to have a fully rifled barrel to hit anything at all. However, no matter what gun you use your recovery rate is gonna be very slim trying to basically "pheasant" hunt for deer.


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

A friend here in Mongomery has killed some very big bucks jump-shooting the deer in clearcuts. He uses a Remington model 742 in 30.06.


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## Eglinhunter (Apr 1, 2012)

I would look at a 30-30 or 45/70 in a lever gun. Some 30-30 rounds will also give you a shot out to 200yds if you needed it.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Pattern your slug gun with rifled slugs. Some pattern well out to 50 yards. I had a 12 ga that patterned a pie plate out to 50 yards but after that the trajectory was too steep.

But pattern it. Had a 20 ga that was all over the paper at 20 yards.


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## Fish on! (Apr 20, 2008)

We used to do this in Indiana with shotguns with slugs. use a rifled barrel and you will have no problem. We have shot deer up to 110 yards with 12g slugs, you just have to get used to shooting them. However we would put someone in a stand on the other side of the field so when we did jump the deer they could finish them off. usually they were teh ones to actually hit the deer, but it was pretty fun to try to hit the bouncing deer while walking


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## Breeze (Mar 23, 2012)

I have always used a 12 gauge smooth bore shotgun with rifled slugs to deer hunt. It has a long barrel and I am accurate out to 100 yards using iron sights. The 12 gauge slug, in my opinion, is plenty strong enough to penetrate from most any angle. I never had a problem bringing a deer down with it and even if they didnt drop right there the blood trail has always been good enough to follow. Up in Maryland we could not use rifles to hunt deer so we had to use shotguns. Either get one with a rifled barrel or a smooth bore and use rifled slugs. My gun is one my dad bought about 40 years or so ago and he bought it for goose hunting, so the barrel is long which helps with the accuracy of the gun. Its a semi auto so follow up shots, if needed, are quick. My best shot with it, more like a lucky shot, was on a running doe at about 100 yards. Found her piled up about 50 yards from where I took the shot. Everything lined up just right on that shot though...


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## Brandon_SPC (Nov 2, 2013)

Get some slugs and a rifled choke tube and I would use a bright set of fiber optics vs the red dot. But honestly I would just get a good set of binos or spotting scope and glass for the deer instead of trying to jump a deer. If the terrain allows you to do that. A lot of mature bucks with just stay bedded down and you can almost step on them before they jump up.


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## CLJ (Feb 12, 2013)

A levergun is what I would go with in that situation. 30/30 or 44 mag. Use the iron sights or get a low power scope


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## fairpoint (May 9, 2013)

I hunt with a browning BAR .270 that is great for walking clearcuts in Alabama.....The close range you are talking about is going to be tough with any non shotgun firearm
As for the 30-30 ....range can be limited to 150 and closer IMHO.....I walked a clearcut with another hunter one day and he jumped a buck at 100yds.....he unloaded on it and the deer kept going away from us....at 200to 250 I dialed in on the hopping deer and shot....he stopped hopping and was graveyard dead by the time we got to him......hope this helps.


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## MikeH (Jul 14, 2009)

+1 on the lever gun. I would go with a 45/70 so you could punch though light brush if necessary.


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

Another for a lever, my 444 points so quickly with the factory irons, better than my other levers for whatever reason.


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## Brandon_SPC (Nov 2, 2013)

Actually the whole "brush busting" calibers is a myth. You would be better off with your 30-06 as a brush busting caliber vs .444, 45-70, 35 Remington. Laws of physics explains that. Here is an article http://www.cabelas.com/product/The-Brush-Buster-Myth/532941.uts 

But with your shotgun or ;ever gun you get faster follow up shots.


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## Five Prongs Of Fury (Apr 15, 2008)

Brandon_SPC said:


> Actually the whole "brush busting" calibers is a myth. You would be better off with your 30-06 as a brush busting caliber vs .444, 45-70, 35 Remington. Laws of physics explains that. Here is an article http://www.cabelas.com/product/The-Brush-Buster-Myth/532941.uts
> 
> But with your shotgun or ;ever gun you get faster follow up shots.


^^^This is also correct.:thumbsup:

I do agree that the lever guns are the best pointing and toting guns made. They are excellent woods/close quarters rifles. I have a 30-30 and my dad has a 444 Marlin.


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## JRH (Sep 6, 2013)

Peep sight will help a lot with quick shots also.


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## Emerald Ghost (Mar 11, 2008)

Can someone tell me how/why a lever gun would perform better than a semi automatic ?
A friend of mine use to stalk hunt with a Ruger .44 semi automatic rifle years ago and it was very effective.


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## fairpoint (May 9, 2013)

Emerald Ghost said:


> Can someone tell me how/why a lever gun would perform better than a semi automatic ?
> A friend of mine use to stalk hunt with a Ruger .44 semi automatic rifle years ago and it was very effective.


Me too.....it has to be the pointability and open sights????


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## Joraca (Dec 29, 2007)

Me three on the lever guns.

I've shot three does front to back with my .50 cal muzzleloader with .45 cal 250 sabot rounds at about 1800 fps. Penetration has been about 30 inches.

So a .44 mag, .444 marlin or a 45-70 intrigues me and I hadn't thought of it.

My SKS is very quick handling and the 150gr Cor-bons are said to be equivalent to 30-30s. I just don't think it will reach through a big buck from back to front. Cor-bon makes a copper bullet said to have 24 inches of penetration in ballistic gel, but I don't know what that would work out to in the real world. Plus the wound channel is small, maybe 3/4 inch.

Joraca


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## CLJ (Feb 12, 2013)

I grew up shooting win model 94's and marlin 336's A LOT. I guess they just feel natural to me. Im sure the semi autos do just as good, just havnt ever hunted with one.


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## Brandon_SPC (Nov 2, 2013)

I don't know why I never said this. Use your SKS for your brush rifle. Here it is compared to the 30-30 
7.62X39 123gr SST at the muzzle the velocity is 2350fps and energy 1508ft lbs and at 100 yards velocity is 2040fps and the energy is 1136 ft lbs.
30-30 150gr RN from Hornady muzzle velocity 2390fps and energy is 1902 ft lbs at 100 yards it is 1958fps and 1278 ft lbs. 

As you can see it is about the same. A dead deer will not know the difference. We all know the 30-30 has killed many of deer and the 7.62X39 has killed many of people and believe it or not there are a good amount of hunters that use the SKS or Ak47 for hunting deer, hogs, and coyotes. I would use the SKS or if it is legal causes of the faster follow up shots and better accuracy than a smooth bore shotgun using a slug.

And lack of "power" I bet these animals would beg to differ :whistling:

But honestly in your first post "If I get lucky, I see deer before they see me, but I have jumped a fair number of bucks at from 5 to 15 yds and *they* *don't offer me much of a shot*."
You state they don't offer much of a shot so why take a bad shot? Or shoot hoping you will connect? Taking your 30-06 with some good glass (binos/spotting scope) and just sit and glass for a while will probably pay off more than jumping a deer.


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

Hahaha at the pistol grip on the sks...sorry, good post though.


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## Brandon_SPC (Nov 2, 2013)

sure said:


> Hahaha at the pistol grip on the sks...sorry, good post though.


 Yeah I saw that and thought WTH lol


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## Joraca (Dec 29, 2007)

Brandon_SPC said:


> <snip>
> 
> But honestly in your first post "If I get lucky, I see deer before they see me, but I have jumped a fair number of bucks at from 5 to 15 yds and *they* *don't offer me much of a shot*."
> You state they don't offer much of a shot so why take a bad shot? Or shoot hoping you will connect? Taking your 30-06 with some good glass (binos/spotting scope) and just sit and glass for a while will probably pay off more than jumping a deer.


 Thanks for the encouragement on the SKS. I haven't tried it on a deer front to back to see how it penetrates. Does anybody know?

I am a big believer in glass and I always hunt with my binoculars. I often use a spotting scope dawn and dusk.

The bucks that are giving me troubles tend to bed alone near the upwind side of the thickets. That way they can smell anything coming from the front, and hear anything getting close from behind. As I sneak along, I have the wind in my face. That puts the thickets between me and where the buck is most likely to be. And the binoculars can't penetrate the whole thicket.

The areas I am hunting when I am doing plum thickets are small, maybe 2 acres or less, generally in draws in 100+ acre pastures. There might be deer in that little area, or there might not be. Can't spend hours there waiting for something to move, would leave too much ground unhunted. 

So I keep low, stay out of sight of the thicket until I am close, and stop and glass a lot as I approach it.


Joraca


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## Brandon_SPC (Nov 2, 2013)

Joraca said:


> Thanks for the encouragement on the SKS. I haven't tried it on a deer front to back to see how it penetrates. Does anybody know?
> 
> I am a big believer in glass and I always hunt with my binoculars. I often use a spotting scope dawn and dusk.
> 
> ...


Don't worry about it penetrating from front to back as long as it turns the inside to mush or liquidfies it that deers is dead. If I was going to do what you are doing I would pick the SKS with 123gr SST from Hornady with that red dot zerod for 50 yards and take a few shots at 100 yards just to get the POI.

If you know they are there and can get a good vantage point get a hundred to two hundred yards on the upwind side and let your scent blow down in there and just wait until he stands up but this is where I would use your 30-06. Also try to keep the sun at your back or over head at the spot your are glossing because a bucks antlers will give off a glint just like a scope lense. Also look for something moving like a branch or bush. Wind is hardly blowing and see a little twig move focus in on that. Don't just concentrate on seeing the whole deer itself.

But if you are going to be trying to jump deer and sling let at them use your sks. You will be able to get way faster follow up shots. If you are worried about it still just go to youtube and type in 7.62X39 deer hunting and watch the videos that pop up.


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## Joraca (Dec 29, 2007)

Well, posting up upwind is counterintuitive but it might work. 

I've had luck hunting overgrown CRP fields before by walking with the wind quickly.

And having deer just stand up and look at me.

On front to back penetration, what I am really interested in is back to front penetration. I figure it will be about the same if I don't hit a bone.

The SST is a fine bullet. My concern would be that it would expand too much, penetrate too little, in an SKS load used for jump shooting.

Joraca


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## Brandon_SPC (Nov 2, 2013)

Joraca said:


> Well, posting up upwind is counterintuitive but it might work.
> 
> I've had luck hunting overgrown CRP fields before by walking with the wind quickly.
> 
> ...


 I see where you are going with this. I know the SP and HP surplus ammo expands but not much and the retain a lot of their weight but that I don't know about a 7.62X39. It has plenty of energy to kill a deer but front to back I don't know. Then that is where I would go back to the .444 or 45-70 with a heavily constructed bullet if you want that much penetration. I was thinking faster follow up shots that's why I said SKS. Good luck on your hunt.


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