If you don't yet have a .22 ...

Poachers use 22 rifles a lot at night (low noise). They shoot the deer and it runs a bit and later dies. They don't track these hit animals in general.
 
flytyer said:
where i hunt, it IS legal, and there is NOTHING wrong with that. unless you're a bad shot.
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Just because a thing is (or may be) legal, doesn't make that thing ethical. A bow (or crossbow), by the way kills game via exsanguination unlike a firearm which tends to rely on shock and tissue damage so attempting to equate the two tools for hunting deer makes no sense. Can you kill a deer via a head shot from a .22lr? Sure but perhaps a bow firing a proper broadhead or a firearm of a more appropriate caliber would both be better choices.

The topic of this thread is hunting small game with a .22 - not air guns and not poaching large game. Let's head back towards the topic.
 
GingivitisKahn said:
Just because a thing is (or may be) legal, doesn't make that thing ethical. A bow (or crossbow), by the way kills game via exsanguination unlike a firearm which tends to rely on shock and tissue damage so attempting to equate the two tools for hunting deer makes no sense. Can you kill a deer via a head shot from a .22lr? Sure but perhaps a bow firing a proper broadhead or a firearm of a more appropriate caliber would both be better choices.

The topic of this thread is hunting small game with a .22 - not air guns and not poaching large game. Let's head back towards the topic.
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The OP's topic was chasing small game with a 22 because deer hunting has been tough (in the area the poster is from i assume) my posts started as "what you're doing for small game with a 22, you can do cheaper, safer and equally ethically with an air rifle"
that grew into a larger discussion (since the OP brought up deer) that a 22r is "appropriate" (your word) if used properly. a different caliber, is not necessarily a better choice. your assertion that a 22 is not an appropriate caliber is ridiculous, there are myriad situations where a 22 is a perfect round for deer.
 
I am the OP. If you want to start a thread on air rifle hunting, that would probably be of interest to many of us. If you want to start a thread on shooting big game with .22lr, go ahead but expect debate.

This thread is the place for neither.
 
GingivitisKahn said:
I am the OP. If you want to start a thread on air rifle hunting, that would probably be of interest to many of us. If you want to start a thread on shooting big game with .22lr, go ahead but expect debate.

This thread is the place for neither.
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My suggestion that an air rifle is a better squirrel gun is related to your OP, in the same way that if you were cleaning fish with a boning knife, and someone suggested looking into a fillet knife.
 
22-rimfire said:
Poachers use 22 rifles a lot at night (low noise). They shoot the deer and it runs a bit and later dies. They don't track these hit animals in general.
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If the poachers don't track them and harvest the, they aren't very good poachers, are they?
 
flytyer said:
where i hunt, it IS legal, and there is NOTHING wrong with that. unless you're a bad shot.
it's illegal because most hunters aren't a great shot. there is nothing wrong with the right person taking a shot with a 22 for a deer. i have LEGALLY taken many deer this way, with iron sights at 100 yards or less.
the truth is, in close range, a 22 has the same killing potential on a deer as most of our hunting gear, (take a bow as an example) at low yardage. the difference between a 22 and a higher power rifle, is "margin for error" most hunters need that cushion, but if you're a good shot, a 22 will do the same job.
your laws exist to 1)protect hunters from themselves, because most hunters shouldn't use a 22 and 2) to protect the animals, because, again, most hunters won't make the right shot.
22s have been used since they were created to hunt deer. there is nothing wrong with it. do you really think a 22 won't drop a deer at 30 yards? but you trust a bow t 30 yards? there is no logic behind that. i've seen elk taken with a 22 (haven't done it myself) but the truth is, it's a shot placement issue, NOT an issue with a 22 round itself.
i'm not suggesting people use it, i'm suggesting that with a good shooter, it will drop a deer just like anything else.

i've never had to take a second shot with a 22 on a deer. because i take my time with my first shot, and make it right. just like with a bow. shooting deer with a slug gun or something like that is a better idea for most hunters, because if a shot isn't perfect, you're still ok, and that deer will still drop.
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.22LR is not an adequate cartridge to take a deer cleanly and humanely. No amount of justification or rationale will change that.

It is ILLEGAL in Ontario to take a deer with any rimfire. It's on page 24 of the 2015 Ontario Hunting Regulation. See the link. You can download the regulation from there.

http://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-hunting-regulations-summary
 
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For small game, little .22s also work (though I admittedly got lucky on this one). :D

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I know American Indians hunt deer (at night), on the reservation with spotlights and a .22 rifle.
 
robgmn said:
Tiny!
I have a Beretta that's almost as small (though it's .25 which means I'm straying from the OP :-)
I also have a .22, but don't use it for hunting.

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Lol nice.

I've had a couple 21As in .22lr and really liked them though neither looked nearly as nice as that one. Never did get a chance to try them on small game.
 
Well 22lr is sold out the day any gun stores here get a shipment and one of them actually know which shipment will contain it so co2 pellet rifles work for me
 
Here's my little .22 LR/MAG revolver. I also have a CZ455 Evolution. Still lots of ammo where I am.

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The majority of my 22's are handguns and generally revolvers of the Colt or Smith & Wesson persuasion. My favorite is the 4" Colt Diamondback in 22LR with a S&W Model 18 as the runner up. I have Ruger, Colt, and High Standard 22 semi-auto pistols. If I want a semi that is fairly accurate for a walk in the woods, I'll generally take my Ruger Mark II heavy barrel which I like a lot.

Poachers generally don't care if they just injure a deer with a 22. They do not track wounded animals because the time element increases the chance of getting caught. They try for head shots with 22's.
 
Picked up an older Mossberg a little while ago for varmints and small game on the property. Like the old guns.
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My setup for Colombian Ground Squirrels. They are 1 of 3 squirrels that can be hunted in this state.
 
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