Shotgun Slug Hunting

[sawyer]

Hello folks, first deer season I'll be hunting here in western WA

I intend on using my 12 gauge with a slug barrel this coming season to try and shoot my first deer. I am choosing my slug gun for a few reasons. 1) I intend on hunting a rifle restricted GMU (I have already clarified that shotguns are in fact legal to use in this GMU). 2) I cannot afford a new rifle this year. There are 3 forests I have spent time scouting in and found some areas that deer and other animals use to commute from timber to brush and to a water source. My plan is to build up a sort of blind, or perhaps get in a tree stand at these locations and sit and wait, within 80 yards of where I anticipate the deer to walk through.

I've never hunted deer and I have no one in my life to teach me how. Does this plan sound reasonable? I know a rifle and getting into the high clear cuts is likely the most effective method to hunt western WA, but I am working with what I have.

Is this crazy talk? do you folks have any experience or advice to share with me in regards to my plan? 

[Oldguy]

From the thread title I thought it would give me insight to a new specie to hunt. Got into the regs and couldn't fine any license covering slugs or weapons allowed. I've always used a BB gun.

Good luck on your hunts and I hope you get some support from the forum.

[h20hunter]

RIP Ripper,  Mark, a passed member killed at least two very nice blacktail via the slug gun. I'd find your arwa and learn it in and out. Blacktails, imo, are hard to pattern but deer are deer. Go for it. Can't kill em if you don't go.  If you bag on in my area hit us up for drag out, butchering etc. assistance!

[ghosthunter]

Ian see nothing wrong with your plan.

Go for it. 

[Goshawk]

Work out of an elevated tree stand and try to shorten up your distance from the stand to the trail to 50 yards.  If it's allowed in the area you're looking at, get some game cameras going to see what's moving around.  Don't worry so much about only seeing does. Once fall comes, more does = buck magnets.  When you get your area figured out, get the stand up sooner than later so everything settles down a bit before season.

[ThurstonCokid]

I think your plan sounds very good. There’s very few guys who really understand the blacktail deer. I’ve killed 10 but am no where near an expert. I think your idea will work. I think game cams would be great if allowed in your area. Have fun! And enjoy the process


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[Pegasus]

Ever seen what a 12 gauge slug does to a deer? Not very pretty and wastes a lot of meat. I would suggest using #00 buckshot instead unless you plan on shooting at more that 40-50 yards. I have shot three blacktails with a shotgun. Two with #00 buckshot and one with a slug. The one with the slug destroyed both shoulders of the deer, the ones with buckshot were quick clean kills with little meat damage.

[Widgeondeke]

My son and I have killed 5 BT with a 20ga slug gun. No added meat damage over a rifle. Good shot placement into the lungs or heart and you won't waste meat.
We used a solid copper slug and every shot was thru n thru. Even had one hit a bit back and it vaporized the liver. Buck was dead on his hooves.
Your plan sounds good. You didn't mention if you will be using open sights or a scope.  If using a scope you are easily good out to 100yds. I am comfortable to 120yds with my slug gun. Although wind will have more effect on slugs.
As others said, get a trail cam out and build your blind in advance.
Good luck and most of all have fun 

[JimmyHoffa]

I've used hornady sst slugs in a 12 ga on deer.  Worked just fine.  Damage was less than a .30-30.  The way the slug opens (it's a copper slug), it does have pellet sized pieces that spread out.  With a slug barrel, you'll do fine in timber.  If you hunt big clear cuts, either work on your stalking or find the best positions assuming the deer are beyond your range.

[Pegasus]

My son and I have killed 5 BT with a 20ga slug gun. No added meat damage over a rifle. Good shot placement into the lungs or heart and you won't waste meat.
We used a solid copper slug and every shot was thru n thru. Even had one hit a bit back and it vaporized the liver. Buck was dead on his hooves.
Your plan sounds good. You didn't mention if you will be using open sights or a scope.  If using a scope you are easily good out to 100yds. I am comfortable to 120yds with my slug gun. Although wind will have more effect on slugs.
As others said, get a trail cam out and build your blind in advance.
Good luck and most of all have fun 

Were you shooting with a rifled barrel and copper sabot slugs for rifled barrels only? I was using a smooth barrel with a modified choke and shooting lead slugs. I missed that the OP is using a slug barrel instead of a smooth bore.

[Magnum_Willys]

Scope with premium copper sabot slugs - good for up to 200 yards.  Son took a nice whitetail in Iowa at 185 yards.

[h20hunter]

Deke is, was, shooting an h&r break open slug gun, rifled.

[h20hunter]

Handy lil gun....i should know....i sold it to him! 

[Yelper Guy]

I've never hunted deer and I have no one in my life to teach me how.

Good on you sawyer!
I never had anyone in my family that hunted, only fishing, until I started hunting in my mid teens.
I spent endless  :hello:hours hiking and learning about nature & wildlife when I was growing up.
It was a natural progression in my mind - nearly 40 years later, I'm glad I did!

[Bob33]

It's sounds like a very doable plan. At 80 yards a slug shotgun will work just fine. It's pricey and a pain in the shoulder, but you should try a few different slug types on paper to see how well and where they shoot. The variation in group size and point-of-impact can be significant.

Good luck!

[steeleywhopper]

I have a cantilever Barrel and 2x7 power leupold scope on my 870 slug setup. I shoot Hornady sst 2/34 inch slugs and deer flat die with that setup. Furthest deer killed was a 165 yard heart shot and 20 yards being the closest. I would not hesitate to shoot that rig at 200 yards if need be.

[sawyer]

Work out of an elevated tree stand and try to shorten up your distance from the stand to the trail to 50 yards.  If it's allowed in the area you're looking at, get some game cameras going to see what's moving around.  Don't worry so much about only seeing does. Once fall comes, more does = buck magnets.  When you get your area figured out, get the stand up sooner than later so everything settles down a bit before season.

Good insight, thank you. I got a game cam coming in the mail. Going to rotate it between my 3 spots all summer long as I keep checking them. Luckily I get to check one of the spots regularly because i'm a forest tech and one of our work sites is very near a deer hotspot I've been watching.

[sawyer]

Ever seen what a 12 gauge slug does to a deer? Not very pretty and wastes a lot of meat. I would suggest using #00 buckshot instead unless you plan on shooting at more that 40-50 yards. I have shot three blacktails with a shotgun. Two with #00 buckshot and one with a slug. The one with the slug destroyed both shoulders of the deer, the ones with buckshot were quick clean kills with little meat damage.

Thank you for sharing that experience. I'll defiantly do some more research and perhaps go pattern out some #00 buck and weight the pros and cons. I would hate to waste a whole shoulder, let alone two. 

[sawyer]

I've never hunted deer and I have no one in my life to teach me how.

Good on you sawyer!
I never had anyone in my family that hunted, only fishing, until I started hunting in my mid teens.
I spent endless  :hello:hours hiking and learning about nature & wildlife when I was growing up.
It was a natural progression in my mind - nearly 40 years later, I'm glad I did!

Thank you! I've had great success learning fly fishing and salmon fishing on my own, and grouse hunting. Hopefully I'll be able to say the same about deer.

[sawyer]

My son and I have killed 5 BT with a 20ga slug gun. No added meat damage over a rifle. Good shot placement into the lungs or heart and you won't waste meat.
We used a solid copper slug and every shot was thru n thru. Even had one hit a bit back and it vaporized the liver. Buck was dead on his hooves.
Your plan sounds good. You didn't mention if you will be using open sights or a scope.  If using a scope you are easily good out to 100yds. I am comfortable to 120yds with my slug gun. Although wind will have more effect on slugs.
As others said, get a trail cam out and build your blind in advance.
Good luck and most of all have fun 

I'll be using iron sights, it is through the 12ga remington slug barrel. They have a nice rear sight and a nice front sight post. I may play with the idea of scope after I do some shooting. Thank you for sharing your experience. Good to know I'm not crazy using a slug gun in WA

[sawyer]

Just wanted to thank everyone for you're input. It has helped a lot. I'm feeling better about my decisions now and have some new information to go off of.

[Widgeondeke]

Deke is, was, shooting an h&r break open slug gun, rifled.

Ya that     

[Brushcrawler]

Second Bob33s comment on trying a few different slugs to see what works. My 12 ga will shoot around 1.5 inches at 100 when very clean using 3” Remington accutips. As stated shoot them through the ribs and you won’t lose any meat. Keep the butt tight to your shoulder, they kick!

[CP]

I took my deer last season with this slug.  Smooth bore shotgun, off the bead, 35 yards.  Yes a rifled bore, scope, etc. will increase your range, but you can make it work with any shotgun.  And the big, slow slug damages less meat than a smaller, faster rifle bullet.

[Remnar]

 Nothing wrong with your plan . I prefer to hunt edges and timber 90% of the Blacktail I have shot although using a rifle, could have been done with your setup.

I wouldn't  recommend buckshot.  If l were to use it would limit shots to 30 yards and under. 

  Good luck out there

[jackson7]

I have only shot one deer with a rifle. have always used slugs in a 20 or 12 gauge. standard Remington 870, smoothbore. it works. Good luck.

[follow maggie]

I’ll also say it’s a good plan. Slugs have come a long ways in recent years, just like bullets. Use a good quality slug & put it through the lungs like others have said and I don’t think you lose much meat.

[lokidog]

Ever seen what a 12 gauge slug does to a deer? Not very pretty and wastes a lot of meat. I would suggest using #00 buckshot instead unless you plan on shooting at more that 40-50 yards. I have shot three blacktails with a shotgun. Two with #00 buckshot and one with a slug. The one with the slug destroyed both shoulders of the deer, the ones with buckshot were quick clean kills with little meat damage.

There's a reason many states back east have banned 00 buck for deer....  A 12 ga slug will do no more "damage" than any high speed low caliber round when placed in the same location. Buck shot can create many more wound channels in meat and have a higher likelihood of not providing a clean kill as well as a much shorter range.

Find a scope mount to fit your gun, rib or receiver mounted, put a red dot or low magnification scope on it and go shoot, a lot. I prefer a 20ga sabot to a rifled slug, but I've also shot several deer with rifled slugs and you need a rifled choke tube or barrel with the sabot. Figure out your maximum accurate range and stick to it. My first year hunting, I was shooting a 20 with rifled slugs and open sights. I was only comfortable with accuracy to about 60 yards, I let a huge buck walk that was about 100 yards up the ridge, I've never regretted it.

Good luck.

[fowl smacker]

I have shot 1 buck with buckshot (12ga 00 buck) and never will again.  1st hit was 25 yards broadside, hit it right behind the shoulder, 2nd shot was immediately after at about 30 yards slightly quartered away still behind the shoulder/rib cage area.  The buck was hauling butt at this point.  Me and a buddy tracked this deer over 2 miles finding specks of blood here and there.  Jumped it out of a bed several hours later, hit it in the neck with the 3rd shot at about 40 yards, went another 1/2 mile and finally dropped it with a head shot at 15 yards.  There were small holes in that deer's heart, liver, and wind pipe.  The 00 buck performance was HORRIBLE!  Never again.

[Jpmiller]

Maybe the blacktail guys can chime in on this advice but if I'm going to be married to a spot for whitetail or mulies I can typically get them coming in fairly regular with a salt block. I'd imagine that would help out for blacktails as well and give them a little bit more incentive to be where you are. Helps get them in front of your game camera too. Good luck out there!

[JakeLand]

Maybe the blacktail guys can chime in on this advice but if I'm going to be married to a spot for whitetail or mulies I can typically get them coming in fairly regular with a salt block. I'd imagine that would help out for blacktails as well and give them a little bit more incentive to be where you are. Helps get them in front of your game camera too. Good luck out there!

a summer blacktail buck is a completely different animal then one in September and that buck will again completely change By the last week of October through mid November
Personally I never bother with blocks or minerals in the summer because of that . Come October keep track of does and that’s where you will have a  upper hand on bucks !
Game cameras are a plus the more you get the more you’ll figure out the puzzle

[lokidog]

Maybe the blacktail guys can chime in on this advice but if I'm going to be married to a spot for whitetail or mulies I can typically get them coming in fairly regular with a salt block. I'd imagine that would help out for blacktails as well and give them a little bit more incentive to be where you are. Helps get them in front of your game camera too. Good luck out there!

a summer blacktail buck is a completely different animal then one in September and that buck will again completely change By the last week of October through mid November
Personally I never bother with blocks or minerals in the summer because of that . Come October keep track of does and that’s where you will have a  upper hand on bucks !
Game cameras are a plus the more you get the more you’ll figure out the puzzle

That's why I like archery. Even here on the island where there is no increase in people in the woods, the deer behavior changes dramatically near the end of September. Muzzleloader season usually still has some of the predictability of September, but not always.

[Jpmiller]

And there you have it  id listen to those guys over me, don't bother with salt

[lokidog]

And there you have it  id listen to those guys over me, don't bother with salt

I put a salt lick out behind my place when we first moved here, never saw a single deer near it. Now, apples on the other hand.... 

[bench beast]

This Buck was taken at 170 yards. Shotgun slugs will do the job.

[lokidog]

Sabot or rifled?

[yakimanoob]

@sawyer I know nothing of Blacktail, but as others have said, there's only one way to get any good at this hunting thing  .

I hunted hogs and deer in AL with a 12g slug 870 before I moved to WA.  Don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting a lighter platform sooner rather than later 

Have fun!

[fishnfur]

Your plan sounds reasonable to me, though you want to make sure the place you set up is looking out over an area that in October, will have at least some deer activity each day.  That is basically my main hunting strategy (for BTs) anymore.  I see way more deer sitting still than by any other method, and it is way easier on my back. 

RE - salt lick.  I have tried that a couple of times years ago.  Doe will hit them until June or so, then stop.  Many times, bucks will only hit them once or twice in April/May and that is it.  If you want to attract any BTs living closeby:  apples, apples, apples.

Lastly, if you're a big dude, a 12 ga. is a fine choice.  30-06s and 12 ga. shotguns bruise my shoulder and make me flinch.  Not a good choice for me.  Unless you can't afford one, a rifled barrel is the best choice for any slug gun (in my opinion).  I like and use this setup:

https://www.range365.com/fine-tuned-savage-220-slug-gun/

If you are patient, you can pick up a used one in good shape for under $400. 
https://www.gunbroker.com/Other-Shotguns/search?PageSize=24&Sort=13&View=1&Ch-model=220

[Tree Farmer]

Last year I bought a Remington 870 pump with wood furniture. It is a 20 gauge. I think I paid $225 for it new and on sale. I sold the barrel on eBay for like $125. For about the same price as I sold the barrel I purchased an 18 inch rifled barrel on eBay. I topped it with a 2-7 Leupold. I have approximately $425 into the entire package. Last year I killed a 2pt blacktail in SW Washington with it. Shot was approximately 130 yards. This thing shoots paper plates consistently out to 200 yards. I think with more practice I can get it dialed in even better. Recoil is not bad at all and no meat damage. Sweet package, especially for a fire restrictions area.

[The Big Game Hunter]

Hello folks, first deer season I'll be hunting here in western WA

I intend on using my 12 gauge with a slug barrel this coming season to try and shoot my first deer. I am choosing my slug gun for a few reasons. 1) I intend on hunting a rifle restricted GMU (I have already clarified that shotguns are in fact legal to use in this GMU). 2) I cannot afford a new rifle this year. There are 3 forests I have spent time scouting in and found some areas that deer and other animals use to commute from timber to brush and to a water source. My plan is to build up a sort of blind, or perhaps get in a tree stand at these locations and sit and wait, within 80 yards of where I anticipate the deer to walk through.

I've never hunted deer and I have no one in my life to teach me how. Does this plan sound reasonable? I know a rifle and getting into the high clear cuts is likely the most effective method to hunt western WA, but I am working with what I have.

Is this crazy talk? do you folks have any experience or advice to share with me in regards to my plan?

I think that's a reasonable plan. My 12 gauge does really well with slugs out to 50 yards or so with a regular smooth barrel and a really basic bead sight. With a dedicated slug barrel that has better sights, I can accurately shoot out to 75-100 years with no trouble at all. A 12 gauge slug is .73 caliber and weighs around 1 ounce (437.5 grains), so it is devastating on thin skinned game like deer.
Just FYI, you can learn more about hunting with buckshot and shotgun slugs below.
https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/buckshot-vs-slug/

[sawyer]

I think that's a reasonable plan. My 12 gauge does really well with slugs out to 50 yards or so with a regular smooth barrel and a really basic bead sight. With a dedicated slug barrel that has better sights, I can accurately shoot out to 75-100 years with no trouble at all. A 12 gauge slug is .73 caliber and weighs around 1 ounce (437.5 grains), so it is devastating on thin skinned game like deer.
Just FYI, you can learn more about hunting with buckshot and shotgun slugs below.
https://thebiggamehuntingblog.com/buckshot-vs-slug/

Pretty good for smoothbore! This article is awesome thank you for sharing

[fishnfur]

Last year I bought a Remington 870 pump with wood furniture. It is a 20 gauge. I think I paid $225 for it new and on sale. I sold the barrel on eBay for like $125. For about the same price as I sold the barrel I purchased an 18 inch rifled barrel on eBay. I topped it with a 2-7 Leupold. I have approximately $425 into the entire package. Last year I killed a 2pt blacktail in SW Washington with it. Shot was approximately 130 yards. This thing shoots paper plates consistently out to 200 yards. I think with more practice I can get it dialed in even better. Recoil is not bad at all and no meat damage. Sweet package, especially for a fire restrictions area.

Nice setup!  That's a great way to go.   
Shoot me a PM sometime about your tree farms - Tree Farmer.  I'd love to compare notes. 

[pd]

To the OP:

The first few deer I ever killed were with open sighted shotgun slugs. They work just fine.

Do it!

[Chad McMullen]

Scope with premium copper sabot slugs - good for up to 200 yards.  Son took a nice whitetail in Iowa at 185 yards.

I dunno -- your results may vary.  I've tried Hornday, Winchester, and Remington sabot slugs out of my rifled 12ga barrel and achieve anywhere from "bleh" to "meh" groups, considering I'm spending $2.00 to $2.50 per shot.  My best groups out of that same barrel, oddly enough, are a bit over $1 each and are conventional Winchester foster slugs -- go figure...