deer problem

[randy41]

I'm a little embarrassed about this but here it goes anyway. I've lived in this very rural area for 20 years. I moved here from the suburbs with my family when I was 39. I was raised in the suburbs. So I've never been deer hunting. I don't really even know how to shoot a gun properly. i was never in the armed forces. My dad (or mom for that matter) never hunted.
But I have a large market garden that is being raided by deer and other little critters. I've had a fence that has been effective in the past but now the deer have figured it out.
So what firearm should I buy to put a dent in the deer population? I need something easy to use and not very expensive. Most other people I know who have market gardens say that they can eliminate the problem by getting rid of the deer that have figured out the fence.
I'm sure I can easily get a nuisance permit. I really don't have much interest in deer hunting except to try to eliminate the costly problem.

 

[ToadHill]

It depends on how far the garden is from the place you plan to shoot from. Shotguns with deer slugs are good for about 100 to 150 yards. A rifle will get you another 100 to 150 yards, some people will claim they can shoot them at far greater distances and I'm sure they can but you have admitted you don't know much about shooting.

If you go the rifle route, look for something like a .243, .270, .308, or 30-30. You should be able to find one of these in a used gun with a scope at a reasonable price.

 

[studor]

One thing you might think about is contacting a local bowhunting or hunting club. I am sure that they will probably assist you if you get a nuisance permit and even figure out what to do with the deer meat. I have a local market gardener that lets bowhunters solve his problem every year and for those deer he really has a problem with he uses a .22 (too light in my opinion but the area of his farm is quite populated and is next to a large no discharge area). If you still wish to take the DIY approach I would suggest like the previous author a twelve guage or something light like a .243. The twelve can be used for other things like rabbits, coons etc with something like BB shot.

 

[dmccarty]

Rand41 you did say very rural area so the .243, .308, etc round will suffice but they can go a good distance. Even a .22 LR can go over a mile. So be sure of what is behind what you are shooting.

If you can get within 50-75 yards a 12 gauge with 00 buckshot will work and should be easier and safer. If your deer are like my deer they get in real close. They were within 20-30 feet of us last night as we ate dinner.

Later,
Dan

 

[randy41]

the deer here get very close so i don't think distance is a problem except that i don't want to just shoot random deer but i want to shoot the ones i catch out in my garden. i have a neighbor who offered to take care of the problem for me but i don't really want him running all around here shooting at whatever moves. i'll look for a lightweight rifle.
its not unusual for me to easily count 20 deer in the unfenced area of my field in the evening.
there used to be a lot of hunters up this way during hunting season but these days they don't need to come this far out to find deer.

 

[weldingisfun]

First step is to contact the local Fish and Game Department. They may have a non-lethal approach you can take to deal with the problems. At least your contact will make them aware of the problem. If a non-lethal approach is not an option get your nuisance permit and contact someone to do the shooting for you. I would be sure it is someone you know and trust. Good luck.

 

[EddieWalker]

Shooting and killing an animal humanely isn't as simple as just buying a gun, sighting it in and squeezing the trigger. I know allot of guys who get buck fever when it's time to shoot and either miss, or wound the animal. It's true with rifle hunters and bow hunters.

Deer are big enought that even a large caliber, high power rifle, needs to have the bullet put in the right place to quickly kill one. What will happen if you shoot the leg off of a deer and it runs off? Are you able to track a wounded deer down and finish the job if you are a few inches off on your shot? The heart is only 6 inches wide, the lungs are bigger, but they can go hundreds of yards on a lung shot. Liver, stomach and other organs can be blown away, and the animal can still travel a mile or more before bedding down and dying. When this happens, they will go to a place they consider safe, which means thick and difficult to get to.

If you do make a clean kill, what will you do with it? Gutting and cleaning it out for eating isn't something that you want to learn after the animal is lying there and you are all alone. A small deer can weigh 100 pounds and some really big ones will go over 300 pounds.

How many will you have to kill to stop the problem? One? Ten?

Deer learn real fast and usually will just go nocturnal on you when there is danger or preasure. Having a food source that they know and like will keep bringing them back, but they will come after dark and into the early morning hours. Shoot a few of them and all you will accomplish is to change their habbits.

I'm all for hunting and enjoy veinison, but don't think that shooting them, or shooting at them will accomplish very much. I think a better fence is your long term solution.

Good luck,
Eddie

PS. If you decide on shooting them, bullet placement is the only thing that counts. Caliber size and action type are just preferences to help you improve bullet placement. If you cannot shoot a three inch group at 100 yards, it's unlikely that you will be able to consistantly kill a deer at 50 yards. I shoot one inch groups with my rifle, and my wife is shooting better groups then I do. She's killed 5 wild hogs and one coyote, all one shot kills because she's spent the time learning how to shoot and doesn't squeeze the trigger until she has the perfect shot availalbe. Never rush a shot and never shoot hoping for a good result. If you want to kill something, you have to know exactly where the bullet will hit and not guess or hope.

 

[texasjohn]

Eddie said it all.... I've killed deer with a .22, 30-30, 264 magnum, etc... bullet placement trumps caliber. I shoot for the head, they go down immediately with a brain shot.

 

[Western]

Another thing to consider, lease your hunting rights to someone you trust. Check your game laws to see if there are permits to have. This way you can recover some $$ for the damages caused by deer and some one will get the benefit of the meat. Maybe a father/child hunt or a handicap hunt. There are several way's you could be rewarded for the "deer ache"

Also, If you get a damage permit you may be able to donate the meat to a host of places, Hunters for the Hungry is one, ask your game warden for others. Sounds to me you have an oppurtunity to turn a bad thing into a good thing.

As posted previously, it would pay to either learn how to clean a deer or have some one close that will do it as soon as possible ( nieghbor, meat locker ect ) it is actually very easy and can be done in short order.

Or you could just "rack'm and stack'm"

 

[randy41]

So this morning I went out to feed the chickens at about 630AM and there was a doe and 2 babies feeding on my winter squash/pumpkin field. After reading Eddie's post I wouldn't want to be inhumane about this. So I guess I've concluded that shooting is not the way to go. It would take a while for me to get to be a good enough shot to kill and not just wound. Looks like I'm going to be doing some fencing. Or getting a couple of tigers.
When I asked others who are in the same situation as I am what they do with all the deer they shoot they all say that the deer run off after being shot and die somewhere else.