9mm for deer hunting?

[WCB]

Nope, all you're going to do is wound a deer. Best check your states regs. on handguns acceptable for deer hunting also. But if your dead set on this, think can you consistently put 5 rounds in a target at 50 yards grouping where a bottle cap can cover them.

Most hunters can't shoot that small of a group with a rifle at 50 yards or a slug gun. Even more so archery equipment. A bottle cap? I would challenge guys to do this at 15 yards with a handgun and 99.9% would fail. I mean I like where your head is at but it is like asking guys with hunting rifles they have to shoot 1moa or nothing @ 100yds to hunt deer at 100yds or less. Again 90+% of the general hunting population does not shoot moa groups.

 

[MallardSX2]

It will kill a deer.

 

[9.1]

It will kill a deer.

View attachment 559617

I was going to comment on this being way different from the OP's idea of using a CCW, but apparently it's not (Velocities in FPS, via ballisticsbytheinch.com):

 

[long hunter]

Most hunters can't shoot that small of a group with a rifle at 50 yards or a slug gun. Even more so archery equipment. A bottle cap? I would challenge guys to do this at 15 yards with a handgun and 99.9% would fail. I mean I like where your head is at but it is like asking guys with hunting rifles they have to shoot 1moa or nothing @ 100yds to hunt deer at 100yds or less. Again 90+% of the general hunting population does not shoot moa groups.

Then perhaps you need to spend some time on the trigger.

 

[GAHunterJim]

I use Buffalo Bore ammo in my 9mm when hiking (I have since bought a 10mm for same) and would not hesitate to shoot a deer with it (same ammo has been documented to kill a brown bear by Alaskan guide). The issue for me would be an accurate shot. If you are confident in your ability to make a clean shot, the 9mm will work with the right ammo.

 

[Rich M]

Then perhaps you need to spend some time on the trigger.

Not everyone wants to hunt bottle caps.

 

[long hunter]

Why not. The point here is best be sure of your skills before wounding an animal with an underpowered handgun. And besides I have a great recipe for bottle caps. If you cannot hit a bottle cap at 15 yards you have no business shooting at a deer.

 

[Brian.243]

Just picked up a henry homesteader and would take a deer up to about 75 yds with it

 

[GAHunterJim]

Not everyone wants to hunt bottle caps.

It's not a matter of "spending more time behind the trigger", I'm proficient with my 9mm but It's a Glock and I do not consider it a "hunting" pistol. If I were intent on killing a deer with a 9mm, I'd invest in a different set up.

 

[Rich M]

It's not a matter of "spending more time behind the trigger", I'm proficient with my 9mm but It's a Glock and I do not consider it a "hunting" pistol. If I were intent on killing a deer with a 9mm, I'd invest in a different set up.

The guy wants to shoot a deer with his pocket pistol "just cause". We really don't need to make it more than it is.

Maybe this will catapult him into a lifelong love of handgun hunting and he'll get something more suited for it. Bottom line - Is it enough to kill a deer at archery range? Yes it is - I can come up and hunt with some guys I know, middle GA and shoot a deer over corn at 10-15-20 yards with your Glock and it would end up dead. You know it and I know it.

And if he does make a lousy shot, wound one and never find it, he probably won't do it again. Not the end of the world, might feel like it to him for a bit, but he'd get over it.

 

[long hunter]

Well, going to up-set a few here, Yes, a nine can kill a deer (hell you can kill a deer with a club, probably do a better job than a 9mm) Is there better cals in side arms for deer yep, this sounds like an ego thing to me, make a bad shot and the deer suffers for someone who is on an ego trip (I see it now sitting in a bar with your buds, I only wounded three or four before I found one) This is an ethics thing, we as hunters are obligated to the animals we hunt in the fact we owe them a quick death (does it always happen no but it's not intentional or due to lack of proper hunting cals.) Can I stop you no, But do wish a local game warden does and chaps your bank account very well, but remember there are more folks than we know about who haunt hunting sites looking for this type of discussion and will eventually use this type of thing against all hunters and hunting. Be sure to make a video of your poor choices and post it for all to see.

 

[Rich M]

Well, going to up-set a few here, Yes, a nine can kill a deer (hell you can kill a deer with a club, probably do a better job than a 9mm) Is there better cals in side arms for deer yep, this sounds like an ego thing to me, make a bad shot and the deer suffers for someone who is on an ego trip (I see it now sitting in a bar with your buds, I only wounded three or four before I found one) This is an ethics thing, we as hunters are obligated to the animals we hunt in the fact we owe them a quick death (does it always happen no but it's not intentional or due to lack of proper hunting cals.) Can I stop you no, But do wish a local game warden does and chaps your bank account very well, but remember there are more folks than we know about who haunt hunting sites looking for this type of discussion and will eventually use this type of thing against all hunters and hunting. Be sure to make a video of your poor choices and post it for all to see.

You just described most archery hunters I know.

Not so sure ethics is the right word. Ethics examines the rational justification for our moral judgments; it studies what is morally right or wrong, just or unjust.

If ethics was tied to losing deer, then archery hunting would not be allowed at all. Even the best of the guys I know loses a deer every other year or so, he also shoots about 10-15 a year in diff states - it happens.

https://www.deerfriendly.com/deer-population-control/archery-wounding-rates

• A study conducted by the Oklahoma Fish and Wildlife Agencies found that approximately 50% of deer that were shot were never recovered. Some deer survived for up to 5–7 days before succumbing to their wounds.
• 
  
• Arrow Lethality A Summary of Research on Wounding Rates by Bowhunters. Wounded, but not recovered rates of 50% are common. "All the researchers agreed that it was happening, a higher percentage of animals were being hit and lost as more bowhunters took to the field ..." [page 3] ...
• 
  
• Wounding Rates of White-tailed Deer with Modern Archery Equipment [PDF], 2008 Proc. Annu. Conf. SEAFWA, Quality Deer Management Research. Use this link or click on the QDMA Wounding pdf link at the bottom of this page
• ... . Based on our estimates, qualified bowhunters were able to recover 1 deer for every 1.4 shots using modern archery equipment. (29% wounding rate) ...
• 
  
• Dealing with wounded deer November 7, 2014 Maine, Lewiston Sun Journal
• ... nationally studies of wounding loss from archery and firearms are more in line with 50% and 25% of the legal harvest, respectively, could we be underestimating this source of mortality? For wildlife biologists, it's important to know just how many animals are wounded and lost during the hunting season...

Full disclosure - I've lost 5 and killed 4 bow hunting over the years (I'm deaf) - is what it is. Basically, boo-hoo, you move on and shoot the next one. A 9mm handgun and my rates would be drastically different.

 

[WCB]

Then perhaps you need to spend some time on the trigger.

What does this have to do with me there Mr. Quigley?

If bottle cap accuracy is required at a given distance I guess anything much over 100yds is out for some pretty damn good shooters. But maybe you are talking about a Gatorade bottle that'll stretch it a bit further for some.

 

[long hunter]

Thanks for the compliment.

 

[Swamp Fox]

You just described most archery hunters I know.

Not so sure ethics is the right word. Ethics examines the rational justification for our moral judgments; it studies what is morally right or wrong, just or unjust.

If ethics was tied to losing deer, then archery hunting would not be allowed at all. Even the best of the guys I know loses a deer every other year or so, he also shoots about 10-15 a year in diff states - it happens.

https://www.deerfriendly.com/deer-population-control/archery-wounding-rates

• A study conducted by the Oklahoma Fish and Wildlife Agencies found that approximately 50% of deer that were shot were never recovered. Some deer survived for up to 5–7 days before succumbing to their wounds.
• 
  
• Arrow Lethality A Summary of Research on Wounding Rates by Bowhunters. Wounded, but not recovered rates of 50% are common. "All the researchers agreed that it was happening, a higher percentage of animals were being hit and lost as more bowhunters took to the field ..." [page 3] ...
• 
  
• Wounding Rates of White-tailed Deer with Modern Archery Equipment [PDF], 2008 Proc. Annu. Conf. SEAFWA, Quality Deer Management Research. Use this link or click on the QDMA Wounding pdf link at the bottom of this page
• ... . Based on our estimates, qualified bowhunters were able to recover 1 deer for every 1.4 shots using modern archery equipment. (29% wounding rate) ...
• 
  
• Dealing with wounded deer November 7, 2014 Maine, Lewiston Sun Journal
• ... nationally studies of wounding loss from archery and firearms are more in line with 50% and 25% of the legal harvest, respectively, could we be underestimating this source of mortality? For wildlife biologists, it's important to know just how many animals are wounded and lost during the hunting season...

Full disclosure - I've lost 5 and killed 4 bow hunting over the years (I'm deaf) - is what it is. Basically, boo-hoo, you move on and shoot the next one. A 9mm handgun and my rates would be drastically different.

This is peak gobbledygook.

Ethics is not tied to losing deer.

It's tied to taking good shots.

 

[long hunter]

With a gun cal. that's made for deer. No one even mentioned the stick and string guys. Mr. Quigley

 

[Swamp Fox]

Yes.

A "good shot" assumes appropriate specs for the "weapon".

 

[rabbithuntr]

Most 9mm carry ammo is designed to have the terminal ballistics needed for humans which are similar in size to deer. Shot placement is the most important aspect of course. I mounted a red dot to
My 43x and made it much easier to shoot accurately. Making 50 yd shots on a 12” plate became boring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Swamp Fox]

I've read about when hitting a 12-inch plate was awesome.

 

[ChaseH]

I wouldn’t do it