why can't you hunt with a 22.mag? my friend dropped a gutshot deer with one

[cruzmissile12]

everyone is forgetting one important factor, SHOT PLACEMENT!!!! would you shoot a deer in the hind leg with a 300win mag and expect it to go down?.... NO because it was a horrible shot. With any caliber, the shot placement is important, a comment about shooting cattle at a butcher shop with a .22 is possilble because it was probably a headshot. I was witness to a friend shooting a doe at 80yrds(according to my rangefinder) and aimed for the heart. They did research on deer anatomy to locate the heart, took one shot at 80yrds, it ran for 40yrds, and fell over. After field dressing it, we located it was a good pass-through heart shot. So point is not how big your bullet is, but your shot placement. That is the most important over any animal or caliber you choose.

[NYhunter]

Way too small of a bullet! DO NOT TRY IT.

[libertyfirst]

My favorite rifle and the one that I carry in my truck everyday is the 22 mag. Over many years of hunting I have found this particular cartridge to be extremely reliable. This caliber is legal for deer in my home state and I have used in with the Winchester 40 gr. hp to shoot six deer. They were all one shot kills and the longest tracking job was 34 yards. All were carefully placed broadside chest shots. Five of the shots fully penetrated the chest cavity. The longest shot taken was 41 paces and all were taken from a tree stand.I have also,in the course of my daily life, dispatched a considerable number of beef and swine for the table with the same results. This being said I do not believe that the 22 mag.should ever be considered a deer rifle. I am an old man now and am very calm in hunting situations and am fully able to place my shots exactly as I want and would pass up any opportunity not to my liking. My recommendation for a deer rifle would not be unlike that of any experienced deer hunter, start with the 243.Win. and carefully place your shots. My 22 Mag. will continue to ride with me daily and I will continue to use it very successfully on a wide variety of game.

[Big O]

I'ts illegal thats why. Alot of good answers, and they all come down to one thing, UNDER POWERED !!! If you gat cought they will take your gun, fine you you'll loose hunting privilages and possibably your ride.
DON'T DO IT !!!!!

[blazer_ov-1d]

I know Farmers that have kill cows with 22LR pistols with the gun against the cows head.

[hjohn429]

Some friend
He should never hunt again.

[muskiemaster]

the entry hole is very small and when the deer runs away you won't find much of a blood trail which is unethical.

[hjohn429]

It is totally unethical to use such a small caliber on deer.

[shane]

I AM SO SICK OF HEARING ABOUT TINY CALIBERS FOR BIG GAME!

Stop playing the "how small can we get away with?" game. It's infuriating, and to be honest, unfair to the game.

If you want to kill a deer, use a deer caliber. One that will kill them good and dead, good and fast, every time.

In the Southwest, that can mean .243. But I would not be trying that on a 250lb. Upper Midwest buck or 300lb. Saskatchewan buck.

[timothyfaw]

because 30/6 are way better than a 22.mag

[FloridaHunter1226]

Unless it is at a really close range and dead on precise with the kill zone, it usually does not have enough power or do enough damage. As you increase the distance, the less likely you are to kill the deer and also make an ethical shot.

[buddyboy564]

wow i would not think that it would drop a cow like that but i still dont think that it is beg enough

[willkillsdeer]

i geuss i really wonderd becuse our bucther shot one of our cows with one from like thirty yards and it hit the dirt like a ton of bricks

[willkillsdeer]

it was almost dead he just finshed it off with the thing from like four feet away he dosen't hunt with it

[Christian Emter]

It wouldn't be ethical. Steve has a great answer.