does anyone deer or bear hunt with a AR?

[Sigfan220]

I bet a 50bmg would drop them pretty well if you are having trouble. Maybe a bit overkill but you can never have too much gun for the job.

[dubya]

^ same here. I jumped a BIG 9 point walking to my stand, late lol, two years ago and put a 150gr TTSX from a 30-06 right through the heart at 35-40 yards and that thing ran up and down ravines through some nasty stuff for about 125 yards with no heart! It wasn't hard to track him since there was blood spray 5' on either side of where he ran.
Then last year I had a similar sized 7 point from about 90 yards, right through the heart but with a 160gr TTSX 338 Federal and he dropped on the spot and didn't even twitch. Its strange how some will run dead on their feet and others just die.

[FJ540]

If it takes a 338 win mag to drop a deer you shouldn't be deer hunting. Spend a little time at the range and quit buying the Walmart bullets. A well made bullet out of just about any short action will kill a deer like a laser.

Well well well, a lot of conclusions gittin jumped here. Time at the range? I jumped the buck out of his bed at 20 yds and hit him 1/2 inch to the right of his brown eye, the bullet was a sierra spitzer boattail #2600 pushed by a bunch of 4350 (Walmart indeed) the bullet didn't quite make it out the front of his chest.
I've shot deer with the .243 also and it won't do that.

John

Gotta see the humor in using a Texas Heart Shot for an example of what one needs.

[old guy]

Sh t happens.

John

[FJ540]

Or you could've let it go.

I'm a little biased - neighbors had two azz-shot deer run into my property last fall within 5 days, likely from the same booger picker. One was a 200+ buck with no rack that I found Monday after it'd already turned blue under the skin.

[The Lance]

I do and I love it. Just use copper rounds instead of lead. Took down a doe last year

What do you think is the general feeling out there, has anyone given you a hard time?

Why would anyone give me a hard time? It's called the modern sporting rifle. I was sporting deer with it. Is it dumb of me to use a superior weapon to their Remington 700?

No.. It's my choice to hunt with one. It's legal to do so in MN and bordering states. I give very little emphasis on what others say about me. What anyone thinks of me is their business not mine.


But to answer your question I have gotten nothing but good feedback from hunting with my AR.

I would probably get more negative feedback for one day wanting to be on a tree and leaping onto a deer and slitting it's carotid artery with a kershaw

[FJ540]

I would probably get more negative feedback for one day wanting to be on a tree and leaping onto a deer and slitting it's carotid artery with a kershaw

When you do that, be sure to borrow my gopro.

I'd have no problems hunting with an AR. It's part of why I bought my first 300BLK barrel - I wanted a little more heft in my slugs, but wanted the same platform I'm familiar with.

[goalie]

You'r pointing out just what Ive found, you shot that one right on the button but he still went 200 yds, I saw one hit like that with an 30-06 go 500yds, the big ones are harder to kill.

John

Yeah, but, with a hole through the heart and both lungs, EASY to track. In fact, after waiting in the stand a while to ensure we didn't jump him, my hunting partner walking over my way found the blood trail, followed it, and found the deer before I could get there.

Impressive blood trail with Federal Fusion 130 grain .270 ammo.

[old guy]

When i was much younger I used to go out and hunt my deer down, I remember one opening day in Wisc., by daylight I was a mile deep in the swamp country of Moose Juction, when I came out of the Belden swamp to HWY35 late in the afternoon I was 5 miles from the junction and the 3 miles down the Moose rd to camp, figured I put on 17 miles that day.
The point is those big bucks will not stand broadside and let you shoot them, they are gone now. I've raked many up through guts to the heart-lungs but it takes a heavy bullet to get the job done, never lost on wounded either ecept for one I hit at 100 yds broadside with a 12 ga. too far back and I could not follow where it went due to my own injurys at the time.
Now I am old and banged up and use cane and crutches , that's why I carry the AR, I can hang it around my neck and not worry about it getting banged up.
I have to sit in a stand and let them come to me, that really sucks.

John

[Ironbear]

FWIW. I read an article once about an Alaskan who carried an AR, for defense, in bear country. Of course it was sporting a .50 Beowulf upper....

Doubt anyone would argue that it isn't sufficient for bear.

[dubya]

When i was much younger I used to go out and hunt my deer down, I remember one opening day in Wisc., by daylight I was a mile deep in the swamp country of Moose Juction, when I came out of the Belden swamp to HWY35 late in the afternoon I was 5 miles from the junction and the 3 miles down the Moose rd to camp, figured I put on 17 miles that day.
The point is those big bucks will not stand broadside and let you shoot them, they are gone now. I've raked many up through guts to the heart-lungs but it takes a heavy bullet to get the job done, never lost on wounded either ecept for one I hit at 100 yds broadside with a 12 ga. too far back and I could not follow where it went due to my own injurys at the time.
Now I am old and banged up and use cane and crutches , that's why I carry the AR, I can hang it around my neck and not worry about it getting banged up.
I have to sit in a stand and let them come to me, that really sucks.

John

I've been hunting since 13 and I'm 26 now and I stand hunted until 2 years ago and I shot my first big buck walking and following deer, ever since then I've had about 3x the opportunities for shots and have gotten 3 nice bucks the past two years. I will "walk & stalk" for deer until the day my legs and back won't allow. There's no better way to hunt in my opinion.

[Vlad]

Back to the OP's question which I believe was more about the platform than a caliber urinating contest. In short, I have hunted the last three years in the shotgun zone, with an AR pistol in 300 WTF. I have succesfully harvested 10 deer in that time. I have not had any that I have shot that have not been recovered. Furthest trail was 40 yards or so. Shot placement and practice are key. Always has been, always will be...

[DitchDR]

Back to the OP's question which I believe was more about the platform than a caliber urinating contest. In short, I have hunted the last three years in the shotgun zone, with an AR pistol in 300 WTF. I have succesfully harvested 10 deer in that time. I have not had any that I have shot that have not been recovered. Furthest trail was 40 yards or so. Shot placement and practice are key. Always has been, always will be...

I agree with Vlad. Practice is key. Don't be one of the "hunters" that send 3 rounds down range a few days before the season and call it good enough. I shoot my deer rifle and shotgun (slugs) all summer long. I credit this practice to honestly say that in 13 deer that I have shot, only one was shot twice. I made the dumb decision to shoot at a deer running at about 130 yards or so at the bottom of a hill. I hit it in the knee. I did that with the Colt AR. 2 people in my family hunt with AR's. We started with a Colt Match 7.62x39 that my dad bought in 1994. Ive taken a few with it and my dad has taken many with it. My nephew is using it now. My dad switched up to an Armalite AR10 .308. I would like to find one in .243 and with as many calibers they are making ar's in now, I am waiting for the day an Ar in 270 is released.

[dubya]

Back to the OP's question which I believe was more about the platform than a caliber urinating contest. In short, I have hunted the last three years in the shotgun zone, with an AR pistol in 300 WTF. I have succesfully harvested 10 deer in that time. I have not had any that I have shot that have not been recovered. Furthest trail was 40 yards or so. Shot placement and practice are key. Always has been, always will be...

I agree with Vlad. Practice is key. Don't be one of the "hunters" that send 3 rounds down range a few days before the season and call it good enough. I shoot my deer rifle and shotgun (slugs) all summer long. I credit this practice to honestly say that in 13 deer that I have shot, only one was shot twice. I made the dumb decision to shoot at a deer running at about 130 yards or so at the bottom of a hill. I hit it in the knee. I did that with the Colt AR. 2 people in my family hunt with AR's. We started with a Colt Match 7.62x39 that my dad bought in 1994. Ive taken a few with it and my dad has taken many with it. My nephew is using it now. My dad switched up to an Armalite AR10 .308. I would like to find one in .243 and with as many calibers they are making ar's in now, I am waiting for the day an Ar in 270 is released.

I couldn't agree more. I shoot at least once a week and rotate my rifles each time. I would love a AR-10 in 338 Federal, its by far my favorite big game round. Only problem is AR-10's are pretty spendy. Hopefully by the end of the summer I'll have one.

[tman]

I bet a 50bmg would drop them pretty well if you are having trouble. Maybe a bit overkill but you can never have too much gun for the job.