I like the rifle areas. I guess I can't really give a specific reason.
I have shot 40-45 deer in the last 30 yr. About a third in Special regs areas and have a Ithaca deerslayer with a 20 " rifled bbl and a 3X9 simmons on it. I shoot remington copper solid sabots and feel comfortable shooting out to about 125 yds.
It's just something about the rifle (I shoot a Rem 760 pumpgun in 30.06 with 57.5 gr of IMR 4350 pushing a 150gr Nosler ballistic tip). I guess it just feels better in my hands.
The longest shot I have made on a deer was 95 paces and that shot was with the slug gun.
I have dicked up a few shots in the past 30 yr or so of deer hunting but usualy if It is in range, I can put it down.
All you have to do in Pa to be a successful deer hunter is to be lucky enough(or actually do some scouting) to be in a place that deer are available and be a reasonable shot. They just fall down then and you drag them back to the cartruck.
When you get better with age and experience, you shoot them, they run at least most of the way back to the cartruck to minimize the drag.
I am hoping to eventually get it down to where i shoot them and they run back toward the cartruck,try to jump over a fence after being shot, they slice their own belly's open thereby gutting themselves and just barely making it back to my rear bumper.
Seriously, I no longer shoot at running deer regardless of rack size nor do I take a shot in archery over 25 yds. I don't practice enough to be consistant over 25 so I put out tissue at 25 in my shooting lanes and have never taken a shot beyond. I have gut shot(rifle) a couple running doe and tracked them for way too long. A hunting life lesson.
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