# texas deer hunting



## bigoltexas (Oct 10, 2006)

i have a general knowledge of rifles but was raised bird hunting and shotguns are my specialty, one of my friends is in the same situation and we both are yearning for a white-tail. we are going to be hunting in a town 2-3 hrs west of ft worth on land my family has owned for a century. my uncle has given me the option of using any of his rifles because all i have is shotguns... my choices are an older style lever action 30-30, a 30.06 and .388, i know the latter 2 are a lil excessive for deer but like i said my options are limited and both of them are fitted with great scopes and suit my shot better, lemme know what you think (ps they are all winchester if it makes a difference)


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## Fossilman (Mar 12, 2006)

All sound great.... :wink:


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## holmsvc (Nov 26, 2003)

The 30.06 will work just fine.


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## Irish Mick (May 15, 2006)

*bigol*

I like the 30.06 myself. Pretty light to carry, and plenty of knockdown power so you don't have to chase 'em after ya hit 'em. Then again any well placed shot will do the trick just be sure to take a few practice shots before going after the real thing. Good luck with the hunt, shooting deer is a lot different than birds...I think its more of a rush. Have fun.


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## Invector (Jan 13, 2006)

Take the 30-06. The 30-30 is a good gun but just does not have the best accuracy the 30-06 does. Here in ND the 30-06 is a very popular gun. It usually is easy to find ammo for it and if you look though the federal ammo web site you can see its full of 30-06 rounds. At my last count there was over 10 bullet types for the 30-06. A nice 150 grain would be a good bet.

The 30-30 is really a good gun that has some down falls to it. The ammo type is not the best. They tend to be very inaccurate do to the snub nose bullet for tube loading. Most people that shoot a 30-30 for deer do so in very close ranges in thick brush and shooting open sights. The 30-30 is best used under 100 yards but has plenty of impact and speed to take a deer down quick. Some of the reports on the new ammo form hordiny has some good potential but many people have moved away form the 30-30 to better cals.

The 338 is way too much gun for deer unless your hitting them at 500+ yards. he 338 win mag is an elk gun that has been adapted to long range deer hunting by some. There are reports and articles out there stating the 338 when reloded can snipe deer out to 1000 yards. So unless your going long range dont get the 338.

I would also have to say get the 30-06. From things I hear deer in your area are bit smaller then ours up here. I heard this from a trapper that traps down there and he claims some are no bigger then a Lab. This true or not, the 30-06 will give you ammo to game matching that beats almost any other caliber out there.


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## DrHenley (Sep 5, 2006)

30-06...If you were hunting thick woods the 30-30 would be fine, but I think there is a lot of open land in that part of Texas and you'll need the 30-06 to be able to reach out and touch them.


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