crop deer with .22 wmr?

[James Jones]

I get called out to shoot alot of CDP deer and use a suppressed 22-250 most of the time for close areas , a 50gr V-max at 4000fps drops deer on the spot with head and neck shots and will even kill deer when shot through the lungs behind the shoulder. I have killed some deer with the 22 mag in the 50yd range all head shots with zero steps after the shot.

If you can make every shot into a quarter at 50yds the 22 mag will work fine , you need to study the head of a deer for a bit and understand all the possible angles that can be taken .

if its legal in your area I highly reccommend using a suppressor it will reduce highpower rifle report down to that of a 22 long rifle.

[Natty Bumpo]

For 10 years I managed a deer culling program for a county agency. We worked on public preserves in a suburban setting and shot deer from elevated blinds over baited sites using .22 mag rimfires. During that time we probably killed over 400 deer, nearly all within 40 yards. The .22 mag will kill them. Shot placement was usually between the ear and eye. I'd say less than 10% required a 2nd shot to keep them down. I could count the number of cripples on one hand.

We chose the .22 mag primarily for sound consideration. We applied for a permit each year and the state DNR signed off on our program. It would not be legal for John Q. Public to go deer hunting with a rimfire in that state.

It will do the job, however if it's at all possible to use a centerfire, that would be my preference.

[Strokerace_dave]

I use a 22 hornet rifle, with handloads I get a ragged bug hole at 100yrds. Savage has one fairly cheap, as does NEF both are single shot rifles. Here is Florida as long as it's a centerfire rifle it's okay to use on deer, not ethical for everyone, shot placement is very important. I hunt crop damaging deer and hogs with mine no problems the deer drop like a rock, hogs a little tougher.

[phorwath]

I concur the .22 WMR will put deer down cleanly and humanely with precise head shots. At the 20 and less yards you're specifying for distance you will experience no problems with any solid hit to the brain. The 22 mag will also kill them with close range solid lung shots but they may travel a short distance, compared to the instant neutralization of a head shot.

[Dave King]

Here are a couple of pictures to help with shot placement for a 'brain" shot on a whitetail.

I've shot a lot of deer, perhaps a hundred of them while hunting but I've shot many hundreds for crop damage. A head shot is a good shot but some folks have zero knowledge of deer anatomy and equate a head shot to any shot to the 'head' of a deer; the objective of a 'head' shot is to hit the brain and not just a mass of soft tissue and bone such as the nose or jaw.

As you can see in the images below (I made these some years back for another post on this subject) the brain on a deer is not too large, maybe 4" x 2.5" x 3". The easiest and best shots are those that give a bullet direct access to the brain with as little soft tissue interferance as possible, straight from behind while the deers' head is erect or straight from the front (top of the head) while the deer is head down as in feeding or drinking. Trying to pass a round 'up the nose' into the brain is a poor option, there is a lot of tissue and bone to deflect a bullet in a shot like this.

Small light caliber shots to the lungs (broadside presentation) will kill deer fairly quickly, I usually shoot for the heart area (low chest) rather than the upper lung area.

A lot of deer have been killed with a .22 Rimfire and the .22 Rimfire Magnum but it would be for a skilled shooter in my opinion.

An "X" would indicate to me a good shot placement area on a deer head..

[gremcat]

I really have a lot of respect for this little savage .22 wmr I don't know if anyone saw the groups it puts out on the rimfire section but it is quiet enough to allow doubles on the deer .I shot a doe the other day and she dropped meanwhile the three bucks she was with continued to feed around her.They where small bucks so probably not as skilled as older ones but I think the urban enviroment has alot to do with it.In the 4 different days I have been out there I have taken 2 groundhogs and three deer and have seen about 10-12 everyday within the first three hours .Many are young bucks that I let walk .This just goes to show the overpopulation in this area.

[gremcat]

Three more tonight plus jack rabbits not much more activity though these are the same ones I saw on recent trips nothing new yet.I know for sure there are two more does but It's a mom and a skipper so I don't want to take the mom yet.It's hard killing crop deer and feeling good about it .