Favorite firearm to deer hunt with dogs?

[bilgerat]

I use either My old Marlin lever gun in 44 mag or My old marlin in 444 , killed the one in My avatar with the 444 up in Ontario back in 2014, heres a few pics from that trip

 

[lonewolf247]

Man those pics are awesome! Thanks for sharing!

 

[PastorJosh]

Back when it was legal to Run Dogs in Randolph County Alabama we hunted in a lease that was a big mix of thick woods, hardwoods, power lines and cutover. My dad always used a Browning BAR .243 with a scope, didn’t matter the terrain. I hunted with a Remington 11-87 12ga with 00 buck in the woods and my BAR .270 on Power line and in Cutover. Man I miss it and would love to do it again!

 

[across the river]

Ive been on two dog hunts years ago in the SC low country. Seeing some of those people handle shotguns, I wouldn’t step in the woods with anyone carrying a rifle, of any caliber, on a dog hunt.

 

[king killer delete]

What is your favorite firearm to use to deer hunt with dogs? Is it a shotgun, a rifle, do you use an optic, or iron sights?

I hunt a mix of woods, along with some pipelines, where shots can be at a distance. That said, I find the best all around for me, is to use a rifle, with a variable scope. I use a Browning Bar 30-06, with a 4-12x50 riflescope. It works well for an all-around firearm. If I strictly hunted the woods, with some open and heavy cover, I'd probably opt for a Marlin 30-30, with a 1-4x or a 1-6x riflescope.

Many folks may prefer shotguns, I'm just curious to see what others do, thx!

I live in South Georgia. If you are invited to a dog drive in Georgia you better be carrying a shotgun. I grew up in Mississippi where dog hunting with a rifle was a norm . 3006 semi automatic rifles were used in Mississippi. Buckshot and a 12 gauge for dog drives in Georgia.

 

[Buck70]

12 ga 3" mag copper plated #1 buck in a Rem 1187 with a full choke.

 

[Bob Wallace]

For safety reasons we only use shotguns since we usually have 20-30 of us on the hunt spread out throughout the woods. I love my 11-87 with 00buck.

 

[specialk]

Belgium a-5, 12g, modified 2 3/4inch, 0 and 1 buck in the woods.....belgium '06 open sites in fields/open areas....

 

[firewalker78]

I mainly carry a 12 gauge that's been patterned to what it likes. Remington 1100 with #1 or Stoeger 3500 with 00. But I've been trying to get on one with my Marlin 336 lever 30-30 open sites, haven't had the chance yet. What are some of the better low power scopes you guys like?

 

[sanchez09]

Ruger Model 44 is a pretty nice choice for such hunting, I think. And talking of hunting with dogs, here is a resource I found recently ( url: the-hunting-dog.com ), and it seems like I've discovered couple of facts about hunting dogs I never knew before. As well as information about best breed for hunting (from the humble opinion of the author). By the way, what exact dog's breed do you think is the best for hunting time?

 

[lonewolf247]

What are some of the better low power scopes you guys like?

There are several great options for low power scopes. Back in my early hunting years, many folks used 2-7X, 2.5-8x, or something similar to that. Now-a-days, the 1-4x, and the 1-6x scopes, have become really popular options, with the AR-15 crowd.

Basically any quality brand scope in a lower power, would be fine.