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?

 

[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.