doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com Hunting with a Drilling in the USA

Thanks to everyone for the information on 67.5 mm 12 ga slugs. It makes the Drilling I am interested in much more usable.

I know the laws are different here in Canada, but I took my drilling hunting for the first time this year. I didn't connect, but I had 2 barrels of buckshot loaded for close up deer I may jump on the way in, or if one were to appear under the stand inside 20 yards. The 7x65R was for everything else.

If my memory of PA game laws is correct, you could probably be OK hunting during deer season with a drilling because coyotes are also open at that time. If you carried a box of the "Dead Coyote" shells for the shotgun, you'd probably be ok. Similarly, slug loads and rifle ammunition would be an OK combo as both are legal for deer.
The problem with that, besides a thick-headed WCO (game warden) would be that saying "I don't have any birdshot on me" would invite a body search so the warden could "make sure".
Thing is, during deer season you probably couldn't carry buckshot for the coyotes because as I recall is buckshot is illegal for use on deer in PA (except, possibly, some of the more suburban counties).
Similarly, you could probably carry rifle ammunition as well as birdshot during the small game season prior to deer season (like, now) so long as bear was open and you had a bear permit. Actually, hunting bear with slugs in the drilling would be a good match, especially if you were one of the standers on a drive. Sorta like being a stander for wild boar.
After deer season closed, though, you'd probably have to leave the rifle ammo home, though you might be able to weasel through with the coyote hunting thing.

For me in Maine, the drilling is the "perfect" November gun, because all small game and deer are open this month. I can load two birdshot and one rifle and be good to go. OTOH, when on a moose hunt (if not a permittee or subpermittee) the best policy is to leave anything with a rifled barrel home. The permittee and subpermittee are the only people who really can legally have a rifle.

Dave
Your information on deer and small game seasons in Maine led me to check the seasons in Vermont and New Hampshire, where I have family connections, some dairy farmers with much woodland, and hope to hunt next year after I retire. Hunting in NE PA has lost much of its appeal to me, especially on the overcrowded State Game Lands during deer season.
Both Vermont and New Hampshire have small game seasons, including grouse, open during deer seasons. A reasonable excuse to buy a drilling.
Thanks for the idea.

FWIW, I was invited the the NY Southern Zone deer opener this past weekend at a friends camp in Sullivan County. There area has deer, bear and grouse so I wanted to bring a drilling.

The NYS hunting Syllabus states shotguns "Must be 20 gauge or larger and fire a single projectile. Rifling in the barrel or choke is allowed."

I wasn't sure of the status of a drilling so I called the DEC for that area, the officer wasn't sure, he checked and called me back telling me it was fine, gave me his name to refer to if there was a problem with a field officer.

I brought it but used a Savage 99 instead as deer were hard to come by. Plenty of track but all at night, no daytime movement.

I once blew a chance for a triple on deer. I was hunting with a Greifelt 12/12/8X57JR drilling on the back of my property in West Tennessee. It was late in the season, and does tend to congregate. As I walked down a logging road, I suddenly noticed movement on my right and a small herd of does started running across the trail in front of me.

The daily limit on does in my part of the state is three, so I emptied the gun, two Brenneke slugs and a 186 grain soft point bullet. When the smoke cleared, however, only one deer was down, and it proved to be the victim of the rifle barrel.

There was a lot of piles of slash in the area, left over from a recent timber harvest, so searching through them was time consuming and I'm sure not as thorough as should have been, and turned up nothing.

I have never had such an opportunity again and never will, since my days of walking through the woods are unfortunately over.

My answer depends on whether I am after a trophy buck or not...not sure I will risk a rare opportunity without a fast backup shot if needed. I usually take the bolt action '06, but have killed deer with the 8x57 barrel of my drilling.
Steve

here is a 8x57JR buck. open sights at around 50-60yards.

xausa,
On more than one occasion, I have tripled on deer(Roe)with an o/u combination gun, reloading for the last two. The "trick" is to be far enough away and make sure they( at least the first two) fall in their tracks. A "report", in the distance may make them look, but not run away. If you shoot one, but it runs, they all run. If you shoot one and it falls, the others may look, then start eating again. This is for the end of the season, when you have to fill the shooting plan.
Mike