Thread: Buckshot for hunting in the Northwest?

Under what circumstances is buckshot used for hunting in the Northwest?

Buckshot: #4B .24" to Tri-Ball .60"

In the Wa state regs, page 68:

Deer, bear, and cougar may be hunted with 20
gauge to 10 gauge shotguns shooting slugs or
#1 or larger buckshot. Other big game may be
hunted with a 10 or 12 gauge shotgun using
slugs. Hunters must use #4 shot or smaller
(e.g. #6 shot is legal) to hunt turkey.

No idea about any other states.

What circumstances......... None that I know of unless that is your only gun or you just want that kind of challenge or there is some special situation.

There are many guns that are much better for close range/brush that are very inexpensive.


ETA: Apparently we have shotgun only GMU's in our state. So that would be another reason.

Originally Posted by moose

In the Wa state regs, page 68:

Deer, bear, and cougar may be hunted with 20
gauge to 10 gauge shotguns shooting slugs or
#1 or larger buckshot. Other big game may be
hunted with a 10 or 12 gauge shotgun using
slugs. Hunters must use #4 shot or smaller
(e.g. #6 shot is legal) to hunt turkey.


No idea about any other states.

That's nteresting. So you can hunt "other" big game with a soft lead 5/8th ounce 20 gauge slug but cannot use buckshot with hard alloyed 3/4th ounce pellets?

Originally Posted by RMc

That's nteresting. So you can hunt "other" big game with a soft lead 5/8th ounce 20 gauge slug but cannot use buckshot with hard alloyed 3/4th ounce pellets?

No, thats not what it says.

"Other big game may be hunted with a 10 or 12 gauge shotgun using slugs. "

"Why" would be a rhetorical question, I wouldn't try too hard to make sense of any .gov rule. Never forget who/what you are dealing with.

There are Washington game management areas that are "shotgun only". Usually where there is a chance that someone might be living within "rifle range".

Originally Posted by PBinWA

There are Washington game management areas that are "shotgun only". Usually where there is a chance that someone might be living within "rifle range".

I apologize for my post then. I did not know we had any of those in our state. I knew there were several place back east.

Originally Posted by Nwcid

I knew there were several place back east.

I grew up in Iowa. The whole state was (perhaps still is) shotgun only for deer.

Originally Posted by moose

No, thats not what it says.

"Other big game may be hunted with a 10 or 12 gauge shotgun using slugs. "

"Why" would be a rhetorical question, I wouldn't try too hard to make sense of any .gov rule. Never forget who/what you are dealing with.

Right. I have seen 12 gauge foster slugs that pancaked on the shoulder of a deer. While deadly on deer, poor penetration would make these soft lead thimbles inadequate for larger game.

I plan to use buckshot to hunt anybody that breaks into my house while I am there! Also, some new era sabot slugs are pretty crazy, not just a ball of lead, more like a big bullet in a plastic case.

I guess very few in your neck of the woods have heard about the 12 gauge pump action rifles that fire 830 hardend lead bullets at 1200 fps. Or 12 gauge smoothbores stoked with 3 ball Buckshot load with each hard lead pellet weighing in at 320 grains.

Basically anything between I 5 (or Hwy 9 in places) and the Sound, and most of the ilands in the sound are shotgun, BP or archery only. Goes by GMU. There may be others, but I am postitive that north of Seattle and west of I 5 and on into the sound, if the GMU doesn't prohibit hunting with a modern rifle, the county does. Yes, basically it is too many houses: for safety.

When I'm bird hunting I carry 00 buck in my pocket for coyotes. A lot of guys use them for calling coyotes too.

Originally Posted by hermannr

Basically anything between I 5 (or Hwy 9 in places) and the Sound, and most of the ilands in the sound are shotgun, BP or archery only. Goes by GMU. There may be others, but I am postitive that north of Seattle and west of I 5 and on into the sound, if the GMU doesn't prohibit hunting with a modern rifle, the county does. Yes, basically it is too many houses: for safety.

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If they don't limit black powder weapons to round ball loads and shotgun slugs to full bore with a weight not exceeding a bore size lead ball, then county weapon rule defies logic.

Why would you want to use buckshot? It tears up a deer and wastes a lot of meat (jellied bloodshot). I live in a shotgun only unit and have used 2 3/4in 1oz. slugs with pretty good success.

Years ago I was a brush beater for Columbia blacktail deer on Government Island next to PDX airport. Strictly shot gun only. Made sense being so close to the city.
I learned one valuable lesson that day, don't use poison oak for toilet paper.

I busted my first Coyote with a Remington 870 with NO. 4 Buckshot at 15 yrds. Ran up on my electronic predator call. BAMM!
You do not want to be on the recieving end of any of that.