I wonder if the oft’ heard “more deer wounded with a .243” is due in part that the round is considered the natural starting place for new hunters. As a former gun dealer, when a .243 sold, you could almost bank on the customer being back in a year or two to “upgrade” to a .308, 30-06 or 6.5 Creedmore. It was not that the .243 was not a deer slayer, it is. The purchase was based upon the perception of “graduating” from an entry level gun with “limited range” to a “real” rifle with “real range.”
I too heard of “many deer being wounded by the 6.5 Creedmore“ during our recent state deer coop meetings. I wonder if that is more of a reflection of this becoming the ”gun of choice” for many new hunters rather than the round lacking in any other way. In my last years in the business, most new hunters wanted “a 6.5.” As with the .243, buck fever can easily increase the odds of wounding a deer. Added to buck fever, the 6.5 Creedmore offers round options that are not suited for deer…I wonder how many just grab a box of ammo and head to the field?
With the accuracy of many entry level rifles, the way to increase harvest and promote conservation is to become very familiar with your firearm and its capabilities. Some of the best deer hunters I know are taking deer with their 25 year old Remington 783, early Savage Axis and 30/30 hand-me-downs. Those hunters know that capacity and characteristics of their gun—skilled honed by actually spending time in the field.
