Can a 22 Kill a Deer?

If you spend any time browsing almost any deer hunting forum, there’s a good chance that you will come across a thread from a member or someone asking about the ability of a 22 to harvest a deer. These posts seem to be hotly debated, with questions focused on the hunting ethics involved, the limited power of the .22, and its lack of effectiveness for hunting a game species the size of deer.

Can a 22 Kill a Deer?

My goal is to try to answer the can a 22 kill a deer question from a legal and ethical standpoint.

22LR vs .22 Caliber Pellet

Before I get deep into the actual topic, it’s essential to be very clear on the use of the word “22,” as it could be referring to a .22 caliber rifle round or a .22 caliber pellet round.

Although both projectiles are technically .22 caliber, they have very different ballistics. Most .22 LR (with LR meaning Long Rifle) utilize a bullet with a weight of 32 to 45 grains, with some specialty 22 rounds going as high as a 60-grain bullet.  In comparison, a .22 pellet projectile is generally somewhere between 10 to 15 grains.

Given the overwhelming popularity of the 22 calibers, I think it’s safe to assume that most people asking this specific question are referring to a 22 caliber rifle round.

.22LR Ballistics

The next sub-topic to discuss for the question would be the ballistic averages for a 22 rifle round. Now, there are several factors that play a role in the ballistic performance of a round, including:

  • Bullet grain weight
  • Bullet design (round nose, hollow point, flat-tipped, etc.)
  • Powder load
  • Barrel length
  • Velocity

All that ballistic data plays a role in Muzzle Energy, which may be the most critical part of the entire data set. Muzzle energy is the kinetic energy of the round as it leaves the muzzle and is measured in foot-pounds.

Depending on the specific 22 brand and bullet grain weight, the muzzle energy of a .22 caliber ranges anywhere from 100 to 180-foot pounds, with an average of 120-foot pounds.

Those numbers are measured at the muzzle, and they go down drastically as the round travels towards the target. For example, a .36 grain CCI Mini-Mag 22LR has a muzzle energy of 127-foot pounds at the muzzle, but that number drops to 80-foot pounds at 100 yards.

To put the power of a .22 caliber round in perspective, take a look at the table below that shows the muzzle energy of some mainstream centerfire calibers that are popular for hunting deer.

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As you can see from the table above, the 22 LR cartridge is a poor choice to kill deer or any other big game effectively and ethically at typical shooting distances.

Can You Hunt Deer with a 22 Caliber?

Given the ballistic performance, the short answer is no, as the .22 caliber is not suitable as a deer caliber.

However, to date, I’ve had two situations where I did kill a deer with a .22 rifle, so let me speak about those experiences.

Can you shoot a deer in the head?

In both of those situations, I was squirrel hunting with a 22 rifle and encountered severely wounded deer that I dispatched with a single shot to the head.

One situation was during deer season and involved a nice 7-point buck that another hunter nearby had hit low on the front shoulder where the leg and shoulder meet. The deer could only walk a few steps at a time before falling, so I opted to go ahead and end his suffering with a headshot between the eyes at about 30 yards. The hunter that shot the deer was trailing him and ended up recovering the animal.

The second situation also involved a wounded deer, which I encountered about a week after deer season ended in that particular state. It was a doe that had been shot far back in the hindlegs near the tail. She could barely walk and was in obvious distress. Now in that situation, I took more of a risk as deer season was over, but I didn’t want to see the animal suffer any more than needed.

I made a decision to put her down with a single shot to the side of her head at about 50 yards. Since deer season was over and I was trying not to waste the meat, I contacted the appropriate state wildlife agency and reported the incident. They responded, asked a few questions, and then took the deer to be donated to a food bank.

In each of these scenarios, I made a conscious decision to put a wounded deer down with a .22 as it was the only firearm I had available.

To be clear, in no way am I advocating that you should hunt deer with a .22 caliber cartridge as there are far better centerfire calibers available for the job. I’m just saying that it is possible to kill a deer with a .22 if necessary.

A few other factors to take into consideration with using a 22 to hunt whitetails:

Potential Legal Restrictions

By potential legal restrictions, I mean that some states explicitly forbid the use of a .22 for hunting deer or have minimum caliber restrictions that eliminate the .22 caliber as a deer cartridge.

I’ve hunted in several states with laws on the books that specifically list certain calibers that are illegal to use for hunting deer. In contrast, I’ve seen other states with general rules that say deer must be hunted with a centerfire cartridge.

Ethical Hunting Concerns

In addition to the potential caliber restrictions associated with the .22, there are also hunting ethics to consider.

Mature Whitetail Buck

Not to get on my soapbox here, but an ethical deer hunter should be hunting deer with a caliber or shotgun gauge capable of a clean kill with one shot, at minimum distances of 50 to 100 yards.

The 22 caliber rimfire simply does not have the necessary power to meet those criteria and will more than likely result in a wounded animal that will suffer unnecessarily.

Answering the Question

The short answer to the question is yes; a 22 rimfire can kill a deer. However, under normal circumstances, the 22 Long Rifle is a poor choice for hunting deer, especially when there are far better rifle calibers on the market for harvesting deer.

That being said, there may certain situations where a 22-caliber rimfire round could be used to kill a Whitetail deer. A few examples of those situations include:

A survival situation

In a survival scenario, most any rimfire cartridge such as a 22 LR, 22 magnum (also called a 22 WMR, or 17 caliber (.17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire, 17 Winchester Super Magnum) could be used to kill a deer with the right shot placement. In that situation, knowledge of deer anatomy is helpful to ensure an ethical and effective kill shot.

Dispatching a wounded deer

A rimfire cartridge can also be used to dispatch or put down a wounded Whitetail or other large game animal under certain circumstances. Again, an understanding of deer anatomy is required to ensure a quick and ethical death.

FAQS

Here are some other frequently asked questions that I’ve seen related to hunting deer with a 22:

Why is it illegal to hunt deer with a 22?

While the .22 is an excellent all-around rimfire caliber, it lacks the power, penetration, and stopping power to ethically and quickly harvest deer.

As such, many US states have legal provisions or regulations making it illegal to use for hunting deer.

Can you shoot a deer in the head?

The short answer is yes and no.

Typically speaking, most hunters prefer to aim for a shoulder shot or lung shot on a deer because it’s a larger target and where the heart and lungs are located.

Some states have restrictions that prohibit shooting a deer in the head since the head is a much smaller target than a whitetail deer’s body. A head shot would need to hit the brain of the deer to guarantee a quick kill, and the brain is a small target about the same size as a human fist.

Therefore, if your shot placement is a little off, you potentially end up wounding the deer in the jaw or upper neck region, causing unnecessary suffering.

Also, many deer hunters chase trophy bucks with antlers. Therefore, an inaccurate head shot could damage the rack of a trophy buck.

Is it legal to hunt whitetails with a .22?

The answer will depend on the laws and hunting regulations in your area. Some states have minimum caliber requirements for deer, while others have specific verbiage that forbids the use of any .22 caliber round.

What is the difference between rimfire and centerfire ammunition?

Rimfire ammunition has a priming compound located within the rim of the cartridge case, while centerfire ammunition has the primer located in the center of the case head.

What is a clean kill?

A clean kill refers to an ethical and humane shot that results in the quick and efficient death of the animal, minimizing suffering.

Why is a .22 caliber rifle not recommended for deer hunting?

There are several reasons why a .22LR caliber is not recommended for hunting whitetails. The single biggest reason is the .22 caliber lacks the necessary power to consistently reach vital organs for a clean kill. It may cause unnecessary suffering to the deer and is considered unethical.

Can a .22 caliber rifle be used for other types of hunting?

The .22 caliber rifle is ideal for most types of small game hunting, and some types of varmint hunting. Game species that are commonly hunted with a .22 include:

  • Squirrels
  • Rabbits
  • Raccoons

The .22 caliber is also popular as a survival rifle or camp-type weapon.