Red dot versus scopes for deer hunting

[Hunter007]

Seems like most guys use scopes on there deer  hunting  rigs including me,  is that because they are really better for most deer hunting situations or is it   more just tradition . I see military favours red dots .  

Anyway just out of curiosity  who uses red dot sites on there deer gun ? And what do you like about them over  something else .

 

 

 

[moog5050]

I  not sure they make much smaller than 3 moa. Probably fine to 100yds but would not be precise enough for 200yd shots.   Covers too much of the target.  

[Hunter007]

12 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

I  not sure they make much smaller than 3 moa. Probably fine to 100yds but would not be precise enough for 200yd shots.   Covers too much of the target.  

True but I read average shot in new york state is like 70 yards 

A lot of hunting around here is done in places where you can't really see farther then that  . But I still have a scope on mine anyway

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by Hunter007

[Moho81]

I have a non powered red dot on my 12ga for deer. Never had an issue but I also don’t have shots over 100 yards either.


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[Nytracker]

I prefer scopes on my rifles . Encore pistols get scoped . Revolvers get a ultra dot matchdot except my 44 mag has  a 2x on it  and 41 mag has 4x on it.

[Steuben Jerry]

Interesting thread. I can never get comfortable with a red dot on a rifle. Seems to wander a bit for my eye.

Edited August 20, 2019 by Steuben Jerry

[doebuck1234]

Scope on my mossberg 12ga.never tried a red dot so falls into that "tradition" category.most of my shots are 60yards or less too

[Hunter007]

I got a red dot that came with a gun included with it for the price  I used it a few times  and  then put on a scope  on that gun 

I'm now thinking since I have it to put it on one of my shotguns that I use sometimes in shotgun only zone figure why not since I never can see more then say 60 70 yards in that area anyway and I have a extra gun to experiment with .

 

[G-Man]

I have had a red dot on my browning shotgun for deer for almost 20 years. For expected ranges 50 to 100 yards it allows fast target acquisition with no parallax . For more precise shooting on my rifles I do you scopes ,but am hunting differently and have time for a well aimed shot. 

I also use reddots for Turkey as it allows a good placement of a tight pattern...

[Hunter007]

24 minutes ago, G-Man said:

I have had a red dot on my browning shotgun for deer for almost 20 years. For expected ranges 50 to 100 yards it allows fast target acquisition with no parallax . For more precise shooting on my rifles I do you scopes ,but am hunting differently and have time for a well aimed shot. 

I also use reddots for Turkey as it allows a good placement of a tight pattern...

Yea that's exactly what I'm thinking ,  so many times I have bumped deer at  20 30 yards  at really close range but never could get off a shot with a  scope  even with it set to lowest  power  thinking it would help in those  situations. .

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by Hunter007

[G-Man]

1 minute ago, Hunter007 said:

Yea that's exactly what I'm thinking ,  so many times I have bumped deer at  20 30 yards  at really close range but never could get off a shot with a  scope  even with it set to lowest  power  thinking it would help in those the situations. .

 

Yes it is very fast acquisition,  and where the dot is is where bullet goes, doesnt matter where in the site it is if it's on target pull the trigger. 

[Daveboone]

Just my 2 cents....

I considered one for my shotgun (smoothbore) when they were the main game in the southern tier, as the red dot was "close enough" for a 12 gauge pumpkin ball. 

With a rifle, I was taught, and practice...aim small, miss small. A red dot just don't figure for me as taking my best shot, regardless of range.

[ny hunter]

I have used red dots.....But went back to scopes.....But thats just me...Not saying anything negative about red dots..

[rachunter]

My brother has a red dot on his slug gun and loves it.

[wolc123]

If your main concern is the 20-30 yard range, you might be better served by fiber-optic open sights than a red-dot, because they are not affected by rain, sleet and snow.   That said, I love the cheap, Barnett factory red-dot (actually only used with "green dots"), on my crossbow.  It has been 100 % effective for shots in the 15-59 yard range, on (3) standing and (1) fast-walking buck.

I have yet to shoot at a deer with fiber-optics, but am hoping that changes this year, and I get a crack at one with those that I mounted and sighted on my Marlin 336 BL lever-action 30/30.   That is my rain/sleet/snow Adirondack deer rifle.   It shoulders and points exceptionally well and it seems that target acquisition should be a snap.  Time will tell I suppose.   

[Gencountyzeek]

When i was in the marines, for a short time i had a eotech holographic sight on my rifle. It was great for cqb, even putting shots on a human sized torso out to 100 yards (furthest i got toshot to with it) Before we went to iraq i got a acog on my rifle. Just a 4x but now i could put shots on a human torso to 625 yards (furthest we could practice to) i was still able to make accurate shots up close (5 yards). I have a scope on all my guns, whether im shooting at a deer or yote, at 20 yards or 300 yards i want to hit a specific hair on that animal, not its chest. If im only shooting 75 yards but its through some trees i want to be able to pick the hole out through the branches i want to shoot through. Summing all that up, i want to be as precise as i can be.

Edited August 21, 2019 by Gencountyzeek

[turkeyfeathers]

Have a military grade like Aimpoint 9000 red dot. Had it on a slug gun and immediately switched to my ML with a great scope.  Never looked back.  Aimpont sits in safe collecting dust 

[Hunter007]

11 hours ago, wolc123 said:

If your main concern is the 20-30 yard range, you might be better served by fiber-optic open sights than a red-dot, because they are not affected by rain, sleet and snow.   That said, I love the cheap, Barnett factory red-dot (actually only used with "green dots"), on my crossbow.  It has been 100 % effective for shots in the 15-59 yard range, on (3) standing and (1) fast-walking buck.

I have yet to shoot at a deer with fiber-optics, but am hoping that changes this year, and I get a crack at one with those that I mounted and sighted on my Marlin 336 BL lever-action 30/30.   That is my rain/sleet/snow Adirondack deer rifle.   It shoulders and points exceptionally well and it seems that target acquisition should be a snap.  Time will tell I suppose.   

I like   iron sites grew up using them   but lately my eyes are starting to go , I can't focus on them like I use to,  anyway  since I have the reddot and a extra gun to put it on , going to experiment with it since I got it already . 

 

Edited August 21, 2019 by Hunter007

[ATbuckhunter]

Only time I would use a red dot on a deer gun is for drives, when i know the shots will be under 100 and most of the time under 50 yards. Aside from that i prefer scopes always

[J.B.]

I switched back to a scope from a red dot last year. I did like the red dot for short shots or when i needed to get on the target quickly. I missed a deer at about 100yds and then had a really cold morning 2 years ago that the battery was dead when i went to turn it on. 

[steve863]

Anything that has batteries I will not use on a gun.  Bound to fail sooner or later and most likely when you need it.

 

 

 

[Hunter007]

2 minutes ago, steve863 said:

Anything that has batteries I will not use on a gun.  Bound to fail sooner or later and most likely when you need it.

 

 

 

Not to worried about that I will Bring extra batteries easy fix to that .

[steve863]

Just now, Hunter007 said:

Not to worried about that I will Bring extra batteries easy fix to that .

The extra batteries won't help you if you find out that they are dead when you lift your gun up to aim at the deer that just strolled in.  I doubt it will stick around and wait for you to change them.  LOL

 

 

[Hunter007]

3 minutes ago, steve863 said:

The extra batteries won't help you if you find out that they are dead when you lift your gun up to aim at the deer that just strolled in.  I doubt it will stick around and wait for you to change them.  LOL

 

 

The say they  last 5000 hours I have bad luck hunting a lot but not that bad of luck that it will happen at that exact moment lol 

[wolc123]

It sure would suck to lose out on some "free meat" due to a dead battery.

By the grace of God, I have not had any "dead battery" issues, with the cheap, Barnett red/green dot sight on my crossbow, since buying it in April 2014.   I do take a few simple measures, to help insure that I never do.  I start every season with a new battery (they are cheap).  I adjust the intensity to a fairly low setting (uses less "juice", and makes for a more accurate shot with a smaller "dot").   It has (6) different intensity settings on red or green and I have never had it set higher than 3.  I adjust the setting to a lower or higher level, as the the light level changes during the day.  A setting of 1 is perfect in the woods near sunrise and sunset, while a setting of 3 is appropriate for mid-day, on the edge of an open field.  For afternoon hunts, I turn it on as I walk to my stand (in case a target of opportunity shows up on the way), and turn it off at the last second of legal shooting time.  For morning hunts, when I walk to the stand prior to legal shooting time, I leave it off until I get to the stand and that time arrives.   So far, I have not forgotten to turn it off after a hunt.  If I ever did, I would replace the battery prior to my next hunt (they are cheap).  I always carry at least one spare battery in my pack (they are small and weigh almost nothing). 

Good luck with your red-dot.   If it is a higher end model, it can compensate for failing vision, much like a scope can.  Thankfully, my vision is still pretty good, so I can still get by ok with open sights at short range.    Even so, I still prefer a scope when shots over 50 yards are expected.   No matter how good your eyes are, they can only focus on one thing at a time.  A scope, or a high-end red-dot, corrects for that issue.   The error associated with an "out of focus" front sight, rear sight, or deer is no big deal under 50 yards, but will surely come into play at longer ranges. 

p.s.  There is no such thing as "bad luck".  It all comes down to Who has the final say where ALL living things end up.  If He wants them in your freezer, that is where they will go.  If you want to find out who "He" is, go pick up a copy of the best-selling book of all time and read it.       

Edited August 21, 2019 by wolc123