Historical Question: I know some one on this forum will know the answer.

What year was the .22 long rifle outlawed by TPWD or was it ever legal for deer in Texas?

I do not now that it was ever legal for deer

I’m sure it was legal at some time

Long before there were any regulations

Still legal to use or so it seems in some areas.

I’m sure if it was very close and you shot it in the head it would work but it’s the last caliber I would grab next to a BB gun!

oldrancher - Did you know Mr. Fisher? He "stacked them up like cord wood" with a .22, all year round, until the law could no longer look the other way.

(I probably spelled "Fisher" wrong.)

I have my dad's old .22 and I wish I knew all of the deer it killed in Arkansas and Oklahoma bay in the late 1940's to early 50's. He had a friend who was borrowing it and floating a river shooting them in the head. That all stopped when dad learned what he was doing with it.

I wonder how many thousands of deer have been killed with a 22

probably hundreds of thousands.

I have a close family member who ( I'll tell this story since the statute of limitations has long since passed ) who had bought a small place in Medina County in the mid 1960's and spent every last dollar he had to do it. Was so Broke after they couldn't afford a stove and had to cook on a hotplate.

Anyway, he was having to shoot about 10 or 11 deer a year for awhile to feed his wife and kids. So off he would go to the back fence line with a .22 that had a baby nipple over the barrel with a small slit at the end.


Ive seen a axis doe shot with a .22 long rifle. Shot was about 80 yards and hit the deer in the throat facing head on....It dropped but we did have to go cut its throat. I've killed more than a few hogs with body shots using a .22 and they go down fairly quickly, but don't excpect any kind of a blood trail.


I would say, at short ranges, a .22 LR could be effectively pressed into service as a meat collector, however for sport hunting its nowhere close to ideal

It was spelled Fischer.

I knew him well. He was our neighbor. There were no deer on that side of our pasture but it wasn't a big deal. We had plenty on other parts of the ranch. Dad knew what was going on but he kind of always joked about it and felt sorry for him. I never knew of him ever having a job so he hunted year round to provide for his family.

Did he finally get caught?

I know several folks that used a .22 for deer. The year it was written that a rim fire was no longer legal, didn't matter to them.

I don't think TP&W allows any rimfire ammo for deer hunting, regardless of caliber.

My pop and his best friend kept allot of people eating in Weston Oregon back in the late 40's and 50's. They filled allot of tags with both deer and elk, many of them taken with a 22 LR. They also kept our lockers filled with Grouse and pheasant. I suspect the 22 LR has put more food on the table of American families than any other round.

Better question is how many 10s of thousands of deer have been wounded with a .22?

Creekrunner
I can assure you that you would not have killed that nice Axis buck you killed on your ranch on Grape Creek several years ago if Mr. Fischer still lived there and still was alive. Their migration would have stopped at your fence line on the creek. No telling how many white tail he killed with his .22.

Creekrunner
I can assure you that you would not have killed that nice Axis buck you killed on your ranch on Grape Creek several years ago if Mr. Fischer still lived there and still was alive. Their migration would have stopped right before your fence line on the creek. He was deadly with his old .22. Nice buck by the way.

Whoops!! Double post. Disregard.

Kirby?

That be me. Sure do miss you in the neighborhood.

Did Mr. Fischer get caught finally? I don't remember that story.

I shot a big boar at about 60 yards and then pumped about 6 more in him as he ran straight at the blind. He dropped halfway to blind. I normally carry my 22 mag for pigs. It does not really bother the deer.

I was told he did. I guess Henry (can't remember his last name), that lived next to him, told us.

Great to see your on here!

Native Americans in Alaska still use .22 as a main hunting rifle... they just keep shooting...deer, caribou, grouse, ducks, geese...yes even moose...it was explained to me that the bullets are cheap and more than one of the "hunters" can take credit...sort of like shooting flint tipped arrows...keep shooting until you run out or the animal goes down.

and .223