Sika calibre

MJ75

Well-Known Member
What calibre would you guys suggest as a minimum for Sika stags. I know .243 is legal but I also know many people see it as underpowered for these "hard to kill" deer. Thoughts please.....
 
Second worm, shot placement.

I have successfully taken Sika with 100gr .243's, I know some people have struggled with 150-180gr .308's with perfect shot placement, Sika are nails!!

I would say that the greater the caliber, within reason :eek: is better. I took the Sika with a .243 purely as I had that rifle with me at the time, I don't throw less than 100gr down it just incase it's a Sika or Red that presents a shot and not a Roe.

TJ
 
I have not shot huge numbers of Sika, about 20 over the past three or four years, plus I have witnessed about another 10-12 shot by a friend of mine.

My observation is that if shot placement is less than perfect, expect a runner, big time. It has only happened to me once, but the hind made about 600 yards.

Even with perfect placement, ie top of the heart and bottom of the lungs shredded, stag's in particular can make 80-100m into the thickest wettest hole they can find. Sika are noticeably harder to put down tha similar sized fallow.

On the other hand, quite a few have dropped on the spot instantly to the shot.

My view, reinforced by some much more experienced guys, is that you really want velocity on Sika: 120's in 6.5, 130's in 270. Some guys use the 110 V-max in the 270 pushed as hard as possible. Hit 'em hard and hope for the best.
 
Third worm,
l go with what as been said, shot placement will be important with all calibres,
But the smaller .243 it will become more so.
I shot a Sika hind for my last witness stalk and it was a top heart/lung with a .270 -150gr gameking. At 100 yards,
It run 200 yards jumped two fences before dropping.
The AW with me had not done much in regards to Sika and could not believe the ground it made.
Apart from neck shots, all the Sika I have taken have run even with well placed shots, they are just different and much harder.
But personally I am with Finnbear 270 the round I like is 130gr .270 partition.
:rolleyes:

smithy
 
My two penneth worth. I've shot about 400 sika over the last 4 years mainly with a 25-06 using 100 grain barnes tsx. If you hit them through the heart and lungs they WILL go down. If they know you are there they WILL run, sometimes 200m. This isn't a problem on open ground but invaribly it is into thick cover. This is why I have 3 dogs all capable of tracking deer and pulling down hinds. I don't put them on stags unless I'm pretty sure they are dead (had a bad experiance with a wounded one) I also had a season using a .300 win mag using 200 grain trophy bonded bear claws. This round did not drop them any quicker than my 25-06.
To sum up, hit them right and make sure you have a dog on hand just in case.
 
I would echo what has been said already. I normally say minimum .270 for Sika stags, as .243 just doesnt seem to have the heavy penetration needed.
The bigger the hole you can blow through one the better. Early in the season Sika carry so much fat, that it can re-seal the bullet hole, which means that you have very little blood to follow. Also sometimes a stag will take a round and run off so fast that you are left wondering just what happened. You go to the spot and there is very little to indicate a hit.

Also if you have a big pre-rut stag in front of you, it is better to neck or shoulder shoot it rather than going for a heart shot. Better to drop it on the spot than risk a long hard search - especially at last light.

On your hands and knee's in a Rododendron thicket 2 hours after dark, is not a great place to be :cry:

Like people say ---- Hard as nails - sometimes

Lakey
 
I would rather use a rifle/scope/ancils conbination that I am confident with than one which I am not if that makes sense! Or, to put it another way, you might be better using your own .243 than an unfamiliar estate .30-'06 to give an example. JC
 
Another worm is bullet choice. Some expensive extra tough bullets that shops love to sell, just **** through a deer and leave less damage behind. These tough bullets might guarantee the desired exit wound but also take a lot of energy with them.
For bigger stags I found the 165gr sst's work well from a 308. For longer ranges I like the 155 a-max. I shot one stag with a 80gr 243 soft point this year , it dropped after 30yds, no exit.
My rule, sika = soft bullet. Slow MV = even softer bullet
What always works, is to place the shot that it goes just below the spine well above the heart. A soft 30cal upsets spine, takes the arteries off the heart and takes a big part of lungs along. The spinal shock drops them on the spot. With the softisch bullets I try to avoid the shoulder.
edi
 
I didnt like my .243 on the Sika with a heart lung shot as too many runners

.308 123g Sako SP does the job nicely

As Lakey and others have said, better off with a neck shot if you want to avoid a runner

Terry
 
IMHO the answer lies in most of the replies to the original question. Shot placement is paramount followed closely by bullet choice. Calibre? well I have shot them with a 243 and a 6.5X55, I am of the opinion that they will run no matter what you shoot them with! Use whatever calibre you are comfortable with, know well and have confidence in. If they know you are there they will run. Late in the day, close to cover shoot them through the shoulders and anchor them.

Buggers ain't they :D :D

John
 
I would recomend the 270 that said the west coast sika that i have shot where taken with my 243 shot through the sholders,straight down as i dont want to spend hours on my hands n knees looking for a wounded stag :eek: as he wont be happy they are very tough
amberdog
 
Mike
i hav shot a ferw sika to date some drop on the spot some run
i shot a sika pricket with my 30-06 using 180 grain nosler solid base heads
at 30 yards last weekend
in did not even flinch at the shot even though we saw a spurt of blood about a 1ft long out of the exit wound
it ran about 100 yards approx
tough creatures
it,s not the calibre i would be to concerned at but more if you hav a dog at hand to help as they will be more valuble over time
shot placement also helps
through the shoulders should stop them runnning ;)
 
I think most of it is of course down to shot placement but a large part is also bullet head choice.

I always use ballistic tips as the deer welfare is more important than a possible ruined carcase.

A lot of the "Sika" boys here in Dorset use larger calibres like 6.5x55, .270 very popular and the .30-06, but they mostly recommend a Nosler tip with one chap I know using TSX's.

I run ballistics in all my guns, 90g .243, 110g .270, 120g 7mm-08 and wont ever change unless law dictated.

Thats my view based from my own experiences and the others from people I talk with.

Might be a worth a try, as I say I wouldn't use soft points again.

* Also a view of mine is that when people start to try and neck shoot their beasts when they have doubt in their mind they cant kill the with chest shots is when wounding happens. Some people can kill all day long with neck shots but the average shot is better of 99% of the time going for the engine room or shoulder shot.
One such example of this is the lastest Red Stag I shot, 120 yards away .243 high shoulder shot 8 paces and down dead.
 
in the last two weeks i have seen sika killed with 270, 30,06,338 and a 300 wm today

out of them all the 270/30,06 will drop them as quick as any.the 130gr ballistic tip or sst in the 270 is good enough if you do your bit .

the 6.5x55 using over 150grs is not my idea of a day out on sika.

i would probely kill more sika each year with my 243 using 70gr ballistic tips than my 270 .
 
irishgun said:
in the last two weeks i have seen sika killed with 270, 30,06,338 and a 300 wm today

Sorry to go off topic-

A .338 what sort of carcass damage was there with that, that is an extremely large caliber to use for Deer. Someone was asking about one on here about 6 weeks ago......

I couldn't imagine carrying one for stalking.......

TJ
 
Thanks for the replies gents. I've heard a couple of experienced staklers tell me how they're harder to kill than other deer species. I'm out after them for the first time and so value your thoughts.

Cheers

MJ
 
I have a good friend who lives in Ireland, County Kerry to be precise & he shoots all his Sika with a .22-250 using 55grn BT's. He's neck shot 4 stags since September 1st & all have either dropped where they stood or have only moved 10-20 yards & this all takes place within 1/4 mile of his house lucky bugger.

.22-250 is the minimum legal deer calibre in Ireland but .240 is the "recommended" minimum to use, I believe .22-250 was the largest calibre you could own there back in the dark days of "The Troubles".

avatar_4996.gif

Chris
 
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