What is a good gun for hunting boar and deer in florida?

[oldyank]

Hi just moved to Florida and was wondering what would be a good gun for hunting in Florida. I was thinking that it should be about the same as hunting in the Northeast

[Flatlander]

You can hunt with almost any thing here in Florida. There are people who hunt with 223's and 20gauge single shots to 300 win mag semi-autos.
Long range shots don't happen that much around here, the 30 30 is a good choice, I know several people that kill a lot of deer every year with it, I have a collector 94 that I got from my uncle before he died so I kind of don't want to use it and they don't seem to holdup as good as a marlin which I'm think of getting.
One politician I know in Dixie county kills many deer every year with one. I used to make fun of him, calling him a murderer because he killed a lot of deer, but he, his friends and his family eat them all so if you can eat them, you can kill them. There is another old guy I know who kills several deer every year some with nice racks with a cheap old 12 gauge single shot like you use to by at the hard ware store.
The 308 is very good, has distance if you need it, you can use it in other parts of the country and it has some width to the bullet. I guess what I'm saying is shoot anyting that you feel good shooting. I hunt with a 270 but it's over kill in most places. I've seen hogs killed with 30 30's, 45's shotguns and knives. So it's really the man or person behind the gun.

[Flatlander]

Also yesterday I remembered a Friend of mine that killed a nice 8 point with a 22 magmun, the poachers friend as some call it.
He was hunting squirrels and the buck walked down to the small creek he was by. He had one of these 20ga/22mag combo guns and shot the buck at about 40 yards. The head is still in his living room.

[bellrifleman]

308, you can use it anywhere

[lucabrazi]

Shotgun in my opinion...if you're close enough you never miss the target...

[beerman15]

Almost anything, we don't shoot that far.

[bhalverson]

Agreed...I would say anything around a 270 would work. 

Ben
www.trophywhitetailsupplies.com

[bhalverson]

Also just a follow up, check with your local DNR...you have some gun restrictions in FL you will want to read up on.

[Flatlander]

Thanks for the replies bhalverson, after rereading my comment above where I wrote

I've seen hogs killed with 30 30's, 45's shotguns and knives.

I guess I need to clear up the 45 part, I was hunting with some guys near Cheifland Florida and one of them had just bought some 45 colts, he had an old style colt 45 single single action.

He shot the hog three times and the hog wouldn't go down. The guys I was hunting with jumped on the hog, held it down and let the guy that originally did the shooting cut it's throat. Back in camp when the hog was being cleaned it was discovered that the 45's didn't go through the hogs hard plate, they stopped just under the skin.

Most 45 colt ammo is intended to be safe in older less sturdy firearms, this incident made me aware of this. Good thing the hog was small.