danb
dont be a dumbass
For an expert I'd say 22lR. For an inexperienced hunter I would not suggest it personally. With the right shot you can take deer with a .22lR too, but I would not recommend it either.
I have seen a lot of raccoons and groundhogs escape .22lR. Follow up shots are easy with 22LR, if they stand still, but they usually don't. Then you have a dog digging a hole trying to get a wounded animal that ran under or into something. Or vultures, coyotes, or other foxes. Been there, done that. Nothing of course is foolproof. I have also seen 175lb bucks walk away from a 12 gauge at 20 yds (even though I hit the liver, it was through-and through, probably the slug did not expand). Conversely I've dropped deer where they stood with a crossbow.
Shot placement is always key, but a bigger cartridge is more forgiving of poor shot placement. What you pick should reflect your appetite for tracking wounded animals or regret ("There is a lot of fur did you hit them in the right place?"). 12 or 20 ga is great, cant go wrong there. But slugs are expensive and its hard on the shoulder. For inexperienced hunters I generally recommend the biggest rifle/shotgun you can handle/afford because tracking wounded animals is a real PITA.
I have seen a lot of raccoons and groundhogs escape .22lR. Follow up shots are easy with 22LR, if they stand still, but they usually don't. Then you have a dog digging a hole trying to get a wounded animal that ran under or into something. Or vultures, coyotes, or other foxes. Been there, done that. Nothing of course is foolproof. I have also seen 175lb bucks walk away from a 12 gauge at 20 yds (even though I hit the liver, it was through-and through, probably the slug did not expand). Conversely I've dropped deer where they stood with a crossbow.
Shot placement is always key, but a bigger cartridge is more forgiving of poor shot placement. What you pick should reflect your appetite for tracking wounded animals or regret ("There is a lot of fur did you hit them in the right place?"). 12 or 20 ga is great, cant go wrong there. But slugs are expensive and its hard on the shoulder. For inexperienced hunters I generally recommend the biggest rifle/shotgun you can handle/afford because tracking wounded animals is a real PITA.