January 15, 2012 at 9:13pm
Unless you plan in taking quick shots, a 2 3/4 or 3 inch slug is the way to go. A 20 gauge with a slug us as deadly as it gets in my eyes. The number 9 buckshot is fine if you plan on shooting a deer in front of dogs though. I killed my first 2 deer about 18 years ago, one with buckshot which did the job and the second was with a slug. Deer quartering to me at about 25 yards, slug destroyed the shoulder and blew the intestines out of the exit hole just behind the ribs! It's a great thing if you can hit with it! Good luck!
