When deer hunting

[jeffer]

Sold all my hunting rifles years ago. Handgun hunt every year from varmints to big game. No turning back and no regrets...

[pacecars]

I occasionally carry my Steyr .30-06 when hunt where most shots will be over 300 yards (two places I go are like this). Some times I hunt with my Shiloh Sharps .50-90 and one in .40-70 Sharps Straight. I love hunting with these two. I always carry a pistol when hunting with the above guns in case something comes out in pistol rang. With the two Sharps I carry my .500 Linebaugh snd either my 10mm S&W 610 or my S&W 29-3 .44 Magnum. Those are usually a few hunts. Most of the time I hunt with handguns only. I try to kill a deer or pig with each pistol if I can. During muzzle loading season I only carry my David Clements .50 cal Old Army

[handgunhuntingafield]

I don’t even own a “hunting rifle” anymore.

From vermin to elk (moose long ago) with nothing but handguns. Stalking within range is the fun. It’s not terribly difficult to get under 200 yards of game in the prairie or timber.

[LeverGunner]

The point for me, is not simply killing of game. I enjoy the time spent afield with a particular firearm. I've heard a lot of folks that they will just borrow a buddies rifle, just whatever they can get, simply to go hunting. Not knocking that, but it ain't my style. I want to build memories with my firearms. I do hunt with a rifle, but my passion is mostly leverguns. I dont care for scopes, though they offer a lot of advantage in hunting low light conditions. Again, the goal is not simply taking of game for me.

[pete]

Jun 23, 2023 18:23:32 GMT -5 bigbrowndog said:

The best way to take a deer or any game with a handgun is leave the rifles at home.

Trapr

This is the best advice for the guys who want to take game with a handgun but can't quite bring themselves to let go of the rifle. I don't remember who gave me the same advice over 30 years ago, but I m thankful they did, or I might still be toting a long gun along too

[lockhart]

I hunted white-tail deer for over 20 years, a few with rifles, but over 30 with
handguns, mostly Ruger or Smith models, but I killed 12 with my TDE High Standard marked
357 Automag! My Ruger's & Smith's were all 44 magnums, and the last deer I killed with
a rifle, was in 1973! My hunting days are over because I can no longer afford it, being
on SS!

[messybear]

Very few rifle deer in the last 30 years. Only an occasional odd one like a battle rifle or old something.
Really enjoy sixguns and the stalking challenge And like someone mentioned, it’s easy to get within 200 most times. So not very challenging with a scoped rifle. But might have to dig out my great uncles 94 30/30 for a rifle hunt sometime

[blackmamba]

I love handgun hunting whitetails on the ground. The last two I killed were at 6 and 18 yards. Much more fun than a 200 yard rifle shot (which I've also done).

[harold89]

These days, I prefer to fill antler-less tags with a handgun as they really put the “fun factor” back into that endeavor. With my any sex tags though, I can’t feel comfortable leaving the rifle or muzzleloader at home. I’m too afraid a giant might appear just out of handgun range. I’m always toting both, which can be quite a chore.

[junebug]

I carry a rifle during muzzle loading deer season. It may be an inline, may be a 40 cal. flintlock as I don't have a suitable muzzleloading pistol . All other times it is a pistol or two. If that big buck comes, and is out of range HE WON THAT DAY, and good for him, my day will come. I eat what I hunt, but don't have to hunt to eat anymore. I chose to pistol hunt because I wanted to, maybe needed to, to be who and what I am. I knew and accepted the limitations, and I still put in the time and continues practice it takes to be good enough, to do what I love to do. If the deer, elk, moose, hog, bear wins tip your hat to him and wish him a good day and safe travels , tomorrow may be your day. jmho

[bigbore5]

If the bear wins, you're poop!

[bigbore5]

The last buck I killed was less than 20 feet away. The last bear (490 pounds) I stopped from a full charge at 7 feet.

Hunting bear with dogs in the thickets means close shots on the ground, or plenty of time for a treed one if you want to settle for a smaller one.A rifle is just in the way.

From a stand, I'm usually hunting my apple grove or blackberry brambles. Also close range.

Deer, I tend to hunt funnels between bedding and feeding areas. So all really close range. 50 yards is a long shot.

[junebug]

Aug 18, 2023 15:38:28 GMT -5 bigbore5 said:

If the bear wins, you're poop!

If you put dogs on a bear you are starting the fight, so in that case yep you can get in deeeeep s&%$ quick.
7 feet is too damn close! But if you can stay calm [relative term]and pick your shot or shots, you can finish the fight you started, and apparently you can. You can get the shakes after its over, and your true friends [won't see, care, or take notice] they will understand.

[bigbore5]

I suppose where you live and hunt makes the difference between whether you need a rifle at all.

Here in my area, most hunting is in brushy woods and thick pines. It's all hills and broken terrain. Thickets cut visibility to less than 50yds most of my favorite spots.

I used to hunt fields where shots could be long. But the deer here are pretty smart to that and remain in the brush until after shooting light. Better to catch them traveling to and from there.

Thirty some years ago when I decided to be a handgun hunter exclusively on deer, I got really into the Contender and XP100. Both are great long range handguns and have worked for me out to over 200yds.

However, as hunting pressure has increased and many of the fields I once hunted have become housing developments, the deer have changed their behavior to being more nocturnal. They stopped entering the fields I do still have access to until dark.

My 164 acres is not farmed anymore. I do have food plots and some clear cut where I sold some timber a couple years ago that's really brushy. It's just easier to set up on a travel funnel here.

If the area you live in is outside of the South or in an agricultural area that has large open fields, then I can understand the hesitation to go handgun only with a revolver for deer.

But that's why there's varmint hunting. Nothing will hone your long range skills like shooting pests at long distance.

[messybear]

Aug 10, 2023 16:21:51 GMT -5 lockhart said:

I hunted white-tail deer for over 20 years, a few with rifles, but over 30 with
handguns, mostly Ruger or Smith models, but I killed 12 with my TDE High Standard marked
357 Automag! My Ruger's & Smith's were all 44 magnums, and the last deer I killed with
a rifle, was in 1973! My hunting days are over because I can no longer afford it, being
on SS!