Percentage of handgun hunting

I am curious. I bow hunt, rifle hunt, muzzleloader hunt and the obvious handgun hunt. This year during gun season I will probably handgun hunt at least 60% of the time. During muzzle loader I will carry the Kahnke pistol at least 50%. We can kill 303 deer during the combined season. I am planning on killing around 15 deer this year so likely I will kill around 8 deer with a handgun. What percentage of your hunting do you do with a handgun? reflex264

where are you at that you can kill that many deer? I assume 303 is a misprint? even 15 is a load! In MN most of the zones are 1 Buck with some being either/or zones

I personally hunt 100% with a revolver during our firearms season, and do not have a muzzle loading handgun (yet!) so I use the long-gun then.

Usually hunt with my recurve, but just don't think it's going to work this year

Unit L in middle TN. Not a typo. I have killed around 500 deer in the last 20 years. reflex264

If you don't have a ML handgun look at the Kahnke. Unbelieveably accurate.

WOW... I need to head to Tennessee! LOL that is some definite experience

I have looked at the Kahnke and was impressed, nearly bought a used one, but talked to the manufacturers and they told me the gun shop was asking a little too much. by FAR the best "feeling" ML handgun I have handled. reminded me a lot of holding a single action revolver (probably why I liked it so much!). The gentleman from the factory told me they should only be getting better becasue they were going to refine their machining practices and get some really sweet wood in for the grips. I hope to get one sooner than later. They are made right here in MN too!

After crossbow hunting in October, my firearm hunting will be 99% handgun and 1% rifle.
In Indiana this year the bag limit is 1 buck and 517 does. That is not a misprint. Each county has a doe limit and one can legally kill each county's limit.
45 counties have an 8 doe limit, etcetera. We have 92 counties. My Lifetime license means that I do not purchase tags. I love Indiana.

100 percent of the time. I have sold all of my rifles

oh ok, I understand now. good luck! hope you fill some tags!

Here in Missouri we have 4 months (that is one third of the year..WOW) to bow hunt. I do take advantage of that when I can.

This year we have 11 days of regular fire arms hunting, 12 days of antlerless firearms hunting (I think) and now 9 days of "alternative weapons" that includes handguns. ALL of that for me will be spent handgun hunting.

Dan

And hunters wonder where the damn deer have gone. That is f*****g disgusting.

I will hunt 100% of firearms season with a handgun. I have three months and will kill maybe three deer. Any more than that would be because something huge walked out. Our bioligist say herd numbers are at all time highs but trail cams and small plots of clay peas actually making peas instead of being mowed down lead me to think they are nuts.

I am pretty much 100% a wheelgun hunter. The only time I hunt with a rifle is when there is some editorial obligation hanging on it. I try to avoid those situations, but even hunting with a rifle is better than not hunting at all! Like Franchise I have sold my rifles -- okay, I still have a couple and only one is a "hunting" rifle. At least it's a big-bore.

100% - I hate muzzle loaders and don't own a bow any more. I'll probably take up bow hunting again one of these days.

100% handgun this year. Muzzleloader to be added next year, hopefuly.

The issue here is....are you going to kill 5 deer per each weapon you use this year or are you going to preserve the game for our future hunters. Sheeze.....

I bow hunt, I muzzle loader hunt (and ML pistols are not legal in my hunt areas)...and during "rifle" hunting season, I handgun hunt. I'll use handguns 100% of the time this firearms deer season, but my AR's have had some swine time so far this year and I expect that trend will continue. Yes, I do own rifles (and some wonderful ones at that), but they rarely come out of the safe except during paper play in the off-season these days.

Maybe I'll go on a week long spree with the long guns to get it out of my system for a couple of years. Nah.

Schunter -- check your PMs!

I'm lucky if I can find the time to hunt, and if I do find the time it will be with the shortgun.

Revolver for deer, just 1 here, and a rifle for elk this year. Maybe the 454 for elk next year.

if it aint bow season i pretty much just grab the 454 and occasionally the 475 and go hit the hills. public land elk this october outside ouray colorado and i could bring the 375 but i just like running with the wheelgun.

drove through Ouray, CO, looked like a pretty neat town and a beautiful (and rugged) area. Good luck!

you only have one opportunity for deer and elk here and this year I decided to go back to the recurve. I'll carry a revolver for incidental run ins with bears and cats while my wife is rifle hunting.

I've not even shot my rifles or bows since I started handgun hunting last year and I have no immediate plans to do so. I suppose I'll use a shotgun the next time I shoot birds or clays. I might switch to a 22 long gun for squirrel if I can't hit the cat squirrels with the Mark III, but probably not.

Will be doing 100% wheel gun including some time with my "stretch
frame wheel gun"( love that definition). Black powder will be 1858
Remington Army model in 44 cal. for close ups and a T/C 30-30 for distant shots. Long gun will be in the rig at camp for backup in case of mechanical issues(don't expect any but you know how it can be.)May
carry my 10mm Glock to see if I can get some blood on her. Have Tags for 9, will use 4-5 and give the rest to folks who need them.
Everybody be safe...

Handgun 95% of the time, including muzzleloader, with the exception I always take Dad's old 06' at least once during the season. I've done this every year since he passed...

Thats the problem. They are all here. I have to shoot deer for the state every year on depradation permits. I got called in one time where there were nearly 1000 deer in a 2 square mile area methodicaly destroying bean crops. We don't have many big bucks because of our genetics. We actualy have a a cross between virginia and texanus sub species. The texanus deer were brought to this area in the 1950s and although they are capible of growing big racks the nutrition here isn't suficient to do so.

We eat 10 to 12 deer a year and donate several. The average weight of a mature doe here is 100lbs. The average weight of a mature buck is 170lbs live weight. The population explosion that led to the 3 does a day for the entire season was caused by mismanagent by the state during the 1960s and 1970s. I can take you out any evening here and show you 200 deer. reflex264

I should add that despite our very generous limits here on deer the population is still on the rise. Many of the new generation of deer hunters simply don't shoot does. They have been so brain washed by hunting shows shooting monster bucks that to them a doe is a second class citizen. My son fortunatly understands the responsibility each of us share to control the population.

There is just soemthing special about taking a doe with a wheelgun. Makes them all trophies. reflex264

Im shooting a 30Bellm XP100. Might have to try the 378GNR just to see what happens.

I own 3 rifles one lonley AR and 2-22 I shoot with my grandson.

As far as Muzzle loders have one for 6 years. I havent shot it yet not once.

All this depends if I get time.

I handgun hunt about 5% of the time. I wish it was more, but our firearms season in PA isn't even a full two weeks. I hunt with bow and flintlock much more because the seasons are longer.

during big game gun seasons im shooting for 95+ % this year. for small game possibly the same. trying the recurve for archery season again this year

I guess I'm the most disgusting guy on this site. Done 74 deer this year, almost 2100 with handguns lifetime. That's about 126,000 POUNDS of meat I've donated to old folks that can't hunt, needy that don't work, and nonhunters that like venison. Yep, I'm a real disgusting guy, and proud of it!!!

Dang, I wish I was as disgusting as you, Doc.......

HOLY MOLEY! that is a lot of venison! must have some serious crop depredation/ high deer densities down there!

You could definitely be the handgunning deer expert for any questions asked here! lol

I like bows,and muzzle loaders but come firearm season I am 99.9% handgun.I do one hunt a year with a model 700 30-06 for sentimental reasons and that's it.

I forgot to say BB that those #s were 100% handguns. In my dumber days I did about 50 with a rifle (oooouuu, can't stand to say that word) and around 150 with a bow (when no gun season was in). All those deer went to the same type of people.
Whitworth, I even killed a few (or more) with my .475 Linebaugh. Not a bad gun. Just got another one 90 minutes ago. I'm getting more disgusting all the time.

wvhitman,

go get one with your 454 next for me

I will be about 99.9% handgun, calling coyotes in the winter is the exception, in daylight I set up and call with a handgun at night I will take a shotgun on occasion, but the AR is in the truck pretty much from now till spring thaw. You never know when you will get a run and gun opportunity on a coyote.

I hunt strictly with handgun during firearm season. I'm like a few others here and don't own any r-r-rif.....

JUst did BB. 76 yards, 265 gr. Swift HP, double shoulder, ran 20 yards, 3/4" exit, 1 1/2" internal damage, 7 1/2" FA, 2-6 Bushnell Elite. Change the bullet to 260 Speer Mag. HP and i"ve done about 3 1/2 dozen turkeys with it and minimal damage to meat. That's really disgusting.

Nice work Doc! BBWheelgunner, any more requests? (I figured having Doc take requests is the coolest thread highjack I've ever seen, so I'm joining in!)

Actually Doc - I'll throw two out there next...

1. My Whisper is itchin' to get broken in "quiet-style". Show us how it's done!

2. I've got a new baby that will be in my eager hands on Monday - an XP in 6.5/284...I know you know how to get it done with that one too...

Thats the stuff! i will be hitting the woods during rifle season with my FA and 265 A-Frames myself! that was quick Doc lol