How did you first discover handgun hunting?

My hunter education booklet had a page about handgun hunting and shooting safety when I took the course. My interest never waned, and not quite two years ago I finally took it up.

How did the rest of you first learn about hunting with handguns? There aren't that many of us, and the outdoor shows and magazines never seem to feature handgun hunting.

1988 Peterson's Hunting Annual had a section on handgun rounds for elk. I was 12 years old then & have been hooked ever since.

I guess I got interested when my kids were growing up. I already hunted before I had children but, bow and rifle mainly. When my 2 sons had gotten to be 5 yr old they could only hold up a .22 Ruger single six well enough to aim and shoot. Very few rifles around then to fit the kids. So, I would let them tag along with me squirrel hunting. I would use a rifle and put the .22 in a holster. Being young boys they would lose interest fast so I decided if I didn't see a lot of squirrels I could hand them the .22 and let them plink chipmunks. Doing this for the kids made me think why am I not shooting at the squirrels with a handgun myself. By the time next hunting season rolled around I had 2 more handguns. [.357 and .44 mags] As they say the rest is history!

I had been doing the archery thing for 16 years. Shot tournaments, hunting, worked in a bow shop, all of it. I got burned out and wanted to try something different. I went with a rifle the next year, and had my buck and my bull tag filled within 30 minutes of each other. I thought, "This is too easy." so I started looking for a different method. I decided on giving black powder rifles a try. The guy helping me with the black powder rifles at Cabelas asked why I was getting started in blackpowder. I told him I was burned out on archery, and wanted to try something other than rifles. He said, "Why not try hunting with a handgun?"

My ears perked up, we put the black powder stuff away, and I've never looked back.

The writings of Bob Milek probably had more influence on me than anyone

Same here. I still have several magazines that are complete issues of his writing and keep them out of harms way!

In the 70's Elmer Keith gave this teenager the handgun hunting bug. Many groundhogs fell to my cap and ball revolver.

A lone doe stepped out at 3 yds under my lean-to, way to close for my 7mm. So I thought, "hey this will be a chip shot with my CCW 357". She head me cock the hammer and ran out to 24 yds. One well placed 158 jsp did the trick. I now have handguns more suited to hunting than a 3" 357.

Ive always been a short gun guy.
Owned more pistols than any other gun on my 54 years on this earth.
Read many tales of Skeeter and Keith.
When they finally passed HG season in Ohio I was out with a 44.
Ive always used a 44 (except one year a 454)
Ive killed 2 with my Bisley and love it.
Ive owned about 6 44 mags in my life.
A good caliber.

My dad bought me a Harrington & Richardson 626 .22 when I was 6. Shot it like crazy and started hunting squirrels with it at 10. Though it was cool to get the little suckers with it while the grown men around my dad were needing 2-300 pellets to do it. This was way before Skeeter, Hal, Milek, Kelley, actually in prehistoric times.

Bob Milek also held my interest in handguns and I stayed unhooked until about 15 years ago when I bought my first 22K-Hornet SS Contender to take prairie dog hunting and have been addicted every since. I have added several calibers that I hunt with in T/C's and bolt guns. Love to deer hunt with my T/C 7-30 Waters and 41 Rem Mag. I am wanting to go to a wheel gun in 44 mag or 454 Casull for an upcoming black bear hunt. Got to have another excuse to buy a handgun.

Long ago when I was brousing the sporting goods section of the local hardware store and there was a scoped T/C Contender behind the glass. I had never heard of a 7-30 Waters but they had a couple of boxes of ammo on the shelf. That gun came home with me that day and I have never looked back. Since then I have added and subtracted a few platforms and chamberings, but it has been all handguns.

I loved sjooting handguns & i loved hunting so the 2 naturally met in the late 70s early 80s. Besides it was lighter than a rifle & i just hunted, didnt shoot at critters much! The writings of those memtioned, Milek, Jones, & especially Kelly & Siefried(sp?) played a part. Loved the revolver guys :-)

Growing up I read a lot of magazines,I was always intrigued by guy"s like Bob Milek, Steve Herret, Skeeter skelton, John Wooters,J.D. Jones,Larry Kelly,and Elmer Keith, and others.I hunted with shotguns and rifles all my life,deer hunting was not a challenge anymore, now I only hunt with pistols and my bow,and I feel like a more accomplished hunter,I learned a lot from the writers, and a lot from EVERYONE on this forum, thank you past and present.

Hal Swiggett peaked my interest almost 30 years ago, started carrying one for coon, been using them off and on ever since.

When I was a kid, I traded my Daisy BB gun for a CO2 pellet pistol that was a Smith & Wesson. I got pretty good with it and no bird, rat, or other small creature was safe nearby! I still have the pistol -- somewhere. I also used a .22 pistol belonging to my dad on the rats that used to thrive in my friend's avocado trees. I pretty much got into it on my own.

While stationed in Germany in 86, I read an article on hunting hogs with a 44 mag. I picked up a Dan Wesson 44 mag about 6 months later at the Rhein-Main Gun Club.

Ditto!

I started in the late 1970's with an air pistol...A kid could have a lot of adventure back then with an airgun!...Plus, I couldn't always get my father to let me take out my Remington 33, .22 rifle!....and I guess reading all those guns and ammo magazines had a hand in it, and my family shot a lot of handguns when I was young (all types of guns actually)....

Late '50's early Elmer.

I had a friend that was a handgun hunter. However, I had no real interest until he told me that I was going with him on a HHI hunt that fall. Bought a 6.5 JDJ from SSK and a M57 S&W. Spent a lot of time that summer learning to shoot them. Been at it ever since (almost 20 yrs).

When I was 6 years old, I was introduced to a Ruger Bearcat. My dad's hunting buddy had one and he let me shoot it one day. Surprisingly to everyone, I was a natural. Every time we were around a crowd of hunters, he'd place bets that I could out shoot them using there rifles and me using his revolver. So, after years of seeing the disbelief in people, I made up my mind I was gonna keep them in disbelief. I started handgun hunting not long after that with a pump up Daisy pellet pistol; I forget the model. I hunted birds and squirrel with my pistol while the other kids were using their pellet rifles. I used both rifles and handguns through my teenage years, but dropped the rifles totally in 1990. Handgun hunting is just second nature to me now; don't really think of it as a handicap or challenge, just hunting.

Thats a pretty cool story Kim,I met a guy at the gym I was going to about 15 yrs ago and talking to him He said He had a Contender with a 30-30 Ingrams barrel and asked If Id like to shoot it and of course I did.He also got me into reloading and tho I was fascinated with handguns and always had one Id work up a load for it and play with them in the spring thru late summer then sell it or trade it and get something different the next spring but all my hunting was done with a trad bows including my gun tag,after I injured my bow arm about 6 yrs ago now I looked at the 41 mag bh I had in my hand and thought why not hunt with it and that was my start better late than never.

One more thing left a lasting impression on me and that was the inside jacket of a Ted Nugent album (don't remember which one). This was in the '70s and for those old enough to remember, the jacket was usually adorned with photos. One photo was of Ted Nugent weilding a .44 Mag (I think it was a Model 29) and he was out in the field somewhere, presumably hunting. That I can still "see" that photo means it left an impression on me. I thought how cool!

I was a casual target shooter in the 70`s and was invited on a Pennsylvania deer hunt. I did not own any rifles or shotguns and was told that hunting handguns were legal in Penn. Dick Metcalf wrote that Winchester 158gr JHP ammo were good for whitetail so I loaded up my Python and went hunting. I shot 13 deer with my handguns before I took one with a rifle.....

Boy have you come a long way my friend ;-)

The early 1980's my best friend 13 years old at the time showed up for a hunt with me and my 2 beagles with a handgun. I thought he was crazy!! He was using a 1950's High Standard 6" revolver. That day I witnessed my 13 year old buddy make two 1 shot kills on running rabbits!! From that day on I wanted to try handgun hunting, this weekend will be my first handgun hunt for wild hogs on the Bankhead National Forest!!

For me, it was more about the opportunity versus an inspiration. Iowa didn't allow handguns until the mid to late 90's and when they did, I wanted to try it. Had been carrying a handgun for work for years and thought I was pretty good. Bought my first Anaconda (sold it in a short fit of stupidity, but it's now been replaced) and the rest is history. I have had very little satisfaction as the day I shot that bedded doe at 42 yards, and the hook was set.

Since then I've immersed myself in the art of the handgun and this place has helped a ton.

PH

Yup!

And after I talked to Bob on the phone a couple times, it got even better. So naturally I started with a Contender in .30 Herret.

I started with a 10" 222 Rem and a 14" 7mm TCU barrels (Contender).

I was first hooked on big bores after shooting a friends 44 Mag as a teenager. His 5 minute introduction and discussion on using the Ruger SBH on game was infectious. My own Redhawk followed shortly thereafter, and the revolver was carried as a backup to the rifle for years. It wasn't until I made the conscious decision to use the pistol as the primary that my passion for handguns REALLY took off.

This site and support for it's members has been a tremendous influence, as well as unbelievably detrimental to my ability to save.

For me it's just that I'm a handgun type of guy, I'm not really into rifles at all so it just kind of naturally happened that I would hunt with what I like, handguns!

Viet Nam 1966.Brought a Colt 38 special with 4" barrel with me. Took golden pheasant,monitor lizards and tons of rats among other things that was the start.Note I was seventeen when I bought the Colt on Okinawa

I had interest in handgun hunting after reading an article in local magazine. Then I saw a Larry W. using a contender on TV. I was trying to decide on what to buy to get started. I went in to a local gun shop and they had a used contender with four barrels. I took the bait and haven't looked back.

Growing up in Charleston SC we only hunted deer with a shotgun and dogs. After VietNam l moved near Augusta Ga and Ft Gordon.. lt was there l began still hunting with a rifle..lt was just no challenge that way. Reading Guns & Ammo l became aware of the exploits of Robert Peterson and Bob Milek and bought a Model 29..While also getting interested in IHMSA silh shooting l was hooked ..Got side tracked for about 30 years from IHMSA and handgun hunting.. Now l am back and here

I have been hunting and shooting for most of my life, despite the fact that I come from a mostly non-hunting family. I'd been hunting small game once in a rare while with an air pistol during those early years, so handgun hunting was not entirely new to me. Upon turning 21, I went shopping for my first "real" handgun; the primary focus was concealed carry. Alongside the Colt Mustang that I purchased was a 7.5" .454 SRH. It was NIB, very agreeable in price, and I had extra cash in my pocket from summertime employment, so both went home with me that day. I decided that handgun hunting was going to be the only way I'd go!

Well, long story short, I learned very quickly that this was not a beginner's revolver. I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn at 20 paces with full-house loads due to flinching, so I chose the bow and long guns as the primary tools for a while afterwards. I shot that SRH with light .45 Colt loads and worked up some tolerance and skill, and did some custom work to the gun. Then one day, it just all kind of fell into place.

After killing a decent buck and a freezer doe during bow season, with the self-induced pressure off, and looking for a different hunt, I took that SRH to the woods as the primary arm. I figured that I had nothing to lose at this point, given that the freezer was full. A hunter on the way out of the woods pushed a group of does within 35 yards of my stand; I carefully settled the crosshairs, and dropped the hammer.

Harvesting that doe ended up meaning more to me than the nice 8-pointer that I had harvested a few weeks prior. Since that day, I've hunted primarily with a handgun during our regular firearms season.

I was already shooting a handloaded .45LC Ruger Blackhawk, and it was a natural evolution after shooting a few deer at 50yds or less with a 30-06 to realize this would be much more fun with a pistol.

always shot handguns as long as i can remember. started shooting IHMSA with a dan wesson 44mag. hunting with it it was a normal progression. by law you had to use 22 handguns for coon hunting when i was young.

We are happy that you made the SNAP decision to come over to

THE DARK SIDE!

My father hunted w/a couple of 3 screw Rugers in 357 & 41. In the Marine Corps I really got into handguns while reading Keith, Skeeter, & Taffin. That put me over the edge. Scienceguy: What is a CCW 357?

CCW is probably Conceal Carry Weapon. Sometimes you see CCP (permit) or CWL.

I looked back thru this thread and saw I didn't post. I guess why is that I'm not sure what got me into handgun shooting. I come from a very non-gun family, but I'm and odd duck anyway. I prefer stick shifts, I heat my home with wood. It just always appealed to me. Like others said, shooting a deer on a crop line at 500 yards is commendable, but I consider it more 'precision shooting' than hunting.
And bows just don't do it for me. I've a lot of respect for ethical bow hunters. Iron sited handguns is just my happy place.
I took both my long gun (winn '94) and wheely (sw/ 29) on my first few hunts. First deer I shot at I used the wheelgun and missed her. 5 times I missed her. All the rub / newbie goofs. My first deer was with rifle at 23 yards, and I've not taken a long gun into the woods since, other than sometimes a .22mag Henry when I go a-squirreling.
In fact, all my long guns are just excuses to have a long platform for a handgun round. (.22 lr & mag, .357, .44m and a .45acp on order)

db

Growing up I was always small game hunting with a bow and bird hunting and then moved to big game with a bow. I was interested in more long range shooting but I'll admit that I am not steady enough for that kind of shooting and even with archery found that traditional archery was better suited for me. I still had the interest in guns but not in rifle hunting, while trapping with my dad he carried an old Iver Johnson .22 revolver with .22short CB's and I watched him shoot plenty of rabbits with it and it got me thinking of handguns. When I turned 21 I bought my first .22 auto a S&W 22A and carried it while trapping and shot plenty of rabbits and armadillos with it, now I have a DW 15-2 .357mag that I carry while coyote hunting and carried during the Kansas firearms season in hopes of trying it on a doe for the freezer. So far with it I've only taken a handful of armadillos and jackrabbits but I'll take all the practice I can get right now.

Oh I know what it means. Just seemed an odd description. It's safe to assume we'll trust your legal to carry LOL. Personally I don't care if your not legal. I just want to know, make, model, etc.

Elmer Keith ruined me when I was teen. reflex264

30 years ago I was hunting black bear with a bow.(general season) The brush was too thick to loose an arrow, so after a day of being frustrated, I pulled my belt gun, a 7 1/2"SBH 44 and dropped him in his tracks. After my first blackie with a bow and a rifle, all the rest have been with a handgun.

True story. I read almost every article and was drawn to the 30 herrett because he helped invent it, especially in the ten inch barrel.

I bought a single six with both cylinders and the long barrel (10-12"), and i took dozens of rabbits and rockchucks with it. One chuck was at approx 100 yards and then and there i was hooked. Sold that gun and bought a tender with a 14 " 223. That and a new 686 6" became the start of buying and selling and trying about every caliber known to man.
Now my other love, black powder cartridge rifles.

my dad hunted with a 45 colt blackhawk and a 44 special taurus. he was really big into reading Ross Seyfreid and let me read Ross, which ruined me for life. where i primarily hunt, a good revolver is no handicap to a rifle and as soon as i turned 18, i was bound and determined to handgun hunt. i have rifles for when i have to kill deer, but much prefer a good open sighted sixgun on my chest or hip most of the time now. my .264 magnum while a wonderful tool for its intended purpose is just too much like cheating inside of 400 yards.

I read an article by Bob Milek in the early 70's, JD Jones, Larry Kelly, Paco, and Hal Swigget are my early heroes. I still look at the JD's books often.

Same here. I enjoyed his writing. Good stuff.

I live in a shotgun county of Washington state (12-20ga. 00buck scoped muzzleloaders and revolver rounds over .41mag.) I use a S&W Stealth Hunter .44mag for coastal blacktails but my goal is ALL game animals in my state with this revolver. It shoots 225gr. Hornady FTX under 1"@100yds. the most accurate 629 I've ever shot. I just acquired a Rem.XP-100R in .270wsm so I can travel for longer range larger game hunting in eastern Washington.

Welcome Justin!
I think you will like it here.
I don't have one but LOVE the Stealth Hunters.

when I was a kid my mom would occasionaly go squirrel hunting with me and my stepdad. when she did she would use her little snub nosed .22 revolver,she was deadly on squirrels and rabbits with it. every so often she would let me hunt with it and my handgun fetish just kind of grew out of that.

Probably this. But in the 1980's handgun hunting was sort of unusual and that drew me toward it. I was drawn to bow hunting and handgun hunting seemed like the perfect next step. Most of my woods shots were under 75 yds and using a handgun felt like a challenge.

As I got older, I began not really caring if I scored and how I scored was more important to me than scoring. Handgun hunting is pretty much the only way I will hunt deer now. If I don't practice, I don't hunt. I don't grab the rifle just because it's easy.

A 17 year old boy and an extra warm September in Illiols, a grove of Hickory Nut trees ripe with an overly good harvest of nuts on them, with slippery grass slopes to climb along the Vermilion river and a Ruger Single Six convertable(fixed sighted) Of course ol' Elmer had worked on me previously and I was hooked? That was 1967, and I never looked back. Bought my first issue of Guns & Ammo at a one room grocery store called Johnny's food market.
Steve

John Taffin and Mark Hampton got me started. That darn Taffin has cost me more money in single actions, custom work, ivory and leather and reading Mark H. makes time in the stand very pleasant.

When I was a boy my Father would never let me shoot a pistol without him. Even when I was old/responsible enough to shoot long guns on my own he never lifted the rule for pistols. Being a rebellious boy this always made them seem special. I bent the rule by having a CO2 pellet revolver that was built like a full shroud 357 DA. I also broke the rule and did some night hunting with my cousin using a colt SAA in 22.

Jump ahead 20 something years and I bought my first handgun (MKIII) and shot a few rabbits with it. Then I bought a 38 snubby at the same time that a coworker bought a 357 from a neighbor in a tight spot. He wanted a purse gun for the wife, but got a 686 with 8 5/8" barrel. A snubby and a bit of cash and I had the real deal that the old pellet gun was mimicking.

My long guns are now collecting dust and the pistols keep multiplying.