Am I the only one without a handgun kill?

I just got to thinking after reading some older posts about other guys' first handgun kills. Am I the only one on this website who hasn't killed anything with a handgun yet?

Depends. How about a kill and no recovery for several months?

If you were smart you would quit while your ahead. I only say this as a warning. Once you make that first kill with a handgun it's like an opiate. One hit and your hooked for life. Then it leads to a new gun every time someone you know makes a kill with a new gun, or your in some small obscure out of the way gun shop which happens to have a bunch of older handguns, and you start having these day dreams of making a clean kill with this or that gun. It's a terrible addiction. One that's only cured when toes up and planted 6 feet under.
You've been warned.

I haven't made any hunting kills yet.. just shot some feed thieves with my bearcat the other night. That's it for me.

That's a risk I'm willing to take.

You are not the only one. Don't even sweat it! As eager & determined as you seem, you will get/have your first pistol kill/trophy this year. Now if I could just talk you into a big bore single shot.............

Nope I am waiting for this coming deer season taking only a handgun

It's addicting once you do.

David, let him ease into the addiction. Don't coax him into jumping in with both feet at once.

I don't have one. My first yr hunting with one, 3 yrs ago, I saw three but they were too small and outside my range. We lost the lease and I've hunted twice since with long guns both times.

Craig, I just know with his enthusiasm he will love their power & versatility & their is no better way than to dive in head first

No big game kills. Just small stuff.

Not yet.

One cottontail for me. No big game yet. This will be season 3 for handgun hunting.

Jeff

David, right you are good sir!

The kills will come,keep shooting and stay sharp,when the handgun kills start coming, so will new guns.

It took me several years of "trying" before i saw any success. My biggest problem, and it may be yours as well, was confidence. At first I would bring a rifle with me to the stand, but i always seemed to defer to the rifle when game appeared. I realized the rifle had to stay at the house if I were to succeed. I practiced with my 10 inch Contender until i could hit a two liter soda bottle at 75 yards, it was routine, but when a deer would walk out at 35 i would second guess myself into waiting until there was no longer a shot oppurtunity. None of us are out to condemn an animal we enjoy and respect to a slow death, and that very thought can keep you from doing something well within your skill set. Once I broke the confidence barrier the kills started coming with more regularity. My first successfull kill was a complete fluke, i was looking at a feeder 70 yards away when a large doe walked out in front of me at a dozen or so paces. I placed the shot well and she went down as hard as any deer i'd ever shot with a rifle. The crucial thing was that i saw what a .41 magnum could do to game, and that i could do what needed to be done. Don't rush yourself. Just know that the first one is the hard one.

Nope. I don't have one yet either. My kills(rifle)here in Alaska have been grizzly and moose, and I just don't feel confident enough to try for those with a handgun. No opportunity yet for smaller stuff, wishing there were deer or hog in my area. maybe I just need to "man up", but I HATE the idea of wounding and losing game due to any mistake of mine, so I have always caved at the last minute and grabbed the .45-70, which I have never lost anything with. I understand exactly what nuclearweasel means, and I've not yet got over it like he has.

The issue in my case hasn't been a lack of confidence, it's just a combination of bad luck and a lackluster season. I had the crosshairs of my scope at two does last year: one was well outside of range, the other only presented me a neck shot.

Will I be able to make the shot when it presents itself? I should hope so, but as nuclearweasel said, confidence in hitting an inanimate target doesn't equal the confidence required to shoot a deer during hunting conditions. I guess I'll find out when the time comes.

have patience. living in Tennessee, you will end up connecting. after that first one to break the ice, it is no problem at all.

This say`s a lot and I have to give you guys credit for telling us that you have not made any handgun kills. I can only imagine how many other posters are in the same position as you guys but talk like they just got back from safari....Your day will come and we will all know about it from the pictures you will post. If there is anything I can help you with just ask. Good luck and good hunting. Your friend in Jersey

Fellows, This is a picture of the first boar I shot because it was to hard for me to wait until deer season once I began handgun hunting. If you can put a few bucks away this is a perfect way to gain that confidence that was mentioned in the previous posts (as long as you don`t mind hunting behind a fence). All the meat is yours so things balance out in the end. Lets not forget the young lady`s video using her 9mm....

Another way is not to wait for a buck and shoot a doe. You can tell this is long ago because I used my pre-muzzle brake 454 and the scope was a Redfield 2-6X. The wound is the exit on a 1/4 toward me shot... Handgun those does.....

Many years ago I popped a squirrel with a 357 mag Blckhawk at about fifty yards, more so out of luck than talent.
This fall I hope to take a caribou.

Man o man, who is that youngster? James, you still have the same gusto for life and hunting as you did back then.

One school of thought I have carried into the woods while handgun hunting has been to think like a bow hunter. Which of course I have hunted with a bow all my life as well. It has increased the odds exponentially when it comes to hunting with handguns.

That is the approach I essentially use.

Nuclear,

Nice post. My first was also a fluke. I was antelope hunting with a buddy in CO. He had this new fangled rifle in one of the fast stepping 25 calibers or something with a pricey scope. We spotted a coyote at a watering hole, and I think it was less than fifty yards. I didn't even consider my handgun as it was a 375 JDJ. I just waited for him to take forever to pull the trigger. Yup, he missed clean. The coyote took off, and I whipped up my 375 and snapped off a shot. No time to think about all the "stuff" that had been running through my head, like yours.

Well, I skinned half the coyote (pretty much what was left), as I had an obligation to try and save the hide as it was my first non-bird/bunny kill, and I am not keen on just letting things bigger than prairie dogs just rot or go to scavengers. I had that hide in salt at my house for a long time, before I finally gave up on on ;^) No hide, no fur ruff, nothing but a big confidence booster.

Craig

well said James, and thanks!

Lots of practice of course will help in the confidence department. something I need to do more of myself!

Thanks for all the support, guys. I don't think you have to worry about me getting hooked: I already am.

It will happen. One day you will wake up and realize that you have no ideal how many deer you have killed with a handgun. You can't make it happen you just have to let it happen. reflex264

Weez, Its great that you witnessed exactly what a 41mag is capable of and I can think of no better cartridge for a new handgun hunter to use then the 41. The factory loads are more then enough for deer and boar and to me the kick is less them a 44 in equal size revolvers... A S&W 657-5 in .41mag....

I have to admit I had a great season last year . But the year before not so much. I was overly cautious passed on slam dunk shots I could have made with a rifle... bow... bb gun. I made mistakes in not proper position , cocked hammer when deer were to close spooking them, after a single miss my confidence dumped annd I filled tags with the rifle. Last year I left the rifle in the safe and committed to the blackhawk. For me everything fell into place. Practice practice and practice some more. I shot over 500 rds 44 mag 1000 rds 45 acp 1000 rds of 22 and I bought a pump up crossman handgun to thump on tree rats getting into my feeders. All practice and confidence building. Im up too 8 tree rats 3 rabbits 2 fat doe. To be honest my gramps gave me some advice back when I started hunting... they aint gonna shoot them selves.

Something else I have done for the past 20 some odd years is to carry 2 handguns. I have always carried a revolver, mostly my SSK modified Ruger 44 mag and my contender in 6.5 jdj. Both guns have added up to more white tails then I can remember and several nice boar in several states. The combination has allowed me to cover all ranges from close to far. And definitely don't get frustrated when you miss. I have been with plenty of rifle hunters who were good shots and watched them miss what I thought would have been an easy kill with the contender. One such person was a retired Marine sniper. He hasn't lived that day down yet and that was 10 years ago. Lol.

Im hoping for my first this fall

When I decided to go with a handgun, I did not bring my rifle with me at all. It was handgun or bust.
I do not hunt with a revolver that much, but several years ago I decided I would hunt both antelope and mule deer with a revolver (instead of a specialty pistol). Had a lot of fun doing that.

I sort of get into bow hunting mode when I hunt with a revolver.
Hang in there, be patient, and practice as much as you can from field shooting positions.

l am after my ''first'' handgun kill for this century too. A long dry spell of thirty plus years is what l must overcome..My interest came hen IHMSA first came about in the 70s..l shot it and as a natural extension l took my Smith 44 deer hunting one season..0ver the next couple yrs l killed a half dozen deer w/my 44...Then we lost our IHMSA range and with it my practice range too..Fast forward to 2010 the IHMSA bug bit me again... Now l want to shoot some MEAT..Not just steel...........

I hear ya. Meat isn't as bad on your teeth!

After awhile, you will sit on some mountain side watching a few deer or elk, draw your pistol, sight in on one and say now the work starts getting all that meat back to camp. Could have had hundreds of animals, mostly waiting for the big one. I may need to trade the pistol for a real nice camera. I have been into catch and release fishing for years with an occasional keeper. That is hard to do with hunting.
I can't say the same with rabbits or chucks. Even though the chucks are getting harder to find, they are still a blast to hunt.

Campbellkids, I always carry a video camera while hunting, and I highly recommend it. It's a fun addition to a hunting trip, especially considering you never know what you might see.

I "hunted" with a handgun for several years before actually taking a deer. I had shot squirrels and groudhogs and other small game but not "big" game. To me the HUNT is much more enjoyable than the actual kill. I am north of 50 now so that is a big part of the matter. When I was younger, I wasn't as particular. My advice would be the same as in other "pursuits" in life, relax and let it happen. Enjoy each moment in the woods or field. MK

Still workin on it! Screwed up on a decent Bull Moose a couple years ago. Tried a handgun hunt for a Dall Sheep last year but could'nt close the gap below 270 yds so my partner shot it with his 270 long gun. Gonna try for black bear if we can get a bait station setup. Headed out in a bit to find a spot to bait. Waitin for my partners call.

EDIT... I guess I have technically killed with a handgun. A few Ptarmigan with my Pastors Single Six. Camp meat!

Oh yeah, that counts; small game are harder to kill anyway!

That's excellent advice. Think like a bowhunter when first starting out with a handgun. Practice as much as you can, and set yourself up for a close-range shot. When I first started hunting in earnest with a handgun, I'd always go to my "bow" stands, since I'd set these up with an expectation of close-range shots.

Practice some more, and get to know your handgun intimately--what load it likes, your maximum distance in various field positions, and how that favored load shoots at all distances (for example, I know I'm a lousy shot with a little flinching problem from youth that I've never quite gotten over, and generally I won't even attempt any offhand, unsupported shot beyond 30 yards). Knowing exactly where the bullet will go, in any field position, at any range, is a huge confidence booster.

Start with small game. It's quite the challenge, the game is abundant and seasons are long which makes for excellent practice, learning your limits, and building confidence in your abilities, and if you're successful, it makes a great meal.

On missing the shot--strive to make a clean kill with the first, but if you don't connect, don't worry about it. Just mentally collect yourself and put the next one where it has to go. I've watched plenty of whitetails that either were not the intended target or were first-round misses that just simply go to high-alert mode ("freeze and observe"), which usually makes for a fine second-round target as long as you don't fidget around and blow your position. As an example, a few seasons ago I had a buck chase a doe by my stand. I got into shooting position when I first saw them. She stopped about 30 yards out, with the buck about 45 yards. I dropped the hammer on the buck first, intending to shoot only him. I watched him stumble off some 20 yards, and when he fell over, I noticed the doe still standing there, just watching the buck. I had a doe tag and very little re-adjustment to do for the second shot, and so drew the hammer back a second time and put her down where she stood. Granted, if I made some major movement adjustment or made noise while setting up for shot #2, I'm sure she would've bolted, but the point is, game doesn't always run to the next county on the first shot.

Jump in feet-first and leave the rifles at home. Like anything worth doing in life, commit yourself to it, and success will follow shortly behind.

Why don't you consider heading to Wilderness Lodge with LABRAT and I this fall? We will be chasing hogs. We usualy try to do this after deer season but things just kept happening and we had to put it off. We spot and stalk them. They have 16000 acres to hunt now so you really are hunting them. Good accomidations as well. They have a processer on sight. We know a mud hole that if all else fails you can set on and within a hour or two you will see hogs. reflex264

+1 on wilderness. I've been there twice. Last year, I took a hog there with my 41 Blackhawk at around 6 yds. A handgun hog hunt is a great way to start out. I've taken 2 hogs with handguns so far. The other one was with a 44 super Blackhawk. Now I need to get a deer.

Yep it is a great stepping stone to a deer. I started killing deer. I don't even have a clue how many by handgun now. It just happens that way. The hogs are as just plain fun--until they charge! It can happen. It has happend but it teaches you to shoot fast. ;-)

it will happen
Took me years to get a whitetail.
I have two under my belt and hope many more to come.
Ive always love the short gun style of hunting.
Next I want a squirrel pistol.

I need to get a squirrel pistol at some point. Our farm is overrun with them, and our squirrel season runs from the end of August to the end of February.

Still after my first. In fact, I just got back about an hour ago from a hog hunt. My buddy was several hundred yards behind me and connected(rifle). I didn't have squat show up. But I am keeping the hope alive. Had my bisley 44 ready....it just wasn't my time.

You know, I admire some of you for your dedication and perseverance.

For the next 2.5 months I'll be agonizing over whether or not to handgun or rifle hunt for sheep this year. I could have had another one last year with my rifle. But, if I don't handgun hunt for Dall Sheep I'll never get one!

That is true.



Use those next 2.5 months to practice hard out to that 250 yd. mark for your upcoming hunt, and the choice will be easy.



That it is. I've never had an opportunity to pursue sheep; being a lifelong member of the once-vaunted American "middle class", I probably never will. Nonetheless, there is no question that if I were ever so lucky to participate in such a hunt, a bow or a handgun would be my companion.