Posted By: wvhitman
West Virginia Handgun Slam - 12/22/2019 3:29 PM
I coined this term in 2005 when I killed the four most commonly hunted animals in West Virginia- squirrel, turkey, bear, deer, all with a handgun. I couldn't find anyone else that had done it, so I felt very fortunate. Figured I'd never do it again, because one of these animals usually hard to do with the others. Usually it's a turkey or bear.
I still tried for a repeat. I did that in 2007. A 3 peat?? Yeah, in 2013. I figured that was it. No way could it be done 4 times. This year turned out to be really strange in difficulty getting these animals, but I did it again! 4 peat! Wow!
Squirrels were rather easy. Went to my farm on a warm Sept. day and got 5 with my Quiet Gun- Ruger MKIII, suppressed, 38 gr. CCI suppressed segmented HPs
Next came fall bear season. I have this honey hole farm where I'd taken 5 bears the last 7 years. They come off the mountain, cross a river, cross high grass, then a road, then go to the corn. I sat behind large hay bales and watched this road. The first 6 days I saw 3 bears and one giant coyote cross the road. They were all to fast to get a shot at. That was 6 hours a day with no action. I figured the last day would be a wash. It was the first 5 hrs. and 50 minutes. I was ready to leave. I unloaded my gun, but took one last look at the river. Bear! I quickly reloaded and waited for him to cross the road. When he did, my .375/.284 XP, 250 gr. Lehigh Chaos, hit him at 144 yds. He dropped, then rolled in the high grass. I couldn't find him in the dark, but did the next morning just 7 yds. from where he was hit. A nice 200# boar taken from the hay bales in the background
Next was turkey season. I got more intense thinking the slam was possible. I went to 4 farms with no luck. Finally, one of the farmers called and had seen turkeys 2 days in a row. I went, set up, all camoed. After 2 hours a dozen turkeys came around the mountain. There was no gobblers, so I picked out the biggest hen. 110 yds.FA .454 (my turkey gun), 260 gr. Speer Mag HP. The 15# hen was glued to the ground. See the broken wing. That's where you shoot them and not ruin meat
Now, I just needed a deer. I'd noticed I was seeing fewer deer daily as I bow hunted my farm. On the first day of buck season there were only 4 shots in the big valley my farm was in. That was not normal. For the 13 days of buck season I did not see a single horn! By mid season I was willing to shoot any deer. One day was brutal: 20-25 mph sustained winds, 35-40 mph gusts. Dumb me went out, at least in my blind. A dumb doe walked out 124 yds. from my blind, feeding. .325 WSM XP, 180 gr. Nosler BST. The clean up was brutal, but I had the slam.
It still bothered me that I hadn't taken a buck. I'd never been skunked in 44 years in the Potomac Highlands. So, I decided to muzzleload hunt with my CVA Optima .50 cal. handgun. Too cold to hunt the first 3 days. Got skunked on day #4. Day #5 I was in the blind on my farm. It's set up for 125-400 yd. shots. Not the best for my gun. After 3 1/2 hrs. of setting I saw nothing, so I started packing up to leave. Just one last look. Horns! Whoa. It was a good size bodied buck, but only 3 points. I'd just put an old Simmons 2 1/2-7X scope on this gun. It shot 3" at 100. This deer was at 114 yds. I fired. He wobbled a few steps and dropped. The 350 gr. HP did it's job. Now I had a real WV Handgun Slam
That was the most I'd hunted to get the slam. I guess the theme this year was PERCERVERANCE. Every time I was ready to give up I stuck it out a little longer.
Will I get another slam? I doubt it (well, maybe).
I still tried for a repeat. I did that in 2007. A 3 peat?? Yeah, in 2013. I figured that was it. No way could it be done 4 times. This year turned out to be really strange in difficulty getting these animals, but I did it again! 4 peat! Wow!
Squirrels were rather easy. Went to my farm on a warm Sept. day and got 5 with my Quiet Gun- Ruger MKIII, suppressed, 38 gr. CCI suppressed segmented HPs
Next came fall bear season. I have this honey hole farm where I'd taken 5 bears the last 7 years. They come off the mountain, cross a river, cross high grass, then a road, then go to the corn. I sat behind large hay bales and watched this road. The first 6 days I saw 3 bears and one giant coyote cross the road. They were all to fast to get a shot at. That was 6 hours a day with no action. I figured the last day would be a wash. It was the first 5 hrs. and 50 minutes. I was ready to leave. I unloaded my gun, but took one last look at the river. Bear! I quickly reloaded and waited for him to cross the road. When he did, my .375/.284 XP, 250 gr. Lehigh Chaos, hit him at 144 yds. He dropped, then rolled in the high grass. I couldn't find him in the dark, but did the next morning just 7 yds. from where he was hit. A nice 200# boar taken from the hay bales in the background
Next was turkey season. I got more intense thinking the slam was possible. I went to 4 farms with no luck. Finally, one of the farmers called and had seen turkeys 2 days in a row. I went, set up, all camoed. After 2 hours a dozen turkeys came around the mountain. There was no gobblers, so I picked out the biggest hen. 110 yds.FA .454 (my turkey gun), 260 gr. Speer Mag HP. The 15# hen was glued to the ground. See the broken wing. That's where you shoot them and not ruin meat
Now, I just needed a deer. I'd noticed I was seeing fewer deer daily as I bow hunted my farm. On the first day of buck season there were only 4 shots in the big valley my farm was in. That was not normal. For the 13 days of buck season I did not see a single horn! By mid season I was willing to shoot any deer. One day was brutal: 20-25 mph sustained winds, 35-40 mph gusts. Dumb me went out, at least in my blind. A dumb doe walked out 124 yds. from my blind, feeding. .325 WSM XP, 180 gr. Nosler BST. The clean up was brutal, but I had the slam.
It still bothered me that I hadn't taken a buck. I'd never been skunked in 44 years in the Potomac Highlands. So, I decided to muzzleload hunt with my CVA Optima .50 cal. handgun. Too cold to hunt the first 3 days. Got skunked on day #4. Day #5 I was in the blind on my farm. It's set up for 125-400 yd. shots. Not the best for my gun. After 3 1/2 hrs. of setting I saw nothing, so I started packing up to leave. Just one last look. Horns! Whoa. It was a good size bodied buck, but only 3 points. I'd just put an old Simmons 2 1/2-7X scope on this gun. It shot 3" at 100. This deer was at 114 yds. I fired. He wobbled a few steps and dropped. The 350 gr. HP did it's job. Now I had a real WV Handgun Slam
That was the most I'd hunted to get the slam. I guess the theme this year was PERCERVERANCE. Every time I was ready to give up I stuck it out a little longer.
Will I get another slam? I doubt it (well, maybe).
