This goes along with my percentage post. All to satisfy my own curiousity. Why do you handgun hunt? Greater challenge? Easy packing?

For me it just feels right. I have never really felt challenged or handicapped by a short barreled gun when chasing game. Anyone that has hog hunted the mountains can really appreciate the ease of carrying a handgun vs. a bow or rifle. Deer hunting from tree stands there is simply nothing more natural. My gun stays holstered to climb the tree then once settled on stand I pull out what ever I am carrying that day and all is right with the world. I have had some real exciting moments with handguns on stand.

So what is it that compels you to carry a handgun? reflex264

I'm just getting into handgun hunting, but the reason is for ease of carry. I don't like a bunch of stuff in my hands, etc. I used to hunt public land, but recently have been blessed with acess to a private farm, but I still like the ease of carrying a handgun vs. a bow/rifle. I do still carry a bow/rifle, but the facination with handgun hunting is so much greater. I'm constantly on the lookout for another handgun. Kind of making me crazy! It's awesome

Easy answer. Because I flat out enjoy it. Got a deer with my Encore last year & enjoyed it so much I gave 2 of my 3 rifles to my kids. Kept 1 for nostalgia. Might accidently hunt with it....someday......way down the road.

I started with small game with a S&W 22A, and really enjoyed it, although it was sometimes hard to leave my bow at home. Getting close to game is something I really like doing whether with a handgun or a bow. I feel its about the same other than capacity. This maybe the first year I hunt anything big with a handgun, but will likely come down to how well my deer season goes, if I have a tag left come the late antlerless season then the does better watch out, I'll carry my revolver then, I will also be carrying it while calling predators. Like I said its all about getting as close as possible to the game.

First of all... It's just plain cool :-)

No really though, I enjoy it because of the challenge of getting closer, the ease of carrying (PA mountain laurel thickets don't like rifles), and the appeal of the revolver itself.

I also enjoy helping other guys get their first deer. Having a handgun allows me to hunt, but makes it easier if I have to drive or help drag deer out.

The challenge and a love of handguns in general. I find shooting a rifle to be pretty boring for the most part and it's damn hard to find a rifle that shoots as well as a couple of my pistols so I don't feel handicapped in any way.

For me the gun came first. A buddy brought over a S&W 357 mag and I loved it. A year later I came across a great deal on a 686. After a lot of shooting, I figured out that at short range I could put 6 handloads in the same size group as 6 factory loads from my scoped 30/30. Since I only have access to hunting these distances I had to try it.

Ease of carry and the added challenge only really became apparent to me once I got started.

I'm still new, but I'm planning on using my mark III for squirrel season, I've added a 44 RSBH to the collection, and I'm likely getting another short gun in the spring. Maybe a TC.

Now to repeat my 1 shot 1 kill on opening day of deer season with the 44.

I love bowhunting. I hate blood-trailing. Thus, the handgun...

I have always had a love of the handgun, pure and simple. I do have one rifle left, the first one I bought with my own money, but it doesn't have the alure it once did. Shortguns rule.

I am a hunter of many species but primarily a houndsman at heart and my preference is black bears. I have always kind of dabbled with the handguns but the "deciding factor" was the sand ridge. Now I know that doesn't tell most of you anything but it is the worst place I have ever set foot in. Everything is crawling thick and more than 85% of the vegetation bites back. Sometimes it is easier to try to walk on top of it than to go through with it. But we nicknamed it hell. After whit's introduction to the place he said "I don't know whether to thank you or hate you",but he was up to the challenge and willing to go back, many have went into this area once and never returned.

because I can strap on my belt holster or use my shoulder rig and walk around all day with my hands free not carrying 9 or 10 ibs. around ,can go sit by a tree enjoying Gods creation and when the moment comes, pull out my short barreled gun and put all the power needed right behind the shoulder of my game,and just like Gary said ,I just plain love handguns!-john

I will second that.

“Because anything else would just be uncivilized…”

Seriously, I like to hunt out of trees and have found that it is easy to use a shortgun. That started almost 20 years ago… LOL


Edit:
LOL, I always had my bow stand up and running a month ahead of time. On the 1st day of rifle season it seemed like there was something that still needed to be worked on at the box blind. So I just found myself hunting with a rifle out of my bow stand. After shooting 2 deer and a coyote left handed, I am right handed, I started taking my TC 14in 7-30 Waters. (Do you know what it is like shooting a RH flint lock LF handed? Umm… Ya….) The next trip out I shot a 8 point at 25 yards. After that I just keep grabbing the short gun.

X2 TCTex

The challenge and thrill of of an exciting handgun hunt is hard to beat.

Because I suck at golf.

The challenge for sure, and it"s nice to have both hands free, rifles and shotguns are to easy.

Because I hunted 6 full days last gun season and saw three deer. Since red rider bb guns are not allowed, the short gun made the most sense. I wanted a new challenge and a handgun wears me out less than a scoped shotgun. The only method in Ohio I don't have a buck with.

My state had a hundgun only deer season. Now handguns are allowed during all firearm deer seasons less the black powder season.

I feel handgun hunting is more challenging than hunting with a long gun.

I just love the challenge. I found picking up the rifle did not give me the shakes anymore. When you quit getting that buck fever you need to change something.

It's y'alls fault!! I have always enjoyed shooting handguns, and came across this website early 2011. Got interested, got a new 44, got some time in the woods with it last year, got a deer with it, got hooked for good!! No joke, its a better challenge, and much more pleasant to carry than dragging a rifle thru the woods. I enjoy the lighter load, and the ease of climbing trees without a rifle.

I got burned out on archery. I did the tournaments, I worked in a bow shop, and I bow hunted for the first 24 years of my hunting career. I got tired of it, so I thought I would try something new. Used a rifle the following season, and within three hours of opening morning, I had my buck and bull down within 200 yards of each other. That was just to easy.

Wanted something else, so looked at black powder. Black powder here in Colorado is WAAAAAY to regulated for me, so I kept looking. Then I was introduced to handgun hunting, picked up a 460 smith and wesson revolver, got a buck, and the rest is history!!

Because when I strap on one shoulder holester with my TC 45/70 and the other shoulder holester with my Ruger mkII also scoped then my belt holester with my 44 mag blackhawk I'm ready for anything I come across in a day of rambling the woods. Mostly though I look COOL. LOL

Oh Lord, you've got that right! I have been through tripple canopy jungle all over Southeast Asia, and it doesn't come close to this God-forsaken piece of eastern North Carolina real estate. Cottonstalk is right, it'll either make you stronger, or break your back and your will. I am not exagerating.

It took us almost three hours to negotiate less than two-hundred yards. Believe me when I tell you that you don't want to be toting a rifle in that mess.

I love handguns.

I just love handguns!

I have said on here before that it all started for me with a model 1858 Remington black powder six shooter. But, for me it truly started sometime around 1970 , when a neighbor use to let me use his CO2 BB pistol that was fashioned like a German Luger. I grew up on the edge of the Everglades and boy a kid with a repeater bb pistol could spend the day hunting frogs turtles snakes fish and anything else that crawled swam or flew. When I got a little older he leant me his ruger MK I. Boy that was it for me. When I got to college I purchased the 1858 kit and spent my free time building and learning to shoot it. To this day it was one of the more accurate handguns I ever owned. Stoked with 35 grains of GOEX 4F powder, it was a pretty formidable handgun. I took snowshoe hares, sage grouse, blue grouse and an untold number of prairie dogs and even a few coyotes. That was over 30 years ago and for me I have almost excluesively hunted with a handgun since. After working all summer after my first year of college I had enough to buy a used Ruger super Blackhawks in 44 mag. Sorry I ever sold that one.
I guess watching all those westerns growing up I naturally gravitated to handguns. And once I experienced my first harvest with the black powder gun it sealed my fate forever.

Alot easier to drag a deer and carry a holsered pistol, then a shotgun or rifle, lol..

Because I read John Taffin, Skeeter Skelton. Bob Milek and now Max Prasac! When the first 7post point buck did his little OS! Backflip. I was hooked! I am now putting togther my season roster. Such fun! I really appreciate it! . Mingokid.

Well my curiousity was right. We are all just a little nuts. There isn't any hunting like strapping on a pistola and hitting the woods. reflex264

To shoot animals....

Haha!! Amen to that, James!

I've never been able shoot a long gun as well as a handgun. My first gun was a bolt action Mossberg 20ga. I think it cost $40. It took care of barn pests. Then I traded an adding machine for a parts, luger at a pawn shop. That was all it took. I shot that luger for thousands of rounds. I never had to work too hard at being accurate with it. Then a .357, then a .44, lots of .22's and I found that handgun hunting was a "calmer" activity than rifle hunting. If I hunted with a rifle, I always felt on edge, in some way. That probably doesn't make a lot of sense to others. It is hard to describe, any other way. Maybe that's what others here mean when they say that they just "like it better"

Think you might have something there, ennis.

And, welcome to HH

WHY I handgun hunt:

just 'cuz...

or

I like it...

or

it's more difficult...

or

it's what I am...

or

it's legal yet defiant...

or

it feels natural...

or

"I like it better..."

JMHO's

Ok. Ok, OKKK...!

IF I had to put it into only ONE word; that could and would summarize ALL of my above responses; I would simply say:

AMAZING

But that's just My Humble Opinion; ie: 1 cent worth.

After I got into long range rifle shooting, 600 and 1000yds benchrest, shooting a deer at less than 200 yds ( as far as I can shoot on my place)is just too easy, I was just waiting for a big one. I carried handguns with my rifle, but have not killed any thing. Last year was my first deer season with a handgun ( did not get anything). I am ready to shoot anything big or small. Handgun hunting has fired me back up for deer hunting.

Mark

recoil and muzzle-blast

For me...it's because I like it!!!
I have rifles and don't shoot them that much.
I'm first a traditional bowhunter and I love that.
I really started getting into handgun hunter because I've have 1 shoulder surgery and 2 elbow surgeries.....ie, NO BOWHUNTING!
I don't feel like I've handicapped myself.
It's still the chase and it's still the stalk!
It doesn't matter if I'm carryin my 6.5x284 Encore or my 45Colt Blackhawk.
Ask yourself...
If it ain't fun....why the hell are you doing it???

Got tired the animal being just out of bow range.

Wow! Amazing answer.

Do ya see that, JFJ?

Your friend, Gregg