When I was young (~8) my brother bought a SRH 44 mag with a 2x Leupold. I was in awe of this gun! I had never even considered hunting with a handgun. My father, until now has always considered handguns as dangerous and only for ccw usage. Fast forward to age 22 I was living in a bad area and our lease became infested with hogs. I bought my first handgun, a 3" sp101 in 357. I taught myself how to use it and could shoot the rig really well to 25yds.

We had a new member at the lease who was very new to hunting and wanted to expose his son to the outdoors the way the boy-scouts had exposed him. We welcomed him with open arms.
He let his son shoot their first deer, a gut shot doe taken at about 40 yds. He asks me to help him track it, I say yes on the condition that I am the only one carrying a gun. ( inexperienced hunters + guns + 3 people in a small area + emotions = BAD THINGS) I carry the 357 to put the doe down in case she was still alive. When I found her she was very much still alive and bedded down 35 yds in front of me. I asses the location of the other two people and tell them I am going to put her down. Thinking that a 35yd shot with a relative snub nose was a relative to a hail mary at the time, I closed in. Approaching 11 yds she jumps up, entrails dragging, and begins to run to my left. I draw, thumb the hammer, center the front sight forward on her front shoulder, and break through the trigger. She drops like a hammer. You could not ask for a more perfect hit.
The father, while a inexperienced hunter, had shot handguns extensively; watched the scene take place. He walks up to me slightly scared of me considering how quickly I had made my decisions and killed the animal. This was the first kill he had witnessed; we all know how that first effects us. He was absolutly shocked that I was able to shoot at that distance and at a moving target. I explained that while I may not be the best paper puncher at the range, shooting at hair is a different ball of wax.

We all exchange high 5's and keep his son excited about his first deer, and proceed to the pictures. I am more proud of helping that young man get his first deer than any deer I have claimed myself.

Son kills first deer
Man watched his son kill his first deer.
I finish the deer for my first handgun deer.

Lots of memories and lots of firsts that day.

K22, I tried to wear this gun out but, never got the job done.

Steve