What happened on my first mule deer handgun hunt has to be shared with you guys. First, I was very lucky to get this buck in New Mexico with a handgun. Second, it took two shots... As the guide and I were sitting at sunset in a box blind, all types of mule deer came out to graze. My buck walked out and I put the crosshair on him and followed. I could not keep a tight grip on my FA`s 41 mag as I would get a shake so I loosened the grip and continued to track him. He finally stopped at a ranged 100yds.
and I put the sight on his shoulder and squeezed. The 210gr Swift A-frame bullet fired from a heavy AA#9 powder charge and clocked at 1641fps, missed and hit high and left of my point of aim. The buck ran to my right and the guide gave his best doe call that stopped him at 90 yards. I re-cocked my single action and threw the crosshair on his shoulder, squeezed the trigger, and was rewarded with the sound of a hit and seeing the back legs kick out. He ran 30 yards and dropped. Thinking back to my missed shot I remember a perfect sight picture but have to say that my grip was not as tight as it should have been. So after 30 years of handgun hunting I learned last week to make sure my grip is tight when pulling the trigger on game. As to the terminal effect of my second shot, I can say the 210gr A-frame took out the top of the heart and destroyed both lungs and exited. Not bad performance from a 41 mag on a 230lb mule deer at 90 yards......
PS- The gun was rested on a leather sandbag that I have used for years which eliminates the idea of the gun kicking off of a hard surface.

It doesn't take much to make a big difference, especially off bags or a rest as you aren't holding the weight of the gun. Congrat's on a great buck my friend. Story has a happy ending ;-)

Great lesson for all.

Awesome buck James, congratulations!

I'm glad you had such a good hunt buddy & congrats on handgunning such a nice buck!

Good job and another great story.

Nice buck and very cool story James!

Well done, and congrats

Congratulations Buddy!!! That's an awesome trophy!

What a stud! Congrats

congrats nice

Awesome buck!!! Huge congrats!!! What part of New Mexico were you hunting? My very first hunt ever was chasing mulies with my dad on Mcgregor Range. reflex264

That's a great Muley, James!

That's a great one, James!

I was hoping you'd share the story. I saw your pics on the BB. That is a dandy mulie, and I most certainly would have spaced my grip, as I was trying to steady my knees ;^)

I hope you were not in unit 52 or 53, as if that was the case, you missed my house, suds and a meal........

Craig

James, first off what an awesome buck, congrats. When it comes to the grip on handguns i concur hole heartily. The heavier the round, the more important the grip becomes.

Hey friend
What a handsome dude! I mean the mulie...lol
As a woman handgun huntress, how we hold the gun is very important.
Thanks for sharing a great lesson for us all

James, when you sent the picture I was in my deer stand. I was hoping your good fortune would rub off on me. No deer for me but a real beaut for you. Congrats buddy. Awesome buck.

Nice buck james. Good story and i love the honesty. It was a btter ending than my touch off the trigger as i was resettling my gun on the bags and blowing a 30 yard shot on an impala. It happens.

Very nice buck. Well done.

Good buddy, Congrats and WTG.

Gregg

Great job James. You get to play in neat places.....

Congratulations, James! Nicely done! If you hunt enough, stuff like this happens. Whenever someone starts a statement with "I never" it indicates to me that they don't have much experience. Stuff happens, you corrected, and then when the dust settled, you collected a beautiful mulie -- well done!