WHY do YOU hunt with a handgun?

I will add my few pennies worth after I hear from you folks...

Or Just View The Pics and Imagine the Feelings...



Best,

Gregg Richter

That's a pretty fine history you have there. Nice. Kinda reminds me of some of the old Bob Milek pics.

I guess I hunt with them for the new challenge. I've killed deer and antelope with a bow and a rifle and elk with a rifle. Time to try it with something new and see how good I can get without the extra wood on the back.

Thank you rlb, sir.

That is an honor; I remember when I called Mr. Bob Milek and talked to him about his ".30 Herret." And then I ordered one!

Well from what I've seen on here from you, you are one of the few with my utmost respect.

I wish I could have sat down and just visited with MR. Milek for an evening.

Never sat down and put it to words before.A Skeeter Shelton article got me my .45 long colt,Bob MIleK wrote articles that inspired me,as did Elmer Keith .Elgin Gates got me interested in silhouette shooting .They were all influences,but I guess pure desire on my part, to see if I could get close enough and hold it together long enough to kill animals cleanly.It dosent matter if its a squirrel deer groundhog or coyote,the adrenalin is the same,when its not it will be time to hang them up.SO I guess a desire to try something I Loved, handgun shooting,on a new level.

I've had a thing for handguns ever since I can remember, I guess it's the cowboy in me which is why I stick with my single actions. I get the itch now and again for Contenders and when it's scratched I sell them and buy more single actions or parts and tooling to convert them. Since my numerous surgeries I've also really come to appreciate not have to lug around a 8 to 10 pound rifle and it gives me more of a sense of accomplishment to use a handgun over a rifle.

In a nutshell, it's more challenging than sitting in a stand with a scoped rifle, shooting deer at 75 yards....... I love that I can holster my primary hunting tool and not have to lug something around that seems to get in the way of everything. I have also found that my big revolvers are not giving anything up to my "high powered" rifles, and actually seem to put game down faster -- as long as I do my part. There's more, but it's early and I only have a half a cup of coffee in my system.......

No big game with handguns yet, but I've done a ton of small game hunting with them. This particular little pistol has accounted for squirrel, rabbit and one fox. I don't often carry a camera. My rimfire pistols are all blooded on small game. I've put away my long guns now so deer are next in line.

Dan

Well.... it all began when I was a kid and Dad had me sitting on his knee. He held the 44 S&W tight and I would pull the trigger. That was a rush!!!!! That big black shinny gun is still in my mind to this day. Dad passed when I was young and the gun went to an uncle, never to be seen again. During my youth I used a 22 and an old shotgun for my hunting. I tried to keep our farm and the neighboring farms clear of charlies. All my buddies bought fancy rifles with big scopes. They would chide me about the 22 and old shotgun. They told me I needed a fancy rifle to do better. When all things were totaled in the fall I had more than 3 times the charlies than they did. When they were off doing other things I was in the woods and fields hunting.

When I was old enough I got my first handgun. I practiced all summer long and took two deer that fall. I was hooked. It felt like it did when I was a kid, doing more with less. The challenge, the practice, the commitment, the success, and that feeling of accomplishment. So to answer your question "WHY do YOU hunt with a handgun?"

TOTAL SATISFACTION!

Great answer, Tigger!

Enjoying the thread and posted replies.

No handguns in my family background, not even a bow hunter till I screamed my way onto this rock.

I shot a 178lb 8 point the first hour of the first day we COULD hunt with handguns. A Smith model 29 out of a tree stand with iron sites. Pretty cool!!

I shot a few more with a Python then contenders then went totally traditional bowhunting for some time. It's still right up there on my "I just gotta do this" list.

Shot a lot of varmints with centerfire rifles but grew bored there too after a while.

When I lost my "killer spot" where I had hunted 32 years and could about tell you what deer was gonna be where and when, I found myself taking back seat hunting all the other areas, where permission could be gained at all, to the other hunters already hunting that area.

I consider it "bad form" crowding other hunters even if they don't plus I simply don't WANT others around me for the obvious multiple reasons.

It has put me out away from cover further than normal and LOTS of deer meander around at 150 yards or more where most here wont shoot at em.

I sat there last fall watching a parade of deer crossing one field and realized they WERE in SP range if I would train myself for it and do my homework.

So yep, I'm a "newbie" to SP hunting but in a short week of owning one........IM HOOKED!!

A kind soul here is helping me re-set up with some affordable reloading equipment and I'm looking forward to a summer of fun practicing and working loads.

This is the FIRST TIME in my almost 58 years I'll be looking forward to FIREARM season more so than archery!!

I must say I'm envious of those of you that have a family history and training using them. As I was with traditional archery, I'm on my own BUT....since the "invention" of the internet..........I now have YOU guys, and very much appreciate that added bonus.

So I guess my reply would be "It's a "new" way to add an additional way to hunt whitetail that happens to fit the bill in my area, and ,of course, more personal challenge". (I'll be "different" from most here too. ONE PERCENT of the deer harvested in IN for 2009 was with a handgun.)

COWBOYS!!!!My dad always watched westerns and I loved them.I plinked on very few occasions before joining the military.At bootcamp I became aware I could shoot pretty good with a handgun.I carried a 357 for years while rifle hunting,but an old friend I coon hunted with began the obsession,Hal Swigget nursed it,Elmers books fed it and ALOT of you guys served it up.For that I thank you from the depths of my soul,my wife and check book not so much.Hahahahahaha

Grew up with handguns. Being pre '68 GCA' I always had access to handguns and folks who were hunters and shooters. I use rifles and shotguns still, but more often than not I go to the handgun because it's light, handy, and out of the way til you need it.

I have to go with Tig and say my Dad was a big influence. He was a big TC advocate and I just fell in love with them, go figure right. I bought my first Contender at the age of 16. It was a super 14 in 7-30 Waters. The next deer season I climbed in my bow stand and took it with me. Opening morning I shot an 8 point at 0730. When we got back to camp the other hunters looked at my Dad and said, “nice deer.” My Dad had bit of satisfaction telling them that I shot it. I was hooked.

Keeping it short and sweet.............I'm just fascinated with handguns. I don't look at shooting and hunting with them as a challenge or more sporting. They are what I like!

My thoughts exactly! I started hunting with'em in 1988 and exclusivley in 1990. I dot't own any hunting rifles so my hardest decision is "which handgun" today.

No history of handguns in our family except for an old 1911 my grandfather had.
Always had a fascination with handguns.
Bought my first one at 22 years old, and started hunting with them almost exclusively in 1986.
Like the challenge and the uniqueness.

Part of my reason is similar to Rod. My feet, back and bum shoulder don't like to carry 8-10 lbs. of gun up and down the hill.

I think the challenge part has a great deal to do with it also. My biggest problem now is just getting started!!

Finally got our house sold and the weather is warming, so I should be able to get out there and pick a revolver and get to it. NO MORE EXCUSES, HUH?!

I really have no idea why I do an reinactment of Deion Sanders/Billy Whiteshoes Johnson endzone celebration dance everytime I harvest a whitetail with my handcannon. I just do. Heck, there's your answer!

I had no background with handguns. My father did not like them. He owned 2 guns, a 22 rifle & a M94 Winchester. He did not believe he needed more (and he did not). I hunted with rifles exclusively until about 15 yrs ago.

A close friend was "into" hunting with handguns. He insisted that I buy a couple & go on a handgun only hunt and shoot. I was not excited about it, but I took his advice and purchased a S&W M657 and a contender in 6.5 JDJ. My limited experience shooting handguns made it difficult for me to believe that I wanted to use one on a game animal.

After spending the summer shooting these two, I was hooked. I went on the hunt that fall & saw the 6.5 drop one easily. I have not used a rifle for hunting since. I used the contender for about 3 yrs, and its efficiency caused my to change to the revolvers. It was sorta like shooting a short barreled rifle. By that time I had acquired a Freedom's 454 and a 41. I have used the FA revolvers (those and others) on every big game hunt since.

The reason is the additional challenge and the uniqueness of being a "handgun hunter." As most of you are aware, the uninitiated are in awe of someone who will use a "handgun" for big game hunting. They do not appreciate the effectiveness of these tools. Single shots have more range and are more forgiving than are revolvers. I am past the stage of life where just shooting (killing) an animal gives me a thrill. But when I make a good shot with a revolver, the satisfaction is still there.

I love single action revolvers. I have since I was 12 years old. Maybe its because I seen them as a right of passage into manhood, or my ticket into the higher ranks of fellow hunters, ... even though I feel I haven't harvested enough critters to deserve that elite rank. My father's only handgun was his Ruger Super Blackhawk, it was blued, scoped, and had custom wood grips, and a handmade leather holster. Im not sure how he swindled enough money from his paycheck to aquire these extras? He only got $20. a week from my stepmother! During long car rides with just him & I, hunting was always the topic. And the way he praised that gun, I knew it had to be something special. So when I turned 18 I bought my own.
Handling a fine single action, you notice the weight, and the balance, ... listen to the crisp "clicks" from the cylinder gracefully twirling, the way the thing functions flawlessly. Its just a fine example of a perfectly crafted tool that will withstand the test of time. Like a Zippo lighter.
I love spending time outdoors, away from everything, and having a Ruger Single Action revolver on my hip. This is when I am the happiest, and fits my own definition of FREEDOM!

WHY do YOU hunt with a handgun?

It all started for me real young. My dad was a coon hunter, it was like a religion at our home. My dad let me shoot a coon out on the dogs when I was 7 years old. From that day on I've been huntin nut and hooked on all guns forever. Though it all started with an old 22 single shot I was really crazy about the SA revolvers when I was a kid. Long story short now that I'm older and can afford what I like its the handguns that rule. Handgunnin introduced me to another fine hobby which is reloading. Hand gun ammo is the easiest to reload and alot more fun to shoot and hunt with. By the way I still got that old 22 single shot.

I just flat enjoy playing with/packing handguns.
I also enjoy my Marlin Guide Gun.
I'd like to say it's all about getting close to the game for the challenge, but that's really not true. If it were I'd only use my longbow. I just really like the feel & simplicity of a revolver.

Wow! I think your "history of hunting with handguns" explains it and you are a proven master of the short gun. The "RIGHT" handgun carries easily on a day hike, on a horse, or as a handy arm to keep in the truck. I have carried many fine rifles and shotguns (both owned and borrowed) but a handgun has become a closer companion over the years. You holster a handgun, it stays close, is handy, doesn't hamper your freedom of movement and is there when you need it. Yes, it takes more skill, and I am not at the level of other handgun hunters, but you will carry and use the "RIGHT" handgun more often than any other arm and with familiarity and use come proficiency.

When I was a kid I always liked handguns. When I turned 21 I bought my first handgun to deer hunt with and I never looked back. I have owned a few of them including Contenders but my favorite is the wheel gun. My father kind of gave me a hard time about using a handgun to deer hunt with until I brought home my first one with a handgun. Shot it dead right between the eyes.(no lie) Using a handgun offers a challenge like bow hunting,especially when you load your own. It's more meaningful when you score with it. More pride and more joyful.

I come from a long line of hunters. I am the first in my family to bowhunt and handgun hunt. My best deer is a bowkill. I have more handgun kills than any other method. Im not a handgun purist, I like all weapons. Accurate bolt action rifles, pump shotguns, my trusted recurve bow. I favor revolvers but just recently acquired a Contender in 30-30 my current most accurate weapon by the way. I guess my reason for handgun hunting is I just like to do it! I like hunting the hard way! I dont hunt for the kill. I just love to hunt! I like handguns more than any other weapon.

I did not grow up with a hunting father. My dad landed a couple days after the D Day landing. When the war in Europe was over him and one other guy were the only ones out of his entire company who originally landed that were still there. (That is 2 out of around 115 not replaced) If you saw Band of Brothers you know where he was at. He did not hunt or shoot after the war. I guess he shot all he ever wanted to during the war. After he died we found a Bronze Star and 3 Purple Hearts. By the way he did not talk about WWII much at all, I looked most of this up after he died.
My junior year in high school I bought an 1851 Colt replica in 44. My first handgun 1968 or 1969. I shot it so much that by 1973 almost all the internal parts were Colt replacement parts. I bought a Webley in 45 acp as my first real cartridge handgun. When I got out of the Army in 1973 I went to work as a policeman. I bought my first modern handgun a Browning Hi Power. I soon traded it for a S&W Model 28, which was much more accurate, and powerful. I started reloading and casting bullets for this revolver. I guess that Model 28 is what really set me on the path I have followed for almost 40 years. From 1973 till now I have bought sold and traded Colts and Smith & Wessons to the extent that I have no idea what all I have owned. Most of that time I have owned a 29 or 629. I have owned Contenders since around 1993. I have never switched completely over to handgun hunting. I hunt with muzzleloaders, my 1899 Savage 303, my 30-06 some, and handguns.
I started bowhunting seriously in about 1974 with a compound bow. I switched to recurves exclusively about 15 years ago. Traditional Archery and Handguns Hunting are alot alike. You are limiting your range, and increasing the skill required to make the kill. I like to tree stand hunt with my bow, and tree stand hunting works just fine with a handgun. I had not thought about it till now but I started handgun hunting about the same time I switched to traditional archery equipment. The quality of the hunt is more important than the number of animals harvested.

As a bowhunter, I always loved the close range challenge. Handgun hunting brings that challenge into gun season. However, my Contender can push the range on out a lot. It's nice walking to, from, and climbing up into my stand. It's a blast!

Bob Mellik was also my first tast of handgun hunting. After years of getting used to modern long guns I started getting bored of them, found the ones I needed and they did what I needed them to do... At the time a pie plate at 800yds was a given and it didn't feel interesting. About that time I split in 2 directions, Handguns and muzzleloaders. I found that even though that first shot was most likely going where it needed to be, you still had to wait that split second longer to MAKE sure it did, you only have this one shot, there is no more...

So I sold most of my long guns and bought contenders and muzzleloaders, I really can't say what one I love more. The Contender gives me the modern firearm feel and ease, while the ML's give me that organic flow I love.

Really some good feedback from all of you! There is not much more I could add, as you all have said a part of it for me!

Because I can, and therefore I am ;-)

its a challenge and great joy when you get it done with a hand gun lol ....

'Cuz I luv hunting and I luv handguns so put 'em together and...VOILA!! Happiness!

Plus it blows folk's minds sometimes. LOLOLOL

im a newbie and im all about being differnt.

and to wipe that " you want to do what, WHY " look off my brothers face

Because I can!!

It offers a great challenge to the stalk. I am not a sitter for very long, and you will never catch me in a tree stand. I get my deer or two every year, sometimes three.

I like to woods-walk and catch them trying to find me, or better yet walk up on them unaware of me.

I'm the same way. I can't sit still. A handgun makes for nice walkin'.

Why? Its cause I love handguns and I love the look on the game wardens face as he looks over my revolver. Then asks to see the rifle I shot this elk with.

It is just an awesome feeling to know you have accomplished something that few have, compared to the number of rifle hunters, to call in or stalk an animal, makes me feel young again, revives the feeling of my first hunts so many years ago. I don't think anyone really can explain it, like they say if I have to explain you would not understand anyway.

Was initially introduced by relatives to T/C's then found Mr Bob Milek and was hooked evey since. Just couldn't afford them or the hunting part early on but have made up for it since.

ther is a small history of hand guns in the family. But i went out on my own and bought the contender and fell in love with them. bought a 44mag SBH a year ago (after 30 years of wanting) so far ive taken 2 deer with hand guns. and what a rush. to me its almost like hunting with a bow you have to do every thing right to make it happen. due to some things out of my control and living in texas. (the cost of a deer lease)im haveing to hunt on federal ground with no handgun hunting. oh well maybe one day it will happen again. untill then i can still punch papper.