Me and handgun hunting:

Well, I was a fanatic bow hunter from early childhood. My dad had a bunch of 16mm Fred Bear films, I loved them. I was a big kid and got a Bear Grizzly 45lbs recurve before I was old enough to get a hunting license, not very good mind you, but I shot damn near every day and killed rabbits (deer, elk, moose, grizzly bears, you know how that goes) on a semi-regular basis. Had a rifle, 30-30 and an auto-loading 12ga.and dad's 1911 from WWII. Meat on the table was a must if I were going to spend time "messing around" when I was old enough to hunt legally.

Fast forward to 1978, meet REAL bear, 1911 not so impressive any more, Discover Ruger, specifically Super Blackhawk in 44mag, 7.5 barrel, hell-fire and you just knew it would kill something. Still mostly a semi-successful bow hunter that fills the freezer every year, generally with a succession of different rifles and calibers of rifles and styles of shotgun always looking for the ?one?. Kill a few does with the 44, hey this could work.

Pretty much it until I got seriously into the guiding business at 34. Now I'm hunting for other people, then I switched over to guiding/outfitting fly fishing full time, more money and steadier work stream. Bow season is prime fall fishing, bow hunting fades. Then come the injuries, first from winter contracting jobs, Montana's generally have several "professions" listed on their business cards. Then serious repetitive stress injuries from rowing 300 pound fisherman down fast flowing rivers, and yes casting. Worked Montana, Chile, Montana too many cycles and destroyed my right elbow and have recurrent carpel problems in right wrist, but only with a fly rod or nail gun, my 44 mag. and new best friend 454 have never bothered me.

By 2000 I was done, injury and I was tired of my clients whining and drinking and acting like shitheads in restaurants that my friends work in. Went full on into contracting and made a couple of buckets of money.

Started really serious hunting, two Namibian safaris, never took a contract during Montana rifle season, just hunted for 5 weeks. Shortened the barrel on the 44mag. Took a couple of elk, more like they committed subside, and more deer with 240gr stuff. Kill moose with 44mag. Brain goes, this is not a fluke, this can work, under a 100yds. Hum, more like bow hunting, hunting period, less like American Sniper? Deliberately kill bear, deer try for elk, and mountain goat, have way lots of fun even if I so "fulfill" with a 270 or 9.3x62, some things and weather conditions are actually better served by a good rifle.

Playing at my table at a gun show, gun of the year, typical Montanan I guess, 60% gun ownership, 10 or more guns owned by a lot of nice folks, long hunting seasons, no limitations on private sales, guns move around. Millennial moron wants to trade a NIB Ruger 454 Casull 7.5 inch bbl with half a box of Buffalo Bore and factory grips for a rifle worth about half what the revolver is worth. I'm smart enough to take advantage of stupid.

Meet my little friend! Hogue grips, load up some 45LC, have had a couple of Single action 45's over the years so dies and a few bullets on hand. Love a first trigger pull, buy a box of XTP-MAG 240?s, 50 brass at a gun show and ROCK AND ROLL BABY! This just kicks butt! Ultra-dot, more practice, refined loads (still always refining loads) KILL DEER like a 270, cool. I'm getting old and doing more back-pack hunting, not less, one gun easier to pack on trails, sheep hunt, over the counter here. (Next year for sure I've got it dialed in now.)

Eastern Montana looses it appeal, too long a drive, mountains 15 mins, 5000 elk, 1000?s deer within 3hrs, lots of bear, great bird hunting, you get it.

So, what am I running now:
Rifles: The perfect one, Precious, Antonio Zoli over/under combination 12ga/7x57R, could write volumes on how well this has worked out. Short version, 7x7 B&C mulie, 350 bear, limits of every game bird, ducks, turkey, and lots of dead whitetails on the same walk.

The perfect ones cousin, 12ga/222 Rem. Coyotes, turkey, birds, general foraging.

9.3x62, think 375 but handles well in a "regular sized" rifle and kills like 375. Shot length wise through two elk at 75 and 125 yds, Primarily AFRICA. I might handgun hunt next trip if Namibia opens to hand gunning, RSA just too overpriced just to say I did it with my 454.

CZ 452 22LR, gophers.

The most boring gun in the world: Basically an F-Class, sub-MOA 14 pound monster in a270. Culling does in grain fields, you're allowed 8 total deer now used to be unlimited, 13 does one year, mostly 300 to 600yds. shots, head or neck.

The 44Mag. Sold it to my best friend; he needs to start handgun hunting.

Some concealable stuff: Nuff said.

The 454: excited about bear in the mountains. Have 48 days to get into shape.

The 45/45ACP: Fishing, hiking, fun stuff.

I think as we age the aesthetics of hunting become do much more important to us. I'll always be able to fill my freezer in Montana, just too many opportunities not to. How I do it is what counts now, handgun, better than a bow, more interesting than a rifle, well some anyway, Precious could be listening?