My First Handgun Buck

This is my second year of chasing deer, in hopes of getting my first deer with a handgun. I've been hunting with handguns for over 30 years, but never gave a thought to hunting deer with one. I figured that I've killed nearly everything else with a handgun, so why not a deer. Plus, I've killed deer with everything except a handgun.

I was standing just inside the woods, looking across a ravine and listening. After hearing several shots in the distance, I see a buck and 3 does walking along the south edge, traveling west. Suddenly, they spook, decide to back-track and come into the woods with me. They didn't seem to be interested in crossing the ravine and as they walked by, so I rested my .44 Mag. Ruger Super Redhawk on a sapling. The buck hesitated, I settled the red dot on his shoulder and squeezed the trigger.

At the recoil the buck walked off, while the does ran off to the east. I wasn't totally sure I'd hit him, even though the shot felt good. I waited 10 minutes and decided to slowly cross the ravine and check for blood. No blood, but I noticed the does running off, while the buck was bedding down. I crept one foot at a time, toward him, while he got up and bedded back down 5x...over the next 2 hours.

Around 11:00 he got up and bedded on the other side of some blown down trees. I kept creeping closer, one foot at a time and by 12:15 he'd stood up and laid back down for the 7th time. The last time was in his 5th bed, facing to my right, while his chest was toward me. There was the shot that I'd been waiting to present itself. He looked my way, while I leaned against a sapling for a rest, settled the red dot on his brisket at 40 yards and squeezed the trigger.

When the Ruger recoiled, the buck rocked onto his back and I ran up to him. He attempted to get up and was throwing his rack at me...I was 10 feet from him. I gave him a second to settle, he moved his head away from his vitals and I shot him through the lungs. I'm getting him mounted, as I'll never forget this hunt with a handgun.





Bowhunter57

Sam1911,
I hated the long wait to put the finishing shot(s) on him, but I didn't want to "bounce" him out of his bed, as I don't care for running shots and I didn't want to chase him all over creation...taking a chance on losing him. I had a single thought of rushing him...then I thought, "patience is the hunter" and I figured it would be best to wait him out.

The second shot was when he got up and laid down, for the 7th time. His body was directly facing me, so it was a brisket shot and it rolled him onto his back.

At the shot, I ran to 10 feet from him and he was attempting to get up...at or toward me. All the while swinging his rack, back and forth. I waited till his head cleared his rib cage, for a vital kill shot and that's when I took the third shot through his lungs.

The rest of the day was dressing, dragging and lots of pictures. I'm getting the head mounted in a "sneak mount", which won't be back until late March or early April. I can't wait to see it.

Bowhunter57

gspn said:

What was the distance on the first shot? And where did the first shot hit?

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The first shot distance was 58 yards. The shot was on the left shoulder, where I was aiming. I was resting my arm on a small tree to get a steady shot.

I have this revolver sighted in at 50 yards and it shoots 1" groups at that distance with my reloads. I'm shooting a 240gr. hard cast SWC with 19.0gr. of 2400. The sight is a Sight Mark Ultra Reflex.

Looking back, I should've put the shot in the "pocket" just behind the shoulder, like I do on bow hunting shots. Live and learn.

Bowhunter57

v8stang289 said:

Did the first bullet not penetrate the shoulder? Or did it glance off and not hit vitals?

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v8stang289,
The first shot hit the shoulder, where I was aiming and penetrated the shoulder which broke its' left front leg and shoulder. This is what kept him from running off when the does ran off. He walked away, to approximately 80 to 100 yards and laid down by a blown down tree.

Bowhunter57

stressed said:

Were you able to recover the round during butcher? Did you get an idea for penetration depth?

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stressed,
I field dressed it, skinned it and took the carcass to a local butcher for processing.

* The first shot or shoulder shot penetrated the left leg/shoulder, but I didn't find the bullet. I'm guessing that it was mixed in with the vital organs when I field dressed it, as there was no exit wound.

* The second shot to the brisket had exited just ahead of the top side of his hips (on his back) with very little deformation to the bullet.

* The third shot was broadside at 10 feet, through both lungs, so it would've been in the dirt behind him.

I may try some JHP bullets in 240 grain, before next year, to see how accurate they are, compared to the hard cast bullets.

Bowhunter57