if you handgun hunt Like I DO you need to watch this video

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
I was out behind my sons home in texas killing a few coke cans at 30-40 yards with my 357 mag revolver,
one of my sons friends suggested I might need a pistol scope even though my hit ratio was easily 80%-90%
and yeah I might need more practice , but if you easily punch holes in a 2.2" wide coke can a deers vitals are not that difficult.
( my hit ratio was probably higher as a 357 mag zips through empty aluminum cans with little resistance at times)
he seemed to be amazed when I told him Id used a handgun for decades to hunt hogs and deer!
handgun hunting in Florida, (and most other areas Ive used a handgun to successfully hunt)
has a great deal of similarity to archery hunting in that successful shots made at ranges over 50 yards ,
are rather rare in the areas Ive hunted for decades.
(the reason has mostly to do with the fact that if you hunt where the game actually lives ,
and hides during the hunting season, you can rarely see past 30-40 yards)
its not at all uncommon for deer to freeze and let you walk by, without bounding away in heavy cover,
they seem to know most humans are un-observant and lack a good nose

I've occasionally had guys new to handgun hunting question how I can use iron sights or use a red dot type sight,
they seem convinced that they need to have the ability to reach out to 80-90-120 yards with a handgun.
and that a SCOPE with higher magnification is required, a scope might be useful from a tree stand but still hunting brush,
its generally a disadvantage in my experience.
scopes in my experience just make a handgun less easily used, heavier and clumsy.
(yeah texas might be radically different... we will see)
nearly impossible to holster easily or use very rapidly in a second you might have, in many cases.
in my experience, your FAR more likely to get a shot at 30-50 yards simply because,
if your handgun hunting correctly your hunting very slowly through rather thick cover,
cover where you can't even see a buck at 50 yards or more 90% of the time.
its just a fact in my experience that you'll rarely see a decent buck anyplace where you can see out past 120 yards,
deer just don't like browsing areas with near zero cover instantly in reach.
and your chances of finding game dramatically increases in cover where its rather difficult to walk without making a constant racket...
this is almost critical, deer eat forbs (weeds shrub's, small trees) and rarely graze grasses
White-tailed deer are herbivores that browse on leaves, twigs, stems, flowers, acorns, fruits, mushrooms, and aquatic plants.

this is also why you really don't need anything bigger than a 6"-8" revolver in a caliber like 357 mag, 41 or 44 mag, or a semi auto handgun
in 10mm or 45 acp.
deer and hogs are just not east to see at longer distances in the vast majority of their preferred habitat, most videos are taken on the marginally opened trails that might wander through thicker vegetation.
Ive hunted quite a bit with a 357 mag and a 10mm semi auto glock, Ive also used a 44 mag and 445 DWSM, theres no question in my experience all are very effective and lethal in skilled hands with good shot placement, theres also no question in my opinion that the 44 mag and 445 DWSM
are marginally , more rapidly effective, that does not mean they are more lethal, a good hit to the vitals with a 357 mag is just as lethal, the game just might travel a couple more yards or show less of in immediate reaction to bullet impact with the smaller cartridges.

ranges tend to be short in florida brush
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btw if you don't hunt with a handgun a good pump or semi auto 12 ga shotgun, or a semi auto carbine,
is amazingly effective under the conditions where a handgun may be commonly used, but its rarely as easy to use in thick cover
and yes admittedly this is where the traditional 44 mag or 35 Remington, or 30/30 has traditionally been used very successfully
any of the three options pictured below work great, if your just not into handgun hunting



marlin, pistol cartridge chambered carbines in 357 mag,41 mag,44 mag and 45 lc all are popular and effective
you really don't need the rifle cartridges like 30/30, 35 rem, 444 or 45/70 for still hunting brush, but obviously they also work very effectively

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the semi auto carbines in calibers like 7.62/39 are very effective, but in florida your restricted to a 5 cartridge capacity magazine....
thats really no issue as the first shots generally all thats needed



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the 12 ga shotgun is and always has been a very effective option, still hinting thick brush
pumpaction-12-gauge-shotgun-isolated-on-a-white-background-a-weapon-picture-id1354084625
 
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