Why Every Hunter Should Try Handgun Hunting 

Consider Reaching For A Handgun Over A Rifle This Hunting Season

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We all know that distinct feeling of excitement that leads up to the opening day of the regular firearms season. The crisp air, the gracefully falling leaves, and the frantic panic as we ready our gear for the big show. If you’re like me, at this point, you’ve already spent some time in an archery stand and might have passed on a buck that was just a few yards out of reach. Either that, or you wounded one and spent an evening tracking it. With these experiences in the rearview, we often reach for the sharpest shooting rifle in our collection to ensure we seal the deal, but before we start tearing through the safe, we ought to ask ourselves: why not go handgun hunting instead? 

Best Of Both Worlds 

While success is our primary goal, we have to remember why we bother going through the trouble of hunting in the first place. The answer is simple: excitement. Nothing feels better than the rush of a game animal coming close enough to harvest, only to be topped by the sight of it hitting the ground after a single well-placed shot. If we’re in it for the rush, the best way to capitalize on that is to cut your engagement distance. I’ve forgotten how many animals I’ve shot beyond 300 yards, but I’ll never forget the black bear I shot at the base of my tree stand! 

My second point was made in the first sentence of the previous paragraph, and that’s an increased success rate. Archery season lures us in with its close-quarters action; however, many sit out because they don’t have any interest in partaking in the associated tracking. Because arrows kill by bleeding, a typical whitetail can cover several hundred yards of rough terrain before coming to a halt. Firearms, particularly magnum firearms, kill through shock and blunt trauma, making them far more efficient and perhaps even more humane. While a rifle will match or exceed their energy level, their use will never top the feeling of harvesting something further down than out. 

"Weight" A Minute 

Although seldom shot beyond 100 yards in a woodland setting, most rifles are designed to deliver lethal results at ten times that distance. With that knowledge, we must wonder if we’re bringing too much gun. I know, a guy can have his man card revoked by making that inquiry, but it’s much easier to feel like a man when you’re carrying out that evasive ten-pointer because you were able to hike that extra mile to pursue him. Cutting a ten-pound rifle/scope package down to less than half is a reality when you opt for a handgun instead.

Furthermore, toting one in a holster or a backpack is far more comfortable than fumbling with a sling and weaving a long gun through dense vegetation. Additionally, your successions to range aren’t as large as you might think. Using Federal’s Barnes Expander load, I can consistently put rounds on a pie plate at 200 yards with the 10-inch .460 Raging Hunter or pretty much anything from Taurus’s .500 lineup. Leave the rifle, grab some water, and get where the game is.  

Hammer It Home 

Handgun hunting is rewarding in ways that don’t initially meet the eye. Most might realize the weight-saving aspect, but not everyone is in tune with the ballistics of modern cartridges. Heavy hitters like the .460 and .500 S&W Magnum are explicitly built for hunting and can quickly dispatch nearly anything in North America. With summer right around the corner, it’s the perfect time of year to pick up a hand cannon, learn how to use it, and prepare for the hunt of a lifetime this fall.