Handgun Hunting Afield

The 2024 hunting season has posed a number of challenges. Wildfires reaped havoc on the early season as did persistent warm weather running well into mid-season. As if that wasn’t enough, I made a series of mistakes on my stalks on game that contributed to the difficulty. In the face of difficulty we must press on.

For this final elk hunt of 2024 my wife tagged along. We went out on the eastern side of Wyoming and started our morning at 18 degrees with 3-6 inches of snow on the ground.

Two hours before sunrise we used the snow and full moon to our advantage to check some low bottom areas and fields but were unable to locate any elk as we hiked around. About 30 minutes before sunrise we began to climb to a high glassing point and immediately bumped a young bull off his bed. We let the bull move on along and approached the rim of the canyon we were going to glass and spotted ELK! There were over 200 elk in view. There was a catch though, the elk were almost a mile away on another flat at our same elevation. This meant that we were going to have to drop back down, climb back up through snow and deadfall, and cover almost a mile without spooking the elk. It was time to tighten the pack’s waist belt and get to hiking at a quick pace!

Down the hill we went; slipping and sliding in the snow all while spending as much time on our rumps as on our feet. Once we got into the bottom the snow continued to slow our pace, but we pressed on. We reached the other side of the canyon and began to climb up. We had to take several breaks and recover after falling, stumbling, and sliding on the slick snow in the deadfall. Finally we were under 200 yards from the top of the rim and you could smell the elk. I began to round a corner and as luck should have it I bumped several mule deer up the hill. When we finally made it over the rim and onto the flat we caught just the tail end of the herd as they were exiting the area we could hunt.

We then made a run to town to give the herd a chance to settle down and also to grab some lunch after the difficult morning hike.

Immediately after our break we drove back out to pursue the large herd of elk. Knowing how the elk move in this canyon helped us to get out in front of them. We entered a section of relatively open woods and immediately got on the herd. Knowing that these large herds tend to delay their reactions as they try and decide what to do I elected to press into them aggressively. We had horrible winds but I kept shifting our stalk to give us the best benefit.

We crested a small rise and almost ran into a small group of cows in a patch of woods that was too tight for a clean shot. This small group then scurried off towards the rest of the herd. We continued to stalk into the large herd while doing the best we could with the wind and then they all came into view. It was way more than 200 elk scattered along a flat.

I quickly picked out a stalking lane and decided on a final point for the stalk that I believed would place me in revolver range of the herd. There was a group of rocks that stood about waist height that would serve as perfect cover and a shooting rest. Wasting no time I drew my 460 S&W with Ultradot Gen2 30mm and hurried along in the snow toward the rocks.

When there are this many elk and opportunity is knocking it turns into a grocery shopping mission. I looked over the herd and found a group of cows and calfs off by themselves. I ranged them at 220 yards with my Leica range finder. I then glassed with my Swarovski binoculars and noticed I had overhead limbs that would be at the top of the vitals and a fence wire that would be right at the bottom. These obstructions to the shot were about 2/3 of the way between myself and the target elk. My absolute maximum 460 S&W range is 230 yards but I was unsure of where exactly my bullet flight path would be at the 2/3 mark and I had to switch over to the 375 JDJ Contender to flatten my trajectory.

I placed my pack on top of the rock to use as a rest for the 375 JDJ and selected my target within the small group of cows and calfs that were separated from the main herd. I used the first hold over line for the Burris 2-7 pistol scope and placed it on a larger calf; there is no better winter freezer topper than a calf elk. I then began applying pressure to the trigger and sent a 200 grain Cutting Edge Handgun Raptor on its way. The elk gave an immediate reaction and laid down within 25 yards from where she had been shot.

Once again I put David Pitt’s knife to work and boy does it work fantastic for breaking down game!

After a long season and several hundred miles covered on foot, I was pleased to have an easy sled drag for a pack out.

My Wyoming season has come to a close but my hunting is not done just yet, I still have more to go.

I have now been using Cutting Edge Bullets for multiple years and I have had fantastic results with them in both handgun and rifle chamberings (used in handgun). If they work this well for me in a handgun, just imagine what they will do in your rifle.

Mono Metal Bullets…A multi year Study. Updated with a video at the end🔥 by: Chris Rhodes