Precision Shooting Supply and Handgun Hunting Afield

Mule deer hunting in the west is something many sportsmen desire to do.  They generally have a larger body than whitetail deer and are found in landscapes that are much different than whitetail deer.  

Mule deer vs Whitetail

Once a hunter gets the chance to hunt the vast western lands for mule deer they will quickly realize the differences. Whitetails are generally hunted from stands or blinds and mule deer are hunted by spot and stalk.  Our western habitat also supports far fewer animals per square mile than the eastern whitetail states do.

Pursuing mule deer generally requires lots of time behind glass.  Glassing every ditch, shade tree, draw, and other hiding spots for the elusive creatures.  Once you spot the mule deer you generally have to quickly form a plan and close the distance.

Antelope to Mule deer

I started off chasing antelope this fall and as soon as I was done I began to chase mule deer.  I spent multiple days glassing and had many failed stalks.  On one of these outings I covered in excess of 20 miles in a day.  From glassing spot to glassing spot followed by long stalks that ended in a blown opportunity due to a shift in the wind or the deer spotting me.

Hunting Goals

I generally go into every hunt with an idea of what my harvest goal is.  Since I carry both a single shot and a revolver to the field and I applied that fact to my goal.  I set the goal of only taking a great deer with the single shot.  By great deer I mean one that would make or exceed 170”.  The single shot handgun allows me to shoot up to 550 yards and cleanly take game.  

The stalk and the challenge is more of a trophy to me.  For me to give up on that part and reach out there on a deer it was going to have to be a good one.  

As stated I value the stalk way more than I do a rack.  If I can sneak into the “threat zone” (where the animal can detect me) and take the animal; I’d rather do that every time.  For my wheelgun goal I was happy to take any breeding age mature deer.  It didn’t have to be a giant, it just needed to be at close range.

Guns and Gear

To add to the challenge, Wyoming does not have a special handgun season, you are out there with the rifle hunters.  Rifle season is busy here and other hunters pressure deer and make them more wary which can make every stalk more difficult.

When stepping into the field with only a handgun I want the best gear available.  I already limit my maximum range compared to a rifle so I want to be as accurate as possible within that limit.

For a single shot I choose the T/C contender sized platform (in this case the SSK-50).  These are shorter than the XP100 bolt actions and fit within my pack.  I look at the single shot as a back up option so I want to be able to pack it away.  

My SSK-50 is chambered in 309 JDJ and is loaded with 150 grain Cutting Edge Bullets.  I use a 1.5-5 Leupold VX3 with a CDS turret.  This scope keeps the firearm light and compact but allows plenty of magnification to shoot past ¼ mile.  

Rifle scope on a Handgun?

Many people’s first question is; “Is that a rifle scope?” well yes it is!  To utilize a rifle scope on a single shot a muzzle brake is required.  I fit a Micro Bastard brake which makes this an easy to shoot platform.  Using a rifle scope allows me to get into very tight positions that are far more stable than being stretched out with a handgun optic.

Now let’s dive into my primary handgun.  As a handgun hunter, wheelguns are where it is at.  As stated I want the best gun available and for a couple decades that was a Smith & Wesson that I tuned up at Bayside Custom Gunworks. 

Perfection in a Wheelgun

 Well, a couple years ago that changed.  When I found Spohr revolvers I was able to leave customs behind.  The Spohr comes out of the box just the way it needs to be.  Accurate, tuned up, and precise.  Yeah, they cost more than a factory S&W but they don’t cost as much as a custom S&W.  Getting sub 1.5” groups at 50 yards with a gun out of the box is no small feat.

For 2025 I had my hands on something new, a Spohr in 44 magnum.  My Spohr is shooting ragged holes and ringing vital size steel to 200 yards with regularity.  I run the 200 grain Cutting Edge Bullet at 1600 fps.  For an optic I chose a red dot.  Pistol scopes give little if any advantage within revolver distances.  In fact they have some added negatives due to their lack of low light ability and their increased time to aim.  

Revolver Optics

For hunting I chose a red dot without excessive lens tint.  The majority of the red dots made are focused on the defense market and they really darken the lenses so that they can deal with all sorts of lighting.  Ultradot does not do this.  They utilize high quality Japanese glass and have a minimal amount of tint that does not distort the image.  I have settled on the 3 MOA dot size as the perfect size for handgun hunting.  A 3 MOA dot covers roughly 6 inches at 200 yards which is smaller than the vital zone size of the animals I am hunting.

The Hunt

With my target animal goals set and the gear selected I was off to pursue mule deer.  As stated this wasn’t a one day trip and done.  It took me multiple days to make it work, but let’s just jump ahead to the successful day.

I awoke at 4:30am and headed to my zone.  Quickly I put on my Nixon Leather chest rig, binos, and Exo pack upon arrival.  With about an hour before sunrise I made my way to my first glassing spot.  This spot places me high up in the prairie and allows for a view of a large agricultural field where the deer feed at night.  This field is about 2 miles away and off of the public land I am hunting.  

Locating the Deer

I was able to locate multiple deer herds across the large field.  At this distance I can only make an educated guess which herd has bucks and does in it.  I was able to identify two herds that had what appeared to be adult bucks with them.  I watched them through my Swarovski binos on a tripod until they began to move off the fields.  One group was heading towards a bedding area on the public land I was hunting a mile away from me.  The other group was following a fence line straight towards me.  I made the decision to focus on the herd heading right at me.

I packed up my glassing gear and made a move to a lightly treed ridge.  This ridge is quite rough with a handful of pines that have a chance to break up my outline.  

Sneak a Peek

As I arrived at the base of the ridge I paused to catch my breath; chasing these critters is quite the workout.  I eased up the ridge until just my head was above the peak.  I quickly glassed and saw two does leading the way up a finger with the buck trailing.  Just 350 yards away!

This ridge has several small fingers that connect to it.  They all lead to a small patch of trees that the deer like to take cover in mid day.

The Plan

I watched them for a bit to make sure they were committed to the destination.  After a few minutes I made a plan.  I planned to meet them at the top of the ridge inside wheelgun distance and ambush the buck.  

To do so I had to back track through about ¼ mile of loose rocks without making too much noise.  Then climb a finger and I should be there before them, or at least that was the plan.

Final Stalk

I made my move through the rocks and up the finger.  Right before I climbed onto the ridge I collected myself, checked that my OTOPro Impulse ear protection was seated, and drew my Spohr from the Nixon chest rig.  

I began to creep across the ridge while releasing the buckle on my pack’s waist belt to facilitate removing it quickly.  Moving into the rising sun was making it difficult to see as I was nearly blinded by the light.

I was looking back and forth across the ridge when I spotted a dark silhouette of a deer.  The sun was directly behind the deer and all I could see was its black outline.  I was fairly confident it was the buck as I could kinda make out the antlers in the sunlight.  I took my pack off and laid it on the ground.  While doing so the deer either saw my movement or heard what I was doing and snapped his head in my direction.  As soon as he snapped his head towards me his antlers were clearly visible.  

The Shot

There was no time to dilly dally around.  I flopped down in the prone rapidly on top of my pack.  I laid my chest towards the bottom of the pack which made the upper end raise up for a perfect rest.

With the bright sun directly in my eyes I leveled the Spohr and placed the Ultradot Prime’s 3 MOA dot over the vitals of the mule deer.  I could read the body language of the deer and tell it was time to make the shot RIGHT NOW.  I shifted the dot to the left edge of the vitals in preparation for what I was about to do.

There wasn’t enough time to have a perfect trigger pull, I had to command the gun to fire right now.  I pulled , not pressed, the trigger rapidly to the rear.  As the gun recoiled and sent a 200 grain Cutting Edge Bullets Handgun Raptor on its way the deer dropped instantly.

The shot impacted the mule deer center vitals and about 2” high of the heart dropping it instantly at 98 yards.

Winning Performance

Ultradot proved itself exceptional for this shot.  Most reflex type sights suffer from “double dot” in bright sunlight.  The Ultradot Prime did not.  It had zero distortion and remained clear in this adverse condition.  Add that to its low light performance on my antelope hunt and you have a perfect hunting reflex sight.

The hard work

After a few photos the work took place.  The deer was quartered and packed out in one trip about two miles back to the truck.

Hunting the west is no easy task.  Choosing to do it with a handgun just adds to that challenge.  I choose to take the best gear available to the field to maximize my potential when hunting.  I owe a lot of my success in the field to the quality firearms, optics, and bullets I choose to use.  Practice on the range fills in the rest of the gaps.