Handgun Hunting Afield

Here on the east coast the weather is starting to cool and nights are getting down in the high 30s. The leaves are starting to fall and the rut is about to start.

Hunting Season has Begun

Hunting season has started and as the temperature drops, deer activity increases. I set up a ladder stand overlooking a high traffic area in the corner of a sorghum field here on the home farm and tucked a tripod stand in the edge of the woods on a soybean field on a neighboring farm. I’ve been in the woods a good bit so far this year, and I’ve had a streak of good luck!

Whitetail seasons in Delaware are on and off. They usually run a few days to a week at a time, and there are several of them. We just finished a nine day muzzleloader season and now we’re coming up on our third three-day “Special Antlerless” season. The farms I hunt have crop damage tags, which let me use any Delaware legal weapon during any firearm season. This means more handgun hunting for me, and the chance to try some revolvers and loads I haven’t used yet.

The 357 Max

On my first outing, I decided to take my Dan Wesson 357 Maximum. I had only ever shot targets with this gun and it’s proven to be quite accurate with several loads. Half an hour before dark, a big doe came out of the sorghum between 25 and 30 yards from my stand. She paced back and forth down the edge of the field, making it difficult for a shot through the limbs. The light was fading fast on my open sights but I had a chance to take a shot. The 180 grain Hornady XTP made a complete pass through both lungs and the deer only ran 30 yards or so before falling in the woods.

44 Magnum

Just a few days later, I ventured out again. This time with a Dan Wesson 44 Magnum.  This is the revolver I always hunt with but I didn’t have the normal XTP loads I usually shoot.  Cutting Edge Bullet’s line of Handgun Raptor bullets have been becoming quite popular, so I had to try for myself. I decided to go to a different stand on the neighboring farm because of the wind direction. This stand is ten yards in the woods and overlooks a soybean field. After a two hour sit, five deer walked right by my stand, heading to the field to feed. At 35 yards, I took a shot at the biggest doe, making a good hit. She ran back towards me, falling just five yards from the stand. The bullet performed as it should; all four of the petals broke from the main body.

There were three exit holes; the bullet’s body and two petals. I found one petal under the hide and never found the last petal. The Raptors proved to work great on this deer! 

445, the Bigger 44 Magnum

Sticking with Dan Wesson revolvers, I decided to take my 445 Supermag on the next hunt. Like the Maximum, this one had also never been in the woods. On the range I found 270 grain Speer Deep Curls very accurate and thought they would do well in the deer woods as well.  Back to the sorghum field, just before dark, the deer came out of the field. I made a shot on the closest one, a small doe. The others ran off but came back within five minutes trying to figure out what happened. I had the chance for another one, so I took a shot. This one was a big bodied button buck. Both shots were complete pass throughs and both deer fell within 20 yards of my stand. 

Back with the 44 Mag

I had been having good luck in the stand on the sorghum field, so I decided to hunt there again. This time with my 44 Magnum and 200 grain Cutting Edge Handgun Raptors. This was the coldest morning we have had so far this season at 33 degrees. Just as the sun was rising, a spike buck came walking in from my right. He was about 60 yards away when I first saw him.

Stopping at exactly 24 yards by my rangefinder, he gave me a perfect broadside shot. Complete pass through both lungs and only ran ten yards. I never found any of the petals, but found the bullet body in the dirt with all the petals broken off.

This year’s season is far from over. I’m still hoping to fill my quality buck tag with a revolver, and with the luck I’ve had so far, it just may happen! I’ve learned how several different bullets perform in the field while spending a few successful nights in the stand. Even if nothing else comes within range, I’d still call this season a success.