Handgun Hunting Afield

 

The desire to make the season more challenging and exciting led me to attempt harvesting all four horned/antlered non-once-in-a-lifetime animals. The goal was simple: harvest a mule deer buck, bull elk, pronghorn buck, and whitetail deer buck in Wyoming in one season—all DIY and on public land. With a little bit of planning and some luck, a resident can fairly easily obtain tags for all four. In theory, it is possible to do the same as a non-resident, but the odds are lower and would likely require finding private land to hunt. Some of these hunts I have already written about in separate articles, so I will not go into great depth about them here.

Mule Deer

My pursuit started with a mule deer hunt in alpine country. After the opening-day hustle and overcrowding from other hunters, my hunting buddy and I decided to bail out the same day. I came back alone a few days later. The tough terrain meant an average hiking speed of only 1 mph. After setting up my tent and taking a quick midday nap, I headed out to get water and eat lunch. As I walked to and from the creek, I stopped to glass. It was still warm, and the deer spent most of the day bedded in the woods, though they could occasionally step out for a quick meal.

That is when I saw a solo doe in the open. I did not think too much of it then, but I made sure to remember where she came from so I could check the area later. While glassing that evening in the same area, I spotted a group of does and fawns with a few small, sub-legal bucks. About half an hour later, a big deer walked in. My excitement went up when I saw his body size and confirmed he was not just legal. He was a mature and dandy buck. A slow stalk began, but by the time I reached the bottom of the hillside, the sun was setting. I realized that climbing several hundred yards up that steep hill in time, without spooking the deer, was not possible. My rangefinder confirmed I was at a little over 500 yards—just under my absolute maximum distance of 550 yards. Cutting Edge bullets out of my specialty pistol, a Remington XP-100, did a great job. Bang, flop. Despite the challenges of the climb and locating him in the dark, I managed to recover him. The buck was indeed dandy and larger than he looked from a distance. Being on a steep, shale-covered hillside, I was limited in the photos I could take. The pictures don’t do him justice. Animal one down.

Elk

Just a week after the deer hunt, joined by my friend Roger, I went to look for elk. This was the first year that finding elk felt easy. On the opening morning, I spotted a few cows and calves with some small bulls within the first minute of glassing. Roger was hunting for cows, so the pursuit started, but we had to back out at the last moment because other hunters had beaten us to the spot. The rest of the day was slow, and the area was more crowded than in previous years.

The next day, we moved to another spot and found elk again within minutes of glassing, again. This time it was a few cows and a very nice bull, especially nice for a general area. We went after them. It was already warm, and the elk were moving toward the timber, so there was no time to waste. We moved fast, dropping to the other side of the ridge to stay out of sight. When we reached the end of our cover, the elk were gone, but they suddenly reappeared from a hillside cut. The bull was looking right at me. I quickly ranged him at 335 yards and went prone. I was ready with the same pistol I used for the deer. As soon as he offered me a shot, I sent a Cutting Edge bullet toward him, then one more. I was ready for a third, but he was down. My very first bull elk, and a nice 6×7 at that. Animal two down.

Pronghorn

This year, I again drew a second-choice tag for pronghorn. Given my success with elk and mule deer, I went to fill it much earlier than expected. Right after opening week, I was on the prairie looking for “speed goats.” They are the second-fastest land animals in the world and the fastest in the Americas. I had hunted this area the previous year and knew that being too picky wasn’t an option; the goal was simply a mature buck. After spotting some on private land, I explored a section I hadn’t visited before.

After a few more times of “just one more ridge and one more draw”, I located a herd, about 20 does and a few bucks. Since they were a few miles away, I did not rush to go there. After several more “just one more ridge” moments, I found them and began my stalk. The XP-100 worked again, this time at 275 yards. Not the biggest buck but definitely a fighter, he had both horns broomed and scars on his forehead. And most importantly, it is a very nice memory. Animal three down.

Whitetail

The last animal needed was a whitetail buck. In most of Wyoming, whitetails are primarily found in creek bottoms, which are mostly private. My tag area had limited public land. Having had such luck with the first three animals, I planned to take my time but was still hoping for an efficient hunt. I started in November, hoping the rut would keep them active during the day, but unusually warm weather suppressed their movement. On the first day, I called in one small buck and saw a few does. On the second day, I spotted a group 800 yards away at first light, but they vanished as I was trying to get closer and see if there were any bucks with them.

I switched gears briefly when I saw elk, as I also had a cow tag. I did not seal the deal, but I did see a very nice bull moose in the same area. Later, I managed to call in two bull elk to within 17 yards of me, but there were no cows. Over the next few weekends, I saw very few deer. I eventually encountered a “big enough” buck, but he saw me first. The only option was an off-hand frontal shot at what looked like 100 yards. Later, I realized it was closer than that, but still not close enough for me to take a frontal shot. I did not take it, and the buck eventually ran away. While I practice off-hand, I wasn’t confident enough to ensure a clean kill. I would rather miss an opportunity than injure an animal. Little did I know that would be the biggest buck I saw there in 2025. My goal for 2026: to practice until I can consistently hit an 8-inch steel target at 100 yards off-hand with a revolver. Once I’m comfortable with that, I will practice on a 6-inch target with the same goal. 

By my fifth weekend, it was December, and there was about 4 to 6 inches of snow on the ground. During the day, wind chill temperatures were in the single digits. With only two weekends left and few deer in the area, my priorities shifted; any unique buck was now fair game, even if it was smaller than “good enough.” Sunday morning, I checked a favorite field and found it empty—no sign, no fresh tracks in the snow. I crossed the road to check a small parcel of public land, feeling discouraged and thinking I might not complete the challenge.

As I was deciding which trail to take, I spotted two does in a small opening that had been empty just minutes before. They were moving away, and I feared they would catch my wind. More does came out, but no bucks. Then I noticed one “doe” was strange; it had a very thick neck. I checked with my binoculars and saw an antler. That was actually a buck. He was the second-largest buck I had seen all season, and he was unique. Considering that he was at 109 yards with a 20–30 mph crosswind, the revolver was too risky. My .308 Win XP-100 did the work. He dropped, but a few seconds later, he got back up and was just standing there. I gave him one more; bang, flop again, but this time for good.

When I approached him, I realized just how special he was. His second antler had been broken off along with a piece of the skull and was dangling, attached only by the skin. Those animals are incredibly tough; despite such a serious injury, he was healing and looking very healthy. Estimates are that he was 2.5 or 3.5 years old. Based on the bucks I saw in that area, it looks like they do not have a great trophy potential there.

I had finally finished my pursuit: the 2025 Cowboy State Four! It was a very challenging but very rewarding adventure. This is definitely something I will try to do again this year, unless I get lucky and draw one of the once-in-a-lifetime tags; then priorities will be different. There are many other plans for 2026, starting with some spring hunts and gun testing. Make sure you follow Handgun Hunting Afield for the updates.