#39398 - 11/17/08 01:45 AM
First time handgun hunting!!
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Mikewin
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Registered: 04/01/08
Posts: 117
Loc: Stockholm, Sweden
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Planning two business trips to the US, I decided to combine them with a couple days of vacation together with my family. As it happened, a hunting ranch in southern PA - the Wilderness ranch - is situated just in between the places I was going to (Washington, DC and Pittsburgh, PA).
Since I would miss the VA deer season anyway - had to be home by today, which is opening day - I booked a hunt at the preserve and went there with my family a week ago. This was a blast!
Firstly, wild boar was the target. After helping another group of hunters in the 600 acre ranch pushing an elk bull I and my guide Fred went after a piggy. After a while, I saw a nice-looking boar that had been attracted to our location by the now dead and bleeding elk. My first shot was a bit too far back, not stopping the pig from trotting along a bit, but the second went straight through his lungs. To be sure, I turned on the laser and finished him off from about 10 yards with a third shot through the lungs from the other side as well, but then he was already dying. My first game ever with a handgun!
Ammo was Oregon Trail 310gr hard cast LFP over 19.3gr VV N110.
After lunch, I went out again, now for whitetail. After installing myself in a treestand with my not-so-little Beast,
Fred pushed a bunch of the deer toward me. Being in the rut, the buck activity and the pushing made the whole place crazy - there were deer running everywhere. I realized that this might not be easy - I wouldn't fire at a running deer. Fred went deeper into the forest to try to push them back toward me. However, after a few attempts things calmed down a bit. A doe appeared from the right at a distance of about 50-60 yards, and I realized I might have a great shot if she stopped just slightly to the left of the tree trunk on which I was supporting my gun. And she did! After briefly fighting some deer fever, I steadied the scope and squeezed off the trigger. The deer threw herself backwards, but after only a couple of steps she stumbled and within just a few seconds she went down about 25 yards from the place I shot her.
The shot, although not that difficult at about 50 yards, could hardly have been better - penetrating both lungs and completely destroying the heart of the deer. The Beast (with a Leupold 2.5x8 scope set at 4x) and the ammo - 300gr XTP hollowpoints over 20.0gr of VV N110 - performed flawlessly!
In all, my first hunting experience in North America and by far my best hunting experience ever, since it was done with my revolver. Preserve hunting is not "real" hunting, of course, but it provides extremely good opportunities to test one's equipment and skills. Here's one to handgun hunting!
And family (here w/Fred) liked it, too!
Edited by Mikewin (11/17/08 10:30 AM)
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As a European, I prefer my latte in my NRA coffee mug
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#39399 - 11/17/08 02:32 AM
Re: First time handgun hunting!!
[Re: Mikewin]
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geo01
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Registered: 01/27/07
Posts: 57
Loc: Queensland, Australia
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Congratulations on your hunt. That is a great looking boar, you have got to be happy with that as your first ever animal with a handgun. What breed handgun are you using?
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#39400 - 11/17/08 02:39 AM
Re: First time handgun hunting!!
[Re: geo01]
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Mikewin
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Registered: 04/01/08
Posts: 117
Loc: Stockholm, Sweden
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Congratulations on your hunt. That is a great looking boar, you have got to be happy with that as your first ever animal with a handgun. What breed handgun are you using?
Thanks! Yes, I was very happy. The gun is a quite heavily customized S&W m/29-2 in .44mag. For more on the gun, see
http://www.handgunhunt.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/34793/page/3#Post34793
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As a European, I prefer my latte in my NRA coffee mug
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#39408 - 11/17/08 09:36 AM
Re: First time handgun hunting!!
[Re: Mikewin]
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Jeremy
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Registered: 02/29/08
Posts: 360
Loc: Gloucester VA
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Sweet hunting Mikewin!! That was an awesome hunting time you had. Judging from the pics that is some nice turf you were hunting in! Man, elk, boar, and whitetail...I couldn't stand it!
And the family there to enjoy, what a blast! Good shootn!
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Smith and Wesson 629 PC Magnum Hunter
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#39409 - 11/17/08 10:46 AM
Re: First time handgun hunting!!
[Re: Jeremy]
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hunlee
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Registered: 03/03/08
Posts: 337
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Hi there Hunlee hear!!!!!!Hunlee see youin have good hunt and Hunlee is very proud of youin!!!!!!Hunlee want to say a job well done!!!!!!Now is time for youin to be very proud and to stand very tall!!!!!Life is very good!!!!!!
hunlee
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Hunlee is friend to all,,,Is a lover not a fighter and has fathered many children!!!!
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#39410 - 11/17/08 10:50 AM
Re: First time handgun hunting!!
[Re: hunlee]
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1948ER
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Registered: 10/12/08
Posts: 129
Loc: Oklahoma
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Well done!! Congrats on your first handgun 'trophies'.
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It's not the gun, but the man behind it.
Sheriff Russell Cottle, Ret.
USMC; 1967-1970; Vietnam-'68-'69
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#39434 - 11/17/08 03:12 PM
Re: First time handgun hunting!!
[Re: TCMan]
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N.E.S.
journeyman
Registered: 08/18/08
Posts: 68
Loc: Tennessee
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Well done! mikewin, i get a chance for my first deer with a hand gun this sat.
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#39463 - 11/17/08 06:08 PM
Re: First time handgun hunting!!
[Re: pab1]
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MIHunter
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Registered: 03/02/05
Posts: 253
Loc: Michigan
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Congrats, good job and good shootng!!!!!!
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