First Revolver Deer. The Details.

Bear with me fellas, … I got a pot of going coffee and very few hunting buddies. And none of them understand why I want to try my luck at hand gun hunting…. and leave your red pens in the drawer and forget the typos. I did my best.

On that note, I’ll just say that I’ve learned a few things in the last two weeks.

So far, my handgun hunting experience was little more than thinking that I didn't need to carry a heavy (or lightweight) rifle afield. It’s mostly just been scoped Contenders (7GNR) sitting in a blind or tree stand hunting over corn or a food plot. I've hunted other ways, but that's what I mostly do. Mostly by myself. I've never really stalked down deer on the ground and have never taken one with a revolver that wasn’t just a happy opportunity. Well, yesterday's hunt was something new for me.

A while ago I pick up a one of Gary's semi-custom guns. It was a 44 Mag with a Burris red dot and a muzzle brake. I had no idea what I really wanted in a hunting revolver so I figured this gun would tell me everything I needed to know. I had him drill and tap for a scope mount. All the functional bells and whistles. Played around with the red dot awhile. Then the scope. What I found out is that I absolute loved the gun but I just couldn't get used to the scope or the red dot on the revolver. I really tried too. It just didn't work for me. I found myself shooting another Ruger single action a lot more, but I love the 44 mag gun better. It just felt better to my hand than the other. I really like both guns, but sometimes you start settling in with a gun and know it’s the one that you want on your hip. So I sent the gun back to Gary and had him cut the barrel back and add a front sight. Best gun decision I've ever made. This one is everything I want a single action revolver. I’ve come a lot close to knowing exactly what I want in a gun. A lesson learned.

So, fast forward back to yesterday's hunt. That was the product of hunting as much as I could since I got that Ruger back from the shop. Always on the ground walking. I've been hunting a 30 something acre cut down that's goes a good bit uphill from a soggy creek bottom. I've been watch big deer cross in the creek for 2 seasons without coming up to my feeder. After years of read the hunting exploits you folks on this forum, it was time to get off my ass and hunt on my feet. I've been walking and stalking the perimeter of that cut down for almost 2 weeks trying to connect with a deer. Not really knowing what I was doing. Trying to stay quiet and downwind. Trying to edge in to the creek bottom without losing my boots in the mud. Getting close, but getting busted anyway. But, last night it all came together. I decided it was best to stay at the top hill by the edge of the trees and glass down into the cut down toward the creek bottom. It’s a good 700 yards from the top to the creek and the hill dramatically ungulates up and down in three big hills down to the bottom. You can see deer walking the cut down and lose it behind a hill only to see it pop out again near the edge of the cut down. The edge of the area is a long gas line break before the tree line. That's where my feeder and blind are. So, I'm at the top of the hill glassing down. I figure my best bet is to try and catch anything crossing the cut down and cut them off in whatever direction they're traveling. I can mostly see the path through the cut down where they go to the feeder. Its rare they go there. The feeder has only been there one season and they aren't quiet used to it. But last night bucks were chasing does that wanted to eat. I had been seeing does crossing quickly near the creek bottom. While I would have completely happy shooting a big doe, I figure bucks had them on the move so I'd bide my time and try for a buck. After a bit of watching and glassing I see a few does in the corn. After they eat a bit, they take off across the cut down and disappear in the woods as far from me as they could get. I wasn't busted, but that's where they went. Evidently they ran in to a few bucks trolling around. I was surprised to see bucks together, but they weren’t exactly acting best buddies either. They came out of the woods following the does that had just made a quick turnaround. The bucks looked like they were trying to keep their distance from one another but the does had the large part of their attention so they were just “dealing with it”. There was a nice 8 point, a small 8 point and the big young 4 pt lagging behind them. After less than a minute of watching I realize that the does were headed straight back to the feeder. I got a little excited. I backed in the woods and started the walk back to the gas line where the feeder was. I followed the tree line around and made it to the gas line unnoticed. I nearly ran to the tree line and stopped about 20 yards from the feeder. I hid in some brush by a pine. I bent a branch down so that I could see a good bit of area by the feeder. Feeling pretty lucky not getting busted by the does I settle in, crouched down and gun ready in my hand. After about 10 (I guess) minutes I see the does coming to feeder. My heart starts pumping hard because I just know the bucks are on the way. But several minutes go by and they haven't shown. I wait another five minutes or so and the does start crossing the gas line to the woods. Feeling a little desperate I grabbed a grunt call out of my pocket. I loathe to use a call even though I never leave it behind. Mainly because I feel stupid making all that noise in woods, and two, because I think I stink at it. But I needed those bucks to show and I was willing to take the chance. I blew off a couple of low grunts and waited some more. I heard the does stop walking. I made one more low grunt. I had already given up on the bucks and was hoping the does would come back. But then those bucks started to appear coming from behind a thick patch of dog fennel that borders the gas line's lane. The two 8 points were farther up the hill at roughly 60 and 70 yards and they stopped. But that 4 point came out behind them and walk down to about 40 yards. Roughly 20 yard other far side of the feeder. I really didn't have a good line of sight to the deer, but I knew I was going get the close one. I needed to take a deer stalking with the revolver. I waited for him to put his head down or look the other way. It felt like forever. They kept looking down the lane in my direction. The he turn his head. I slowly stood up, peeped over the top of the brush I was hiding behind, and reached out with the pistol in kind of a weird looking baseball batting stance. I was scared show to much of myself. I put the front sight about 2-3 inches in front of the shoulder and let it fly. The buck hit the deck. I could see that I hit it farther back and a little higher than I'd aimed. I do need more practice with the gun. I could see that it wasn’t' dead yet. I crouched back down and waited. Look at the clock on my phone I let 5 minutes go by. He stand up and tries to run, stumbling around. I stand up, take aim center between the brisket and the should and shoot. He hits the deck again. I can see him breathing so I wait a little more. The darn thing gathers up some strength and gets up to try and run again. I’m really feeling some disbelief at this point. This time he makes it in the wood line. I'm thinking "Oh Crap! What did I do wrong?" I hear him settle down. So then I creep down the wood line to where he was laying. Blood is everywhere. I tippy-toe in the wood and see more blood. Following the trail I see his behind just barely showing in some thick brush. I don't know how to describe the stuff, but it’s like the plant growth you'd see in the soggy parts of a creek bottom. I'm think "Oh hell, no. You ain't taking me two more feet into any soggy, wet, messy ground.” I sneak up, and crouch about 10 yard behind him and wait for him to lift his head. I'm hoping he'll just give it up. I can't see if he's breathing. After some time I get tired of squatting so I sit in the pine straw cross legged. I really don't want to go another foot into that thick green mess. I’m not going to spook him or flub the shot. So I wait. Finally, he lifts his head. I can hear him heavily breathing blood. I put the front bead on his neck take a slow breath to line up and shoot. A few kicks and it's done. I tied the tow line to his neck and dragged him out.

So,.. what did I learn. First, sometime you gotta try something before you figure out what you like. Secondly, stalking ain’t easy. Lastly, no gun is a magic wand.

I think the worst mistake I made not realizing the first shot was a bit up hill. I blew through one shoulder and up and out between the shoulder blades. You can almost see that I the picture. That left him a leg to run on. My point of aim was lower and forward of the shoulders. Likely I said, I need more practice. I was shooting Speer 240 grain hollow points. They were likely just fine, but I’ve never really liked hollow points or plastic tipped bullets. I know that’s just a me thing. I would have expected the second shot to shot through him. I’ve on got a few of those HPs left. Then I’m going to try some powder coated Lead bullets then I bought.