A reminder - If you use a revolver as a backup when hunting

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.270 coup de grace didn't ruin any meat

On my first hunt with my brand new Ruger (.270 win) going after antelope in Wy I downed a buck and found it still alive as I approached. Didn't have a hand gun to finish it off, so I used my rifle.

After a few seconds wondering what shot would do the least damage to the meat, I shot it between the shoulder blades, exit hole in sternum. Might have ruined some stew meat around the back bone, but that was it.

.270 hole going in, .270 hole going out.

Regarding mandated power of handguns, IL requires a published minimum of 500ft/lbs at the muzzle. Doesn't matter what your hand load is. Needs to have a published record. There are caliber restrictions, but that is the energy requirement that appears far less than mentioned above for another state.
 
Like a lot of hunters, the brother-in-law carried a revolver in addition to his rifle. Some guys do that in case they need a follow-up kill shot when they walk up to their elk.
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That is a ridiculous statement, IMO. There is no reason to carry a handgun, you are already armed with a rifle, which, BTW, is more powerful than the handgun anyway. And in some states, merely being in the field hunting with a weapon that is not legal for taking game animals would get you fined or arrested.
A lot of game wardens are against hunting and/or don't like hunters. We can't expect them to 'understand'.
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Am I the only one who finds this argument ridiculous? "Yeah, I break the law, but that Law Enforcement Officer doesn't understand me." That is akin to saying "That policeman doesn't understand my need to break into someone's house to take their stuff". No, he is not there to be your buddy, he is a law enforcement officer, and as such he is enforcing the law.
One of the guys I hunt with shot a bull elk by mistake during cow season.
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That's a hell of a mistake. Din't he notice them pointy thingies pokin' outa the elk's head??? Failure to follow the law is called a crime, in this case it is called "poaching" or "illegal taking of game", and your friend was cited and fined for committing a crime. Sometimes things happen, but that is way out there.
They have done a great job in reversing a serious poaching problem we had for a long time
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That's their job, and they do it whether you like it or not. If there weren't any poachers (or if everyone read and followed the game regulations), there would be no need for game wardens. So, to end my rant, read the regs!
 
A lot of game wardens are against hunting and/or don't like hunters. We can't expect them to 'understand'.

Am I the only one who finds this argument ridiculous?
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I read it and got a bellyfull that is one funny statement. Every warden I know hunts and fishes. They dont like law breakers, get checked and be OK they will even talk to you :)
 
I never got the reasoning behind using a handgun to finish off a deer when you're carrying a perfectly good rifle.
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Ever shoot a deer "behind the ear" at contact distance with a big rifle? The game and parks even draws a picture of where to shoot a downed animal - base of the skull ...... I shot a doe at the base of the skull (from behind) with a .243 when I was 16 ...... bad decision: skull pretty much exploded and I was wearing blood and brains the rest of the afternoon........
 
Hey Scorch, good name, geez, read the whole post, the horns were so short, the bull elk was a LEGAL antlerless elk. No poachers in my group. It wasn't a cow season, per se, it was an 'anterless' season. Idaho has those. Still, you are right in that it was NEARLY, a hell of a mistake. I think he'll be a bit more careful now after that close call. 'fog of war'
 
We used to have the same 500 ft lb law here in GA. There are some factory loads that will do it. I used to carry a copy of the factory ballistics with me if I ever needed to prove I was legal.
 
There is no reason to carry a handgun, you are already armed with a rifle
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1. The aforementioned ability to administer a coup de grace from close range without making a mess of things.

2. The ability to still be armed even if you have set your rifle aside while cleaning a kill, answering the call of nature, etc.

3. People like the chance to take big game with a handgun, but don't want to lose out on an animal that is outside of their comfort zone with the handgun. It's a way for people to progress into handgun only hunting.

4. Because I personally ENJOY strapping on a hog leg when out and about in the woods and that's reason enough as long as it's legal. An it IS legal here and most places.
 
sounds like that Game Warden is a flat-out jerk. If he was in a position to see the whole thing, he could have just warned the hunters to not use the pistol. Instead, he was out to play a game of "Gotcha", so he could bag a nice ticket and a fine. I thought law enforcement officials were to "protect and serve", not "drag and bag"...
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Watching hunters from behind a bush IS the proper way of enforcing game and fish laws! When we hunt we do it by the regulations, not by what we might be able to get away with.
"protect and serve", not "drag and bag"...
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"They protect the resource" and "Serve the ticket to the law breaker". ;)
MN used to have a list of legal handgun calibers and a few exceptions to length of cartridge but that has changed to any central fire cartridge. I used to carry a .22 rim fire revolver and had used it numerous times just as an assurance before grabbing the coin purse because I got kicked one time, then I found that it was not legal and never carried that revolver again.
 
We're wandering a bit too much...

Look: There's wilful breaking of laws--of whatever sort, not just hunting--and then there's Wrongful Oops! for whatever reason.

So a cop or game warden writes a ticket. The law was broken. End of that segment. Next cometh His Honor, who can consider intent in his decision--which is anywhere from tossing the case to minimum fine to maximum punishment, depending on the circumstances.
 
I shot A deer a few years ago in the head with the slug gun was 5 ft away, no explosion, no blood just a dead deer. A guy helped me load it up and grabbed the antler, it moved around :) he thought it broke his head when he hit the ground he didnt know I shot it :) couldnt tell from just l;ooking, had to skin it back to see the entry.



Geez, know the laws and follow them, or pay the price like Ted the sledge :) did.
 
so mr. warden followed him in the woods, watched him hunt all day, and then tracked the hunter, while the hunter tracked the animal....

I hunt on state land, and there is NO enforcement anywhere.
 
Another examle of too much govt. regulation. Seems like the State decided regular folk are too dumb to know what is the proper weapon/method to humanly dispatch an animal, so "we will enact policy that will ensure the proper weapons are used by the stupid masses". I'm glad I live in Texas where the only regulation for any big game animal as far as firearms is that it must be a centerfire cartridge. Does that mean it is perfectly legal to take a deer with a 25 acp? You bet it does. Are most hunters going to use a 25 acp to take a deer? Of course not. The vast majority are going to use a rifle that has more than enough power to humanly take a deer. There are and will always be stupid people who do stupid things, like try to take a deer with a 25acp, whether it is legal or not. Policy has not, will not and never will make stupid people smart! The only thing all these laws do is make criminals out of ethical hunters who might not have known the exact paticulars of a law.
 
"[That game warden had good eyes to be able to tell a .357 mag from a .44 mag from behind some bushes.]"

I was thinkin the same ;) Glad I live in FL 2 deer a day (If wanted) I'm not greedy, Did take 4 this year :D And let alot walk ; )
Y/D
 
That game warden had good eyes to be able to tell a .357 mag from a .44 mag from behind some bushes.
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Wardens here have long distance cameras that record what you are doing for evidence :) saw a guy get a ticket once, warden showed him the film then explained the law, then a ticket was handed out.
 
I don't know about WY, but here and most other states I know of, the warden would have been criminally trespassing and ticketed himself, for entering private property without permission, when he was not in active pursuit of a crime. It's also hard for me to believe that the business partner's buddy allowed his BIL to carry a inappropriate firearm knowing what it's intended use was........and then, only at the last minute, adamantly stop him before he committed a crime in front of a warden, he did not know was there. While it is prudent and only makes sense to be aware of all game laws in the area you hunt, and I urge all hunters to know and obey them, I've heard this same, exact story too many times over the years.
 
Well, FWIW, here is the reg. You can call it dump, stupid, unreasonable and still get a ticket. It's kinda like arguing that you were just a little over the speed limit.
Many G&F wardens do get overzealous to prove themselves but that just points out that you really need to honestly read and understand your regs and then comply.

For big game, Wyoming
statutes authorize the use of a firearm with a barrel
bore diameter of at least .23 caliber that is chambered
to fire a center-fire cartridge of not less than two inches
in overall length and includes a soft or expanding point
bullet seated to a normal depth. Common .22 caliber
center-fire calibers such as .222 Rem., .223, .22-250,
etc. are not legal for big or trophy game hunting.
Cartridges that may not meet the two-inch criteria
are legal if they are at least .35 caliber and develop at
least 500 foot pounds of energy at 100 yards. Wild
bison can be taken with a firearm that has a barrel bore
diameter of at least .27 caliber and is chambered to
fire a center-fire cartridge not less than two inches in
overall length. The cartridge shall have a minimum of
a 150-grain bullet.
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I have a friend who was fishing w/ his son and myself the other day and we discussed the legal catch limit. I stated 4 and he 6. Come to find out, he allowed his 12yr old to read the reg book and advise him as to the regs..poor choice and rather stupid on his part. The area and lake specific reg said 4.\\

Elkman06
I too would have challenged his being on private land w/o probable cause.
 
Sounds like Wyoming doesn't want too many hand gun hunters. I can't think of too many standard revolver chamberings that reach 500 ft lbs at 100 yards. .500 S&W is about the only one that comes to mind, that leaves pretty much only Contender and Encore handguns as the legal choices. Colorado requires a minimum of 500 ft lbs at 50 yards, so the smallest pistol cartridge that makes this energy level is .41 Magnum. Rifle cartridges must have 1000 ft lbs of energy at 100 yards.
 
I don't hunt out west and never have. Maybe if you ride a horse or are in big bear country, one might need a handgun. On the east coast there is no reason to carry a handgun when rifle hunting. I finished a deer with a .358 WIN, one through the back of the neck right below the head, and you could not even tell it was shot there. I don't think the bullet even opens up from a foot away. It looks to me like more meat is wasted on bad gutting jobs than finishing shots.
 
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