NY Handgun Doe

B

bird_dog

New member
In another thread about handgun hunting, I posted my defense of Taurus firearms, and a photo of one of my better deer with a Taurus M44. This past Sunday morning, I got a 100 yard shot at a very large doe, and dropped her.

I've target shot at 100, but this is the longest hunting shot I've taken with a handgun. She was stopped, broadside, and I had a good (not great) place to rest the gun for the shot. Shot was to the rear of the lungs, and she made about a 50 yard sprint before piling up.

Now that I've used my "lucky" gun (hunted with it for about 10 years), I'm going out with my new-ish Ruger Super Redhawk and trying again.

(load used for this, and most of my handgun deer are 10.9gr of Unique pushing a 240gr MagTech .44 mag bullet. Easy load to shoot, and deadly on deer.)

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • 1476147_1407613642808949_1029618533_n.jpg
    1476147_1407613642808949_1029618533_n.jpg
    180.3 KB · Views: 156
Great pic. Handgun hunting is a trip. I'm taking my Smith this weekend. I practice at 50 and 100 as well. I use a 210 gr Sierra JHC over 26.5 grs of W296 in 44 mag....she's a barker.

Congrats on the fine freezer filler.
 
Congratulations! That looks like one super size doe! Nothing gives more satisfaction than taking one with a pistol. I like my Rugers, but I think the Taurus is a quality weapon as well. Im sure that deer won't argue.
 
Is that an illuminated scope?
Click to expand...

Just an older model Aimpoint red-dot that did several years of hard service on my 12 gauge slug gun, before being permanently placed on the Taurus. I can't say enough good about it. It's been submerged, frozen, rained on more times than I can count, and has never once failed me.

It's got a pretty large dot, and is nowhere near as fine-tuneable as other models I have, but it's done its job admirably.

For this shot, the dot was way too big and covered the chest of the deer at 100. Thankfully, I knew from practice (and experience) that the center of the red dot is where it's going to hit, anywhere from 5 yards (my last buck) to 100 yards (this one).
 
Nursing doe

I had a politely worded PM about the fact that the doe was obviously nursing a fawn, and asking if I saw the fawn. The shot was in a long grass field, and my window to shoot was pretty small (I was inside a small woodlot and had to pick the shot between two trees directly in front of my stand).

I didn't see the fawn until after I climbed down to recover the deer and it bounded off.

I felt bad, yes, but not that bad. I know that, despite the fact they might still be nursing that by this time of the year, they're also capable of fending / feeding themselves. I have killed enough small ones to know that they're always full of corn and grass. Had I seen the fawn, I might not have shot the doe. Or I might have shot the fawn.

You never know until the moment comes. For me it was a 2 year dry spell for killing a deer (handgun hunting has added some serious challenges) and that morning, I was not going to be picky.

I resisted the urge to Photoshop out the teats. Seriously.

Keepin it real for all my fellow hunters. Thanks for all the comments (and PMs).
 
The reason deer season is in late fall is because the babies will survive without the mother. Bow season started 7 weeks ago and the babies were fine then.
 
Well the big game drought is over for bird dog now. Nice doe you got yourself there Sir. {Should be a tasty one no doubt about that.} I hope the one that got a way turns out to be a 10-point taken by you in a few years also.
Harvested with a pistol. At a 100 yards!! That's a challenge in-itself. A High/ Five on this One and My congratulations too.~~Good job.
 
I for one appreciate you not sidestepping the issue. I think it's more offensive to hide reality or pretend things are different than they are. That fawn will be just fine, until the next predator comes along. That's a deer's life, always looking for what's coming.
 
You will like the Super RedHawk. My brother just got a 9.5 Inch 44. We have his set up with a Weigand Combat Base, and a 30mm MatchDot II with 3 rings. The MatchDot II has different Dot Sizes. The Smallest being a 2 MOA. :)

I am running a plain 30mm UltraDot on my 480 Ruger Super RedHawk. I think the 2 MOA Dot size of the MatchDot II would be better for deer hunting from a stand than my 4 MOA Dot on the UltraDot.

Nice job, she will eat just fine.

Bob
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top