In s previous article we got you up to date on some of the most important gear you’re going to be needing for handgun hunting. In addition to your high-powered handgun chambers in something like a .44 Magnum or .454 Casull, most every handgun hunter will use a scope that has been specifically designed for the sport. It’s also a good idea to have a tripod or monopod to steady your handgun, because you want to take down your prey in one shot. Of course, it’s also important to have basics that you’d need in any type of shooting, such as shooting glasses and hearing protection. Oh, and don’t forget the handgun holster that will allow you to easily make the hike to your hunting grounds. (We even have some speedloaders for .44 Magnums, if you’re looking for a fast reload).
So once you have all of the equipment you need, you’re ready to head off into the woods or onto the savanna, right? Not quite. Even if you’ve been shooting with larger calibers your entire life, there’s a big difference between shooting at paper targets and being out there in the field. Winging a paper target means a little embarrassment at the range; winging an animal means a lot of unnecessary walking for you and unnecessary pain for it.
Know Your Prey
Before we start talking about the importance of knowing your gear, it’s just as important (if not more so) to know what you’ll be hunting. Sometimes this will be easy, like if you’ve been hunting deer all of your life and know their habits. Of course, you’ll still have to improve your tracking and camouflaging skills in order to get closer, but it’s not a complete unknown.
Other times you’re going to have to do some deep research. If you switched from rifle hunting to handgun hunting exclusively and are going on a safari, you’re going to want to get to know kudu pretty well if that’s what you’re hunting. You have to know how good their hearing is, how far away they can see you, how dangerous they are, and the best way to track them. That will help you decide how good you have to be with your handgun at what distance. Speaking of which…
Practice At the Right Distance
When you’re at the range, you might be able to nail a target at 30 yards, but that’s not going to help much if you can’t get closer than 100 yards to the type of animal you intend on hunting. If you’re typically an indoor shooter and need a longer range, you’d better find an outdoor range you like. You might get some sideways looks trying to hit something at 100 yards from the rifle shooters out there, but learning to accommodate for longer distances with your particular firearm is a must.
Know Your Trigger
If you’ve spent any time with your current large-caliber handgun, you’re probably pretty accustomed to its trigger pull. But if you’re new to the firearm, make sure you know the trigger. While you might have had practice with a rifle in distance hunting, you have to remember two things. First, your hand is often in a slightly different position with a handgun than with a rifle, which might not seem like a big deal but actually changes the way your muscles work. Second, a longer rifle will offer more balance, especially since part of it is steady against your shoulder; jerking a handgun trigger is much less forgiving because the gun is steadied in less solid ways.
Give It A Firm Handshake
…but not too firm. Of course you want to have a firm enough grip on the firearm so that it doesn’t jump out of your hand during the shot, but you don’t want to grip it too hard, either. Holding it too tight will turn your knuckles white, and cause your fist to shake. Just give it a firm grip without causing your hand to fatigue.
Avoid the Flinch
Hunting can really get your blood pumping, which can make you hypersensitive to stimuli. At no time are you more excited than when you’re about to pull the trigger, which means you should try to remain as calm as possible when you’re about to fire.
Easier to say than to do, right? One way to avoid flinching as your fire is to practice proper breathing techniques. It calms the mind and also gives you a pause during which your body isn’t moving. Another way to avoid the flinch is to wear the proper protection. Your brain is telling your body that a powerful, loud, and sometimes painful sound/force combination is about to occur. This can cause a flinch because the body is bracing for it. If you can reduce the amount of shock to your body when you’re practicing— with proper hearing, eye, and hand protection — your brain is more likely to tell your body that it can relax the next time you pull the trigger.
As you can see, the skills you’ve learned hunting with a rifle can definitely help with handgun hunting, but it’s important to build on top of them with the tips we mentioned above. Still, we’re not done with the tips that can make you a better handgun hunter. Check back soon, because in our next blog we have some more tips that can help. And while you’re practicing, reload faster than ever with our Magnum speedloaders.