New to hunting "Sidearm Question"

[sk8804]

Hi, i just got my hunting license and will be hunting primarily deer and hog, maybe some bear also during their seasons. I will also be predator hunting coyotes. I have a .30-30 as a primary and would like to carry my M&P .40 as backup just in case (i know its not the best choice but its what i have). If I have my pistol loaded with lead free ammo and I dropped a pig/deer with my rifle, would it be legal to put it out of its misery with a quick accurate shot with the pistol? The dfg says: (c) Pistols and revolvers using centerfire cartridges with softnose or expanding projectiles may be used to take deer, bear, and wild pigs. I just want to make sure i am not missing something somewhere. And would it be legal to do the same with coyote? Thank you all very much and sorry if this has been discussed, i searched without getting a straight answer.

[FLIGHT762]

Yes, as you described the law, you may use your centerfire handgun to shoot big game or finish them off as long as you have soft nose or expanding bullets and as you said, in the lead free areas, lead free expanding bullets. The Coyote can be shot with anything except if your in the lead free area, lead free ammo is required.

[sk8804]

awesome thank you for the reassurance. Much appreciated.

[Divernhunter]

I have carried a pistol over the years when big game hunting. Truth is it is a waste to time and just weights you down. The rifle will but it out of its misery if you had a poorly placed shot. Leave the pistol at home or in your truck/etc and hunt with the rifle alone. It is all of the KISS principal and it works.

[Interloper]

This concept of carrying a pistol "to finish 'em off" is totally impractical. If it needs to be shot again, it should be with your rifle. If it's down but not dead, either cut it's throat or reload, don't approach, let it bleed out.

[sk8804]

This concept of carrying a pistol "to finish 'em off" is totally impractical. If it needs to be shot again, it should be with your rifle. If it's down but not dead, either cut it's throat or reload, don't approach, let it bleed out.

impractical to me is firing another $2.50 bullet when i can fire a $0.80 bullet and get the same results but i see where you are coming from.

[Interloper]

impractical to me is firing another $2.50 bullet when i can fire a $0.80 bullet and get the same results but i see where you are coming from.

That's what the bayonet is for!

[Fjold]

impractical to me is firing another $2.50 bullet when i can fire a $0.80 bullet and get the same results but i see where you are coming from.

Lead free 30-30 ammo is $50/box?



Try Midway

Federal Premium Vital-Shok Ammunition 30-30 Winchester 150 Grain Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet Hollow Point Lead-Free Box of 20
Product #: 778571
Status: Available
$37.99 $25.56 Save $12.43

[sk8804]

Lead free 30-30 ammo is $50/box?



Try Midway

Federal Premium Vital-Shok Ammunition 30-30 Winchester 150 Grain Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet Hollow Point Lead-Free Box of 20
Product #: 778571
Status: Available
$37.99 $25.56 Save $12.43

I have fired the federals and at 100 yards and for some reason they barely grouped under 6 inches. i have had much more luck with the cor-bon, they group about 3-4 inches at 100 yards. They are $53 at all my local stores, but midway does have them for a few bucks cheaper.

[Divernhunter]

Just how much have you spent on the hunt before you pull the trigger. One more round, even if it was $10 is a minor cost. Plus if you did your job correctly you would not have to "finish off" the animal. I understand we all have that happen at times but then the cost of one more round should be the last thing on your mine. Rounds for my weatherby are $60+/box but if I screw up and need a finishing shot I do not think twice about it.

Besides it is alot less hassle than carrying the pistol. Plus what if it is not as wounded as you think and gets up and takes off while you are fidding around changing firearms. Yes I have seen it happen.

The whole concept is nice on paper but in reality it does not work out well. Once you get more hunting time in and expierence you will find this out.

[k1dude]

I have carried a pistol over the years when big game hunting. Truth is it is a waste to time and just weights you down. The rifle will but it out of its misery if you had a poorly placed shot. Leave the pistol at home or in your truck/etc and hunt with the rifle alone. It is all of the KISS principal and it works.

I used to think the same until I read a story of a bear mauling years ago.

A hunter was dressing his buck in bear country. He was already nervous and kept taking breaks to scan the area for approaching bear. He kept his rifle 4 feet away laying against a rock for quick access.

Mere seconds after his last scan, he heard a crashing sound immediately behind him. As he spun around a huge bear was on top of him. He had no idea where it came from. He tried to play dead and the bear began feeding on him, so he began to fight for his life. The whole time his rifle remained just out of his reach a few inches from his fingertips. It might as well have been a mile. But even if he had been able to reach it, the rifle was too long to maneuver it to shoot the bear while he was in it's grasp. All he could think of was how he wished he had a handgun.

Fortunately, the rest of his hunting party approached and saw the mauling as it was occuring. They shot at the beast (I can't remember if they killed it or not). But either way they saved their hunting partner.

He was very badly mauled but survived. After analyzing what he could have done differently to prevent attack, he realized he had done everything right and was attacked anyway. The main lesson he learned was to ALWAYS carry a handgun. He said the attack only lasted a few minutes but seemed like an eternity. And everything was in slow motion. He had many many opportunities during the mauling to shoot the bear with a handgun, if only he had one.

[Tanner68]

How do us muzzleloaders ever manage? I admit, sometimes I carry a sidearm, usually a 22 revolver, in addition to my Lymans Great Plains Hawken. I guess what I am saying, and I think some other posters are too, is that concern for your sidearm is a lot of misplaced emphasis if you are serious about hunting.

[k1dude]

How do us muzzleloaders ever manage? I admit, sometimes I carry a sidearm, usually a 22 revolver, in addition to my Lymans Great Plains Hawken. I guess what I am saying, and I think some other posters are too, is that concern for your sidearm is a lot of misplaced emphasis if you are serious about hunting.

Even knowing the bear mauling story, I rarely carry a handgun while hunting. But when I know I'm in the thick of bear or cougar country, I will carry. To keep the weight down, I carry a Total Titanium .41 mag 4" that only weighs 24 ounces. The weight is light enough that I barely notice it. It's nothing like the 38 to 54 ounce .41's and .44's that most people have.

[TrailerparkTrash]

I have carried a pistol over the years when big game hunting. Truth is it is a waste to time and just weights you down.

When one is in rather good shape, one doesn't even notice a sidearm strapped to one's hip

I carry a sidearm primarily not for 4 legged creatures, but the two legged scum that come up to the National forest from either LA, San Bernardino, Bakersfield or Fresno etc... (you pick).

I remember deer hunting up there one year when I landed me a nice forked horn about 15 minutes before the legal time to hunt was over. By the time I gutted the deer and started to drag him back to my truck, it was pitch black. I had drug a deer back up there to my truck and it took a long time to do so, well into darkness.

My truck was parked under some tall trees and I wanted to skin/quarter the deer right away using my grambel hook and a tree. While I was doing that with my lantern lighting up my campsite, a truck slowly crept up to my camp and immediately two thugs got out. They had positioned their truck with their high beams on and pointed directly at me. The driver thug immediately walked back to the rear of his truck and was now "outa sight."

The passenger thug started to walk over to me at which time I turned my body and bladed myself where he could get a quick glimpse of my sidearm (Colt 1911 .38Super handloaded with 125gr HP's at that time). At the same time I turned my body, I reached for my Streamlight flashlight next to me and my knives. Because I had two lanterns illuminating my campsite, I could see the passenger thug who stopped in his tracks immediately while his mouth dropped a bit. I lit the guy's face up with my flashlight in order to make it more difficult for him to see me clearly.

He huridly walked back to his truck and told "Chuey" (nick name I'm gave him) in spanish to get back in the truck. They didn't say another word and departed faster than they had crept up on my camp.

I don't know what they wanted, but they were not out for a nature hike, nor were they deer hunters either. They were dressed with their bandanas around their shaved heads, top collar buttoned on their Pendleton shirts, kakhi pants past the knees with socks pulled up over their knees, gold chain "Mr. T starter kits" and I'm betting some nice prison tattoos on their arms and chests. They really didn't want to stick around and show me those tat's either.

Moral of the story: It was very important then as it is now to have a sidearm on you, when the rifle is set down and away from you even for a brief period of time, grabbing a holstered sidearm might be faster and safer than trying to pick up a rifle that is further away than arm's reach.

[Tanner68]

If your rifle can't be kept handy, a handgun sure can be reassuring when shady characters may be lurking about. I have run into a few myself.