I’m going antelope hunting! Last Saturday I received word I had been chosen for a Wyoming antelope hunt next October with Chris Rhodes, owner of Bayside Custom Gunworks. A requirement of this opportunity is the hunt must be with a handgun. Challenge excepted.

This will be a spot and stalk hunt rather than from a blind over a watering hole. There will be a lot of walking and glassing leading up to a shot I’m told could be anywhere from 100 to well over 300 yards. My 10mm, while it will go with me, is probably not up to the task. Even my favorite 41 Magnus may be a bit lacking. This is an opportunity to try something new.

In this vein, MGM is making me a 15″ barrel for my Encore frame chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. I will likely top it with the Burris 3-12x handgun scope. Once I receive the barrel (hopefully before the end of Alabama’s deer season) and top it with optics, I will be able to make a good ammunition decision. Fortunately, I don’t live too far from the CMP shooting complex in Talladega so I should be able to stretch the legs of this new handgun to see how it performs.

I have 10 months to prepare for this hunt. SHOT Show will provide me with a chance to look at all the latest and greatest gear. Throughout the year I will be narrowing down my gear list and writing about it here. Prepping is part of the fun. Stay tuned.