Just about everyone knows that red dot sights have become quite popular for action shooting. In fact, quite a few are even putting red dots on their defensive firearms. So, if they work well for these shooting disciplines, why won’t they work in the hunting field as well?

This was the question that occurred to me as I accepted an invitation to join a handgun hunt sponsored by Ruger, Trijicon, and Mossy Oak, at the Ranger Creek Ranch, just west of Seymour, Texas. In preparation for this hunt, I mounted a Trijicon RMO7 sight in a Ruger Bisley Hunter, in .44 Magnum. Well, I mounted the sight and then Eddie Stevenson remounted it properly. I didn’t say I was an expert with red dot sights, only that I was interested!

Unfortunately, the weather and other factors didn’t produce a whitetail buck for me to shoot. However, I did do a lot of target practice with the Trijicon/Ruger set up. With just a bit of practice, the Trijicon’s red dot was quick to acquire. On this model, the size of the red dot cannot be reduced. However, the intensity of the red dot can be reduced to deal with low-light situations.

We had a great time at Ranger Creek Ranch, even though I didn’t fire a shot at a game animal. However, I did manage to get permission to bring the Trijicon/Ruger outfit home with me so that I can use it on some other Texas deer hunts that I’ve got coming up. I do know that the Trijicon sight is rugged and it is accurate.

Time will only tell if I am sold on the idea of using red dots for hunting, but I intend to give it a good workout and test. Experiencing new ideas and technology is one of the things that I like best about this job. While I tend to be a traditionalist, there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping up with the new stuff in our industry. To borrow a phrase from Jim Shepherd, “I’ll keep you posted.”