Personally I like hunting with handguns because they are easy to carry, are quick pointing, accurate and sufficiently powerful to bring down anything found in North America. Plus they add an air of excitement to any hunt. With handgun, for the most part, you have to get closer than with a rifle. While some single shots are capable of long range shooting, most revolver rounds start losing down range energy at about 75 to 100 yards. That requires patience and stealth to get close and making the shot count.
Handguns are also considerably easier to carry in the field.
Most weigh less than most even light-weight rifles. The two basic types of hunting handguns are revolvers and single-shots. These guns are not cheap, nor should they be. I personally see no use for the semi-autos when it comes to hunting. The minimum caliber I would suggest using on deer-sized and larger game is either the .41 Magnum or .44 Magnum, when addressing revolvers.