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Photos: A Lone-Star Predator Hunt with Browning and Winchester

by Connor McKibbin - Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Gallery

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Range Time

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First thing's first: zeroing the rifles. With the Leupold VX3i scopes mounted on our Browning X-Bolts, we began preparing for the next few days of hunting.

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Well-Rounded

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Browning sent along its Varmint Stalker model, chambered in the venerable .22-250 Remington—a favorite among predator hunters.

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Shotgun Wedding

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Alongside the flat-shooting .22-250, we had a few Winchester SX3 NWTF Turkey shotguns at our disposal. It served as a sort of match made in Heaven, giving us the optimal tools for the job of putting down some predators.

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Sun’s Out, Guns Out

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Shooting into the sun in isn’t ideal, but if we wanted to hunt the first night, we didn’t have a choice. However, being the crafty, ingenious guys we were, we came up with a solution to beat the setting sun.

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Night’s Out, Lights Out

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There’s a host of gear required when hunting at night. A spotlight assists in identifying and tracking game, and made it easier to cycle between firearms for different applications.

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A Shot in the Dark

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The first night out, it was still hot, and it stayed that way until the end of the following day. But when an animal’s has to eat, it has to eat, and a little heat won’t stop a hungry feline. Thanks to a well-placed shotgun blast at 30 yards, night one produced this great bobcat.

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Reap What You Sow

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Later in the trip we found some feral hogs. We made the group's sow our target, to help control the population, and once we got her picked out, she was down with one shot from the .22-250 at about 90 yards.

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Thief in the Night

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Known for their mischievous behaviors, raccoons are nosy critters. Especially when they’re hungry. Curiosity killed this coon as he maneuvered through some thick brush, and appeared at 20 yards. Needless to say, the scattergun got some use in the early-morning hours.

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Small Problems

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Feral hogs are more prevalent in Texas, but they've got a neighbor that needs to be controlled, too: the javelina. The .22-250 did a number on this guy, shot at 60 yards.

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Making Tracks

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When time is of the essence, snap shots are required on predator hunts—especially in the dark. Not having time to switch from the rifle to the shotgun, a lethal shot was made on another bobcat, though we did have to do a little tracking afterwards.

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Bearing Down on the Boar

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The largest animal taken on my hunt was this 200-pound pig. After closing the distance between us to about 125 yards, I dropped him with a single round of .22-250, which hit just in front of the gristle plate. The big ol' boar was planted where he once stood.

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Returns on Investment

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When you're hunting day and night, sleep becomes something of a rarity. But those long hours awake paid off with some great rewards. Over the course of our stay, we killed two feral hogs, a bobcat, a javelina and a raccoon. Not bad.

If you're going on a varmint hunt, there are few places better than Texas. The Lone-Star State sports no shortage of game—from coyotes and bobcats to big old wild hogs that weigh more than you do—and is rife with opportunity. Assistant Editor Connor McKibbin recently got a chance join the fine folks from Browning and Winchester for just such a venture. Get an inside look at his trip with the gallery embedded above.

IN THIS ARTICLE

texas hog hunting varmint hunting browning browning ammo rifles predators connor mckibbin

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Photos: A Lone-Star Predator Hunt with Browning and Winchester

Gallery

Range Time

Well-Rounded

Shotgun Wedding

Sun’s Out, Guns Out

Night’s Out, Lights Out

A Shot in the Dark

Reap What You Sow

Thief in the Night

Small Problems

Making Tracks

Bearing Down on the Boar

Returns on Investment

More Like This From Around The NRA

Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

Quick Links

Photos: A Lone-Star Predator Hunt with Browning and Winchester

Gallery

Range Time

Well-Rounded

Shotgun Wedding

Sun’s Out, Guns Out

Night’s Out, Lights Out

A Shot in the Dark

Reap What You Sow

Thief in the Night

Small Problems

Making Tracks

Bearing Down on the Boar

Returns on Investment

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