Chopperguy
Well-Known Member
While deer hunting at a friends ranch in southern Oklahoma this week I've encountered a lot of varmints, but not many deer.
So being very adaptable, I switched from serious deer hunting to a varmint quest. All this with a very non-traditional rifle/caliber combination for varmint hunting.
Now the kinds of varmints I'm talking about here include feral hogs, coyotes and skunks.
I was hunting with my Sauer 303 semi auto chambered in 9.3x62. A rifle I intended to use on dedicated hog hunts during the off season. I'm shooting some Norma factory 232 grain loads that I have run at the range from 100-500 yards on steel targets. This same load in my bolt gun just accounted for a nice 6x6 elk on Veterans Day in the mountains of Wyoming.
I have used the 9.3 in various loading to take game from African Minis to Eland, Wildebeest and now Elk with great success. So why not deer and varmint targets of opportunity??
In 5 days of hunting the ranch I've so far fired 13 shots of 9.3 ammunition and accounted for 7 hogs, 3 coyotes and 2 skunks. Only 3 of the hogs were standing still as they dropped to the first shots at the sounders they were a part of. The others were running like, well you know how they scatter.
The first 2 coyotes were a pair at about 140 yards across a hay field from where I was stalking the creek bottom. I came up out of the bottom and they were in the field, up wind and walking away from me. A quick second shot allowed me to get both before the 2nd one had a chance to run!
Not the last coyote I've taken was yesterday. I was sitting on one of our observation points looking over likely areas for game to appear when a coyote popped out of the creek bottom right were I had dropped the first hog of the trip. She wasn't even interested in anything but the remains of the hog in front of her. I ranged her at 336 yards. Not long range, but stretching the 9.3/232 grain bullet combination on a smaller target like a coyote.
Got a good steady rest, shooting sticks ready and sitting with my back to a rock and felt pretty comfortable. The 303 is scoped with a Swarovski Z6i 1-6 with a BRT reticle. Like mentioned, I have verified this load out to 500 on steel so knew the hold.
First shot was perfect for wind, but went right under her chest behind the front leg. She jumped up and appeared not to know what was happening or where I was shooting from. She took about 10 steps and stopped to look around kind of quartering away from me.
Big mistake. Needless to say, that big bullet was a pass through rear flank to front shoulder.
One less coyote to harass cattle, eat the few quail left here and bother the neighbors chickens!
(Sorry the pic is displaying sideways.)
So being very adaptable, I switched from serious deer hunting to a varmint quest. All this with a very non-traditional rifle/caliber combination for varmint hunting.
Now the kinds of varmints I'm talking about here include feral hogs, coyotes and skunks.
I was hunting with my Sauer 303 semi auto chambered in 9.3x62. A rifle I intended to use on dedicated hog hunts during the off season. I'm shooting some Norma factory 232 grain loads that I have run at the range from 100-500 yards on steel targets. This same load in my bolt gun just accounted for a nice 6x6 elk on Veterans Day in the mountains of Wyoming.
I have used the 9.3 in various loading to take game from African Minis to Eland, Wildebeest and now Elk with great success. So why not deer and varmint targets of opportunity??
In 5 days of hunting the ranch I've so far fired 13 shots of 9.3 ammunition and accounted for 7 hogs, 3 coyotes and 2 skunks. Only 3 of the hogs were standing still as they dropped to the first shots at the sounders they were a part of. The others were running like, well you know how they scatter.
The first 2 coyotes were a pair at about 140 yards across a hay field from where I was stalking the creek bottom. I came up out of the bottom and they were in the field, up wind and walking away from me. A quick second shot allowed me to get both before the 2nd one had a chance to run!
Not the last coyote I've taken was yesterday. I was sitting on one of our observation points looking over likely areas for game to appear when a coyote popped out of the creek bottom right were I had dropped the first hog of the trip. She wasn't even interested in anything but the remains of the hog in front of her. I ranged her at 336 yards. Not long range, but stretching the 9.3/232 grain bullet combination on a smaller target like a coyote.
Got a good steady rest, shooting sticks ready and sitting with my back to a rock and felt pretty comfortable. The 303 is scoped with a Swarovski Z6i 1-6 with a BRT reticle. Like mentioned, I have verified this load out to 500 on steel so knew the hold.
First shot was perfect for wind, but went right under her chest behind the front leg. She jumped up and appeared not to know what was happening or where I was shooting from. She took about 10 steps and stopped to look around kind of quartering away from me.
Big mistake. Needless to say, that big bullet was a pass through rear flank to front shoulder.
One less coyote to harass cattle, eat the few quail left here and bother the neighbors chickens!
(Sorry the pic is displaying sideways.)
