Test And Evaluation Of Varmint Gear In Wyoming George E. Dvorchak, Jr.
test equipment and learn from the game managers. These individuals, in my opin- ion, are doing a great job so in the future there is game to hunt. I feel fortunate just to have been there over these many years. Gear Grab: When you arrive at the
The Winchester Model 70 Coyote Light with the Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16x scope I used for the majority of my shooting.
yearly media events sponsored by How- ard Communications out of Missouri. One such event is their yearly varmint field trip to Wyoming. Being a press rela- tions (PR) firm, company president and longtime friend Kevin Howard sets up such hunts/seminars so writers will have opportunities for “hands on” experiences with whatever equipment his company is marketing. Why the expense and time devoted to this is worth it to all involved is that PR firms and manufacturers want us to actually use the gear so when they say it is good, they have the field documentation at hand. This is also why Kevin or Mike Capps is on site for such events and not just back in the office reading or writing reports. Being real pros, they are helpful, along with company representatives, in going over new gear and offering tips on its use. I especially appreciate anything said by such individuals that will make me a better shot, which will be expounded upon later. For this yearly varmint/predator
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hunt over what is usually three days of in- tense shooting, available for us to review are firearms, ammunition, optics and ancillary equipment. The location for the 2012 seminar/hunt/shoot is a longtime fa- vorite, the Silver Spur Ranch located near Encampment, Wyoming. Why I consider this a preferred location is that the scenery is breathtaking, the ranch’s staff are some of the best you will find anywhere, and there are a lot of varmints. Correction, varmints are everywhere! In fact, on the second night my roommate, Sammy Re- ese, an editor at FMG Publications, and I were awakened at around 2:00 a.m. by the sound of a howling coyote. He was quite loud as he was not far from our window, probably on the move to wherever. Then the next night we were again awakened,
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or quite a few years I have been fortunate to have been invited to
but this time it was not a pleasant experi- ence. What woke us was a strong smell from a skunk passing through, which got Sammy out of bed to close the window. Then, on the evening of the third day, no more than 100 yards from the lodge, the outfitter told us that there was a family of fox running around one of the fenced cattle pastures. Although off limits to hunters, as they should be because of location, these predators did not immedi- ately spook when I moved in as close as possible. That likely was because of ranch personnel and others there before our group doing the same to observe them. What helped to make this situation appre- ciated was that it was easy to sneak up on them to observe their behavior. With my 400mm lens, I got some good photos. Then I slowly backed out using bales of hay and machinery as cover so not to disturb them further so others could get a good look. On this working cattle ranch there
also is a good population of pronghorn and elk which we saw as we hunted or moved around the ranch. However, a concern was brought to my attention by Dave Sturm, the ranch’s fish and wildlife manager, about big game populations. Dave said there is a declining popula- tion of mule deer, which was a shock to me. Although I did see a few mule deer on this trip, on other years I would see many more. Dave said that when elk populations are high, as has been the trend over the past few years, mule deer populations, for whatever reasons, tend to decline. Concerning the present, Dave said this is why he would like to see mule deer hunting shut down in some regions until their numbers start to rise, and that makes sense. As is evident, a lot can be learned from seminars and speaking about game management to those who live there. Anyway, this ranch is a varmint hunter’s paradise with opportunities to
ranch following a four- to five-hour drive from the Denver Airport, we meet the other hunters who have driven there from other areas, as well as ranch personnel who may be new. Then, after dinner, it is into the gun room to select equipment we may want to field test over three full days of shooting. Here is what I selected: Rifles from Browning: 2012 marks
the 75th Anniversary of the Winchester Model 70, what is referred to as “The Rifle- man’s Rifle.” My first Model 70, and what I used for whitetail and groundhogs back in Pennsylvania, was a pre-64 Feather- weight chambered for the 243 Winchester. My daughter now owns this one, a light and fast-handling rifle with a smooth ac- tion. To celebrate this model, Winchester made available a special anniversary rifle called the Anniversary Super Grade which came equipped with all the bells and whistles. Although I did not use this special grade rifle on my hunt because of it being chambered only for the 30-06 Springfield, I mention this to demonstrate that the Model 70 has a long history. It gets better over time because of innovative variations hunters today seem to prefer. The rifle I used to hunt primarily
varmints was the Winchester Model 70 Coyote Light, chambered for the 22-250 Remington. When I first picked up this rifle I immediately knew this is what I wanted to use because it simply felt good. Therefore, I marked it as “taken,” then later took it to the range to check the scope’s settings … and the rest is history. With a few minor adjustments to the scope it was ready to go. It obviously performed well since it accounted for around 400 var- mints biting the dust. This is an estimate based on the amount of ammunition I had fired over those three days. What was un- usual about this rifle, in my opinion, was the name “Light.” Weighing 7.5 pounds with its 24-inch barrel and no scope, it was not a featherweight … but it balanced well. Its Bell and Carlson synthetic stock with a Pachmayr Decelerator pad was
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