Varminting (from English varmint , warmint is a dialectal variant of the word English vermin - “harmful animal” characteristic of the eastern United States) is a type of high-precision shooting and sport hunting , shooting at long and ultra-long distances, mainly on rodents ( marmots , rats and others small animals).
For warming, rifled weapons of special samples are used, with a weighted barrel, equipped with powerful optics of tenfold or more magnification. There is even a whole class of weapons for varmint - a varmint rifle , a small-caliber rifle - usually in the 0.22 "(5.6 mm) region, often with manual reloading or even single-shot, with a heavy barrel, bipods and powerful optics. Shooting is carried out from the stop (from a tripod or stand). The caliber of the weapon and the cartridge are usually selected so that the trajectory of the bullet is as flat as possible; the most commonly used ammunition .223 Remington , .223 WSSM , .243 Winchester , .300 Winchester Magnum , etc. p., but not larger than 7.62 mm.
Artificial targets imitating the silhouette of groundhogs can also be used as targets in warming.
History
The homeland of varminting is the United States of America . The emergence of varminting is associated with the crisis of the early 30s, when meadow dogs (rodents of the squirrel family, typical representatives of the animal world of the prairies) were the scourge of the fields of American farmers. Considering that a decrease in the number of rodents will increase crop yields, American farmers began their mass shooting. Due to the fact that when a person approached closer than 50 m, the animals hid in burrows, rifled weapons were used to shoot them. When shooting, the quality of the trophy was not important. Later shooting rodents has become a kind of sport hunting.
So, today in the United States using rifled carbines and rifles, firing is carried out at distances often exceeding 1000 meters. Given that firing is carried out over such long distances, various indicators play a role in warming (weather conditions, temperature, altitude, wind speed and direction, etc.).
In the USA, objects of varminting are:
- predators: coyotes, wolves , foxes, raccoons , and stray dogs that attack and kill animals on farms;
- rodents and hare-like: rats, meadow dogs, squirrels, groundhogs and rabbits , harmful to crops in the fields and in storage;
- invasive species: starlings and other birds that can crowd out native species.
In Russia, warming has been used when hunting a baibak (a rodent of the genus marmots, an inhabitant of virgin steppes of Eurasia). An important difference when hunting for a groundhog is a cleanly beaten, high-quality trophy.
Groundhog Shooting
The shot is fired at the maximum distance from the target, which should be relatively motionless. The groundhog’s manner of standing for hours as a “candle” near the hole, observing the surroundings, makes it possible to fire an aimed shot, but only at the ultimate distance: the groundhog is shy and, in case of alarm, quickly disappears into the hole. Moreover, the animal is extremely strong on the wound, that is, when it is defeated in any part of the body except the head (the size of no more than a cognac glass), it manages to disappear.
See also
- Shooting sport