It was a fairly long shot, probably 150 yards, but I had been practicing at that distance and longer before my trip west. I held the crosshairs where I wanted, drew a breath, squeezed the trigger on my varmint rifle and saw the target vaporize through my scope. The Remington 50 grain Accu-Tip left the muzzle at 3799 fps and was moving at 3127 fps when it hit the prairie dog.
Around 25 years ago, I was invited to a prairie dog hunt in Colorado which was three days of serious fun taking shots at the small critters from ranges of 50 yards to over 300 yards. Why prairie dogs? Prairie dogs dig holes and burrows into fields and pastures causing valuable cattle and horses to break a leg if they step into their holes. The rancher then has to destroy the injured animal which is a large economic loss so prairie dog hunters are usually welcomed by ranchers.
Traveling back home from the hunt, I thought about starting a varmint hunt in Alabama since we have coyotes, foxes, beaver, bobcats and other varmints covering the state and groundhogs providing sporty shooting in North Alabama. Coyotes may be the most popular quarry in Alabama due their ever-expanding population and destructive habits. Varmint hunting is gaining in popularity in Alabama as more hunters wish to extend their hunting season past deer and turkey seasons.
Here is an overview of some popular calibers that under normal conditions you would find at any shop selling rifle ammunition in the state. There are a lot of newer varmint rifle calibers that are excellent but still would not be as easy to find as these three.
Varmint Rifle Calibers
The list of varmint rifle calibers, their history and use could be a book in itself so we’ll look at only 3 popular calibers, of which many hunters own at least one, with everything from groundhogs to coyotes in mind.
.22-250 Remington
The .22-250 started life as a necked down .250-3000 Savage cartridge in the 1930’s and was later brought into the Remington fold where it was renamed the .22-250 Varminter. The caliber really took off when Remington standardized the cartridge in 1965 in the Model 700 rifle and it has become a perennial top ten seller in cartridge and reloading die sales. The .22-250 is no slow poke pushing a 53-grain bullet to 3650 fps and it beats the .223 when comparing velocity and trajectory.
The caliber is equally at home in a lightweight sportier style rifle that you use for multiple set-ups during the course of a day when you cover a lot of ground or in a bull-barrel, long-range rifle weighing maybe 10 pounds with a high-magnification scope. One thing I have noticed over the years is that you rarely see a used .22-250 of any style for sale which indicates, to me, the value their owners place on owning one.
.223 Remington
The last few years it has seemed like everyone I know and their granny has bought an AR rifle chambered in .223 which may be the best predator round in terms of versatility. It will propel a 53-grain bullet to 3250 fps and a trajectory flat enough with a 60-grain bullet to take coyotes out to 400 yards. There are a myriad of ammo choices in .223, all with little recoil plus a large selection of rifles.
There are so many bullet options available you can determine precisely the kind of performance you desire. Some varmint hunters who sell the hides prefer the FMJ ammunition since it causes less damage to the hide while hunters preferring the shock factor prefer frangible hollow point bullets.
The 30/06 has been the number one all-purpose big game cartridge for years and now the .223 has become the same for varmint hunting.
.243 Winchester
The .243 Winchester was introduced in 1955 and was based on the .308 Winchester case necked down to .24 caliber. The .243 Winchester is probably chambered in more rifles than ant cartridge except the 30/06 Springfield. The .243 was developed to be a deer and antelope caliber and to use for small game and pests and has done the job well.
For varmints, it will drive a 55-grain bullet over 3800 fps and provide enough hydraulic or hydrostatic shock to drop a coyote where he stands. With 95 or 100 grain loads, the same thing can happen to a deer or antelope when hit properly. While great on coyotes, the .243 would not be my first choice for a day spent on prairie dog towns.
Rimfire Caliber Varmint Rifles
Rimfire calibers .22LR, .22 Mag and .17HMR have killed a lot of varmints over the years including coyotes. Most every farmer in the state has at least one of those calibers which do a good job on smaller varmints and they will kill a coyote with a properly placed shot at ranges under 100 yards but are not ideal if coyote hunting is your primary goal. For ‘yotes you need a centerfire cartridge such as the .22-250, .223 Remington or .243 Winchester.
Final Thoughts
For sportsmen that aren’t fishermen, varmint hunting provides an excellent reason to stay in the woods and fields after deer season. It’s a great way to teach youngsters and other novice hunters firearm safety, distance, marksmanship and spotting game.
Making memories with our family and friends during a beautiful day afield can’t be beat as part of our journey as hunters.
