• Big Game Airgun Hunts

  • Jim's Texas Hog and AOA Bushbuck

    DAQ .457 used to take a nice warthog in South Africa

  • Small game with a Spring Piston Air Rifle

  • Destination Hunts for small game

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Portable compressors have become an obtainable tool for today’s PCP shooters, and Air Venturi has been at the front of that movement. Their newest entry, the Nomad Nano, pushes the category forward with a design that’s smaller, lighter, and more field‑ready than anything they’ve released before. In a world where mobility matters, whether hunting, plinking, or competition, the Nano is built for shooters who want high‑pressure air without the burden of tanks or industrial-level compressors. Compact Powerhouse The Nomad Nano’s defining trait is its size. It’s astonishingly compact, closer to a shoe box than a traditional compressor, yet it delivers up to 4500 PSI, enough for any modern PCP rifle or small bottle. Many micro compressors top out at 3000 PSI, which limits them to entry‑level guns. The Nano doesn’t make that compromise. It’s engineered for serious airgunners running high‑pressure platforms, slug guns, and hunting rigs. I use it for both my standard- and large-caliber rifles that are charged to very high pressures. Despite its small footprint, the Nano includes the features shooters expect from a premium compressor: a digital display, automatic shutoff, dual-power operation, and user-friendly design. Air Venturi didn’t simply shrink the Nomad Nano; they redesigned the platform to prioritize efficiency and durability. Built for Real‑World Shooting Reliability is the real test of any compressor, and the Nano shows its pedigree. Air Venturi has spent years refining portable compressor technology, and the Nano benefits from that experience. I have put the Nano through heavy use, and it hasRead More →

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Jim spends the day on the ranch with his Zelos PCP rifle, hunting a mixed bag of small game. I was finally getting out airgun hunting with the Zelos! Small‑game airgun hunting has a way of resetting a person. It’s active without being frantic, demanding without being draining, and it rewards good shooting without requiring the kind of pressure that comes with a once‑a‑season big‑game tag. That’s exactly the kind of hunt I was looking for when I headed down to a friend’s ranch for a long‑overdue weekend in the desert. I packed light—boots, binoculars, a daypack, and one rifle I’d been itching to test in real field conditions: the Umarex Zelos in .22. The Zelos is a purpose‑built small‑game PCP, a compact bullpup with a regulated action and a side‑lever that cycles smoother than most rifles in its class. It’s built around a precision‑machined aluminum chassis with full M‑Lok compatibility, giving it a minimalist, almost tactical look. But beneath that stripped‑down exterior is a serious hunting tool. The regulated action can be tuned between 1,500 and 2,000 psi, and depending on pellet choice, the rifle will push .22 rounds at roughly 1,100 fps. It feeds from a 20‑round rotary magazine, plenty of air and ammo for a morning of rabbits, quail, or whatever else the desert decides to offer. I arrived at the ranch in the late afternoon, the sun still high but softened by a thin veil of heat haze. Before settling in, I walked down to theRead More →

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Jim is always on the lookout for the next truly compact PCP, and then found the RAW MicroHunter at last year’s SHOT Show! There’s a certain kind of airgun hunter, and if you’re reading this, you probably know the type, who is always on the lookout for the next truly compact PCP. Not just “shorter than average,” not just “carbine-ish,” but a gun that shrinks the platform without shrinking the performance. For hunters who move through the world on e‑bikes, kayaks, or long miles of foot travel, a sub‑compact PCP isn’t a novelty. It’s a necessity. And for those of us who spend half our time in heavy brush or tight cover, a small gun that handles like a full‑sized rifle is the holy grail. I’ve chased that ideal for years. I want a gun that disappears into a pack but feels like a real rifle when I shoulder it. Something that doesn’t punish me for wanting portability. Something that shoots like it has no idea it’s small. Last year at SHOT Show, I found a gun that pulled me in like it had its own gravitational field, the RAW MicroHunter. I’d walked past dozens of booths, seen dozens of rifles, and handled more than a few that claimed to be “compact.” But the MicroHunter stopped me cold. It wasn’t just short. It wasn’t just light. It had that rare combination of ergonomics, balance, and build quality that makes you think: This one might actually be it. The RAW MicroHunterRead More →

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On this hunt I hit the field with my Hatsan Vectis to see what it can do on a Texas hog! North‑central Texas is hog country in the truest sense: thick grass, creek bottoms, oak motts, and enough feral pigs to keep a hunter honest. I’d hunted this ranch before and knew exactly what I was getting into. It’s the kind of place where you can see a lot of hogs in a weekend but only get a few real chances if you’re hunting on foot and carrying a small‑caliber air rifle. This trip, I brought a rifle I’ve come to trust: the Hatsan Vectis lever‑action PCP in .25 caliber. It’s not a bruiser. It’s not a dedicated hog gun. But in the right hands, and with the right discipline, it’s capable. Head shots only. Close range. Walk away if the setup isn’t perfect. That’s the deal. I started out on foot, easing toward a big grassy flat that borders a creek bottom. The hogs use the waterhole, but they bed in the tall grass or the woods, or sometimes just drift away altogether. Getting close is the whole challenge. On this day, a stiff breeze was pushing across the waist-high grassy flat, and I used it like a shield. Every step had to be timed with the gusts. If the wind shifted and blew my scent into the grass, I’d clear every pig in the county. A couple hundred yards ahead, I saw a hog break from the grassRead More →

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In this post I talk a little about rabbits in general, then hone in on the Umarex Gauntlet as a rabbit gun! I’d just finished a week-long ramble across the Texas backcountry, chasing small game with an air rifle and trying not to get myself perforated by the landscape. Texas may be famous for deer and hogs, but for an airgunner it’s a rabbit paradise—if you can stay upright, unbitten, and unstabbed long enough to take advantage of it. West Texas isn’t the kind of place that welcomes you. It’s dry, thorny, and mean, a sprawl of scrub brush and cactus that looks like it was designed by a committee of creatures that hate legs. Rabbits thrive in it, though—jackrabbits and cottontails tucked into the cactus and brush covered landscape. They’re the Ubiquitous Texas small game, living in a world where everything either stings, stabs, or bites. And that’s not an exaggeration. The cactus alone is a rogues’ gallery: jumping cholla that seems to hunt back, beehive cactus that creeps like it’s got somewhere to be, prickly pear in clumps big enough to hide a cow. Then there are the critters—ants that welt you, scorpions that cramp you, rattlers that send you to the ER for a few days of reflection. I’m not saying every step is a death sentence, but you learn real quick not to sit, kneel, or put your hands anywhere you can’t see. I forgot that rule a few times last week and I’m still pullingRead More →

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For this trip, Jim Heads out with the Hatsan Velox PCP handgun and the Jet handgun/carbine conversion for some range work and a rabbit hunt. conversion The Midwestern dawn came on soft and colorless. It was the kind of muted morning I love to be out stalking the scrub. I eased along the thicket bordering an overgrown pasture. The air still cool enough to hold the night’s memory. Hatsan Velox and the Jet remind me why I love the quiet work of small‑game hunting. On this outing I carried the Hatsan Velox. Moreover, it is a compact little pneumatic air pistol that felt more like a precision instrument than a field gun. At just over 3 pounds and barely 13 inches long, the Velox rode lightly in his hand. Its all‑metal construction gave it a solid feel. The side-lever action on this gun is smooth, almost polite. Additionally, the 11mm dovetail rail incorporates a low-profile optic for fast sight acquisition. Hatsan built the Velox as a close-quarters, high-portability PCP. In rabbit country, portability is king. This discussion includes Hatsan Velox and the Jet. I appreciated the ergonomics and shooting characteristics of the Velox. The 50cc air cylinder wasn’t large, but it delivered a surprising number of consistent shots, each one snapping forward with the crisp authority of a gun that knew its job. In .177, the Velox pushed pellets at hunting‑useful speeds, and I had already learned that inside 25 yards, it was precise. I moved slowly, letting the morningRead More →

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Texas has always been one of my favorite proving grounds for big‑bore airguns, and on my latest trip south, the spotlight wasn’t on the javelina—it was on the rifle I carried: the Umarex Hammer Carbine .50. I’ve used the full‑length Hammer extensively on deer, hogs, and javelina, but this was my first hunt dedicated to evaluating the carbine version under true field conditions. Dialing In the Hammer Carbine Once I arrived at the ranch, my first priority was getting the Hammer Carbine tuned and ready. Shooting Mr. hollow point 345‑grain .510 slugs, the carbine produced velocities between 839–850 fps, generating roughly 550 ft‑lbs of energy. What stands out with this platform is its four consistent shots per fill—not just four shots, but four usable shots with predictable point‑of‑impact behavior. At 65 yards in gusty wind, the rifle printed 1.75-inch three‑shot groups, opening to about 2.5 inches over four shots. The slight spread was clearly tied to tank pressure drop rather than any mechanical inconsistency. For a compact big bore, this level of repeatability is impressive. Handling, Ergonomics, and Recoil The Hammer rifle has always been one of the most comfortable big bores I’ve carried, and the carbine retains that ergonomic foundation while adding a more aggressive personality. The recoil is noticeably sharper—enough to surprise me on the first shot—but once acclimated, it’s entirely manageable. Shooters sensitive to recoil may find it stout, but in the field, shooting off sticks, I never found it intrusive. The Magpul pistol grip, well‑designed stockRead More →

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I’ve been hunting with airguns for close to 50 years, and take a quick look back at the growth of the sport through the 2000’s!    I started shooting air rifles and first became interested in hunting with them while living in Europe back in the early 1980s. It was around this time that I was introduced to the writing of John Darling in Airgun World magazine and to some of his books from the same period. Eventually, I worked my way back to the States and brought my passion for airguns home with me. I started writing articles for several outlets that included Predator Xtreme, Outdoor Life, Fur-Fish-Game, magazines in the US, and Airgunnner, Airgun Shooter, and Airgun World in the UK, along with several blogs and websites as the sport developed. There have also been TV shows such as the American Airgunne, CD collections, and YouTube videos, which have given me a front row seat to watch the sport of airgun hunting progress, and make some contribution to as well.    There is a long tradition of hunting with pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air guns, dating back to the late 1600s, when big-bore air rifles were used by European nobility to take large game. In recent years, spring-piston airguns have become available to the masses, and after World War II, their availability increased dramatically. The sport has continued to grow in much of the world, especially in those locales where gun ownership is not an option for the civilianRead More →

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I head to aa Arizona dairy farm to thin out the invasion of flying rats with my buddy Kip. Arizona is one of my favorite states, and one that I’ve spent a lot of time in since boyhood. It it is home to one of the most beautiful arid regions I’ve been to anywhere in the world… the Sonoran Desert. With a huge variety of native cactus, the red barrel cactus and the mighty saguaro are the defining flora of this ecosystem, it is impressive. Moving up north will transport you out of the desert into the world’s largest ponderosa pine forest with mountains over 9000 feet in elevation. I started coming here to hunt the Alberts squirrel and try to return every year. There are several game animals that call the state home; whitetail and mule deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, javalina, mountain lion, bear, coyote, rabbits, squirrels, and a variety of game birds, it is a hunter’s paradise. In addition, there are many non-game species that inhabit this desert and its surrounding mountains, making it a great place to enjoy nature whether you are hunting or not! This summer trip was outside the legal hunting season for most species, and I was therefore not planning on pursuing any of these game animals. Yet I was coming to shoot! To this end I found myself flying down to Phoenix on one of the discount carriers popping up. As I’ve mentioned in other articles, the US is a very large country,Read More →