2023 MDT Hunter Challenge

[CSTactical]

https://nrlhunter.org/matches-2023/23-04/



2023 MDT HUNTER CHALLENGE
MDs: Jake Vibbert and Dan Bertocchini

Location: Arbuckle, California

Dates: February 24-26, 2023

Cost: $150 Skills, $300 Individual, $600 for teams

REGISTER INDIVIDUAL
REGISTER TEAM
PRECISION RIFLE HUNTING COURSE
Range Location: 161 Wyer Rd, Arbuckle, CA 95912

Welcome to the 2023 NRL Hunter Season. The 2023 MDT Hunter Challenge will take place in the foothills of Northern California outside of Arbuckle on the famous 360 Ranch. This 10,000 Acre Ranch hosts some of the best wild boar and blacktail hunting available in California and we’ll be shooting the match throughout the natural terrain and steep canyons of the ranch.

We will be offering a precision rifle hunting course as well as some pig hunts, slots will be limited. Lunch and Snacks will be provided on Saturday and we will be having an early awards and food banquet on Sunday with snacks and drinks provided during the day.

The weather can vary a bit this time of the year so be prepared for light rain or blue skies with colder temps in the morning.

With an estimated 18 hunting simulated stages, the round count will be 72-144, depending on first round impacts vs second round impacts, but bring extra for getting velocity/PF for your tiebreaker, and zero’ing your rifle. The average target distance will 555 yards, but expect anywhere from approximately 200-950 yards.

There are no refunds. Transfers will be accepted upon MD approval and via email. The slot owner must email [email protected] the new hunter’s name and email address, and wait for approval.

SEEKING ROs:

IF you’re interested in ROing this event, please submit to the following RO Application: bit.ly/MDT-Hunter-Challenge_2023ROApplication. Anyone may apply, however, space is limited and not guaranteed.

To help us reward quality ROs during the 2-day event, vetted individuals will be offered a complimentary slot for an opportunity to complete all stages in 1-day timeframe (on the RO Shoot Day). This will be for points amongst the other hunters and for prize eligibility. The opportunity at this is set to take place on the competitor Check-in Day.

Social

If you’d like to tag us on social media, we welcome you to use the hashtags #MDTHunterChallenge #NRLHunter #EveryEthicalEdge.

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We’re looking forward to hosting you and helping you gain every ethical edge!

Match Fees
Skill Division (formerly Basic) – $150 (Individual)

Individual Hunter – $300

Team Hunters (2) – $600

There are no refunds. Transfers will be accepted upon MD approval and via email. The slot owner must email [email protected] the new hunter’s name and email address, and wait for approval

Schedule
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH
RO SHOOT DAY

RO competitor safety briefing
RO Shoot Day (all 18 stages for points & prizes amongst all hunters)
Lunch provided for ROs who are shooting
RO Weigh-in/Velocity at check-in table immediately after completion
HUNTER CHECK-IN DAY

Hunter Check-in/Weigh-in/Velocity/Zero.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH

Hunter Safety Briefing
Intended time to begin hunting steel
Lunch & Snacks Provided
Intended time of Day 1 completion (this will vary)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH

Hunters on stages
Intended time to begin hunting steel (remaining stages)
Snacks & Drinks Provided
Intended time of Day 2 completion (this will vary)
Awards & Food Banquet will follow completion of the match

 

[CSTactical]

We still have a few spots left!

 

[Bigrederic]

We still have a few spots left!

You got me coming from SE Alaska... trying to get a few others from our traveling group around the state. It is a harder sell due to being in CA, but this match looks is to good to not go.. the chance to shoot with some friends that are Cali natives was not to be missed.

 

[CSTactical]

You got me coming from SE Alaska... trying to get a few others from our traveling group around the state. It is a harder sell due to being in CA, but this match looks is to good to not go.. the chance to shoot with some friends that are Cali natives was not to be missed.

Will definitely be worth it! Check out some pics I took on Saturday.

 

[AlwineArcher]

Gonna be the best match of the year!

 

[Bigrederic]

Gonna be the best match of the year!

It would be epic to watch you pros work a stage after I get my arse kicked on it.

 

[AlwineArcher]

It would be epic to watch you pros work a stage after I get my arse kicked on it.

The term “pro” getting thrown around a little loosely in here

 

[mmlook]

The term “pro” getting thrown around a little loosely in here

team savage’

 

[Bigrederic]

The term “pro” getting thrown around a little loosely in here

Shoot, I am just a silly semi retired rifle enthusiasts... I would love to be as good at this as some of you all.

 

[CSTactical]

The term “pro” getting thrown around a little loosely in here

Yeah but it's not always referring to competing or shooting...

-Richard

 

[CSTactical]

Just a few pictures stolen on Instagram from our customers, this is the craziest conditions I've witnessed in this area...

PC: CG, AT and CA

 

[CSTactical]

 

[CSTactical]

The 2023 MDT Hunter Challenge sponsored by CS-Optics Wrap Up. ​ We wanted to give you guys a match wrap of the NRL Hunter Match we ran last month in Arbuckle, ca. Setting up the match the weekend and week before, the weather was absolutely perfect. With 10,000 acres, Jake and I had access to setting up the match how we wanted; but working off the main road was logistically the best option. Getting the targets down into position was a daunting task as the terrain is wild and steep with very few access points. It took multiple days and a few winching operations to get all of the stages setup. Big shout out to Adam from NCPPRC coming out to help one of the days, as well as CJ from the ranch. We were looking at the forecast closely and even tried setting up the match to accommodate some mild weather as the roads can be difficult to drive when it rains. Well a 1/4" of rain forecasted for Thursday night turned into 1.75" of rain as well as snow in an 8 hour timespan. This completely changed the course of events for the rest of the weekend as well as the match. This also prevented a handful of competitors and ROs from even making it to the match as flights were getting canceled, and the passes from both Oregon and Nevada were shut down. We still had the majority of shooters and ROs make it with around 120 total. Some of which traveled all the way from Alaska and Canada!

Due to the weather the cabin Jake and I and a few others including Travis from the NRL were staying at was completely inaccessible for several days. One of the ranch managers was actually stuck up there and was unable to get a side by side in or out along with several of our vehicles and a ton of match equipment. The NRL hunter is unique in the fact they allow ROs to shoot the match for free on Friday and RO the match Sat/Sun. The gameplan for Friday was to get a handful of ROs through as many stages as possible and to make stage adjustments as needed due to slip and other safety hazards in the snow and wet terrain. We managed to get through 12 stages before it started getting dark and the rest of the other stages were blocked by 4 downed trees and snow drifts. Normally we shoot a portion of the stages on Saturday and the remaining stages on Sunday followed by the awards. We knew it was going to be a task even getting competitors to the stages due to road conditions. Saturday being the only dry day, we made the decision to shoot 12 stages on Saturday and just have the awards for Sunday. Forging through creeks for several miles, hiking a mile up the mountain and then getting shuttled another several miles to the stages was not an easy task; but managing to get 100 competitors up and down the hill and 12 stages completed on Saturday safely was definitely and accomplishment! We want to thank everyone including the shooters for braving the elements and making this happen. Aside from the mud on a few stages everyone was in good spirits and had a blast shooting the course of fire. Keeping your rifle, mags and gear as clean as possible was key for Saturday and really put your kit to the test. A couple of the highlighted pieces of gear that helped out shooters on this match were the MDT Cykepod Triple pull and a solid tripod. The most popular caliber in this league is the 6.5cm as it makes power factor while providing great ballistics and recoil management. Majority of the competitors were running either a MDT or XLR Chassis. Popular optics for this match were the Leupold MK5, Nightforce NX8, Vortex LHT and ZCO 4-20. Having the right action is key for bad conditions and both the Lone Peaks and Impacts really shined and can run through just about anything. The Lone Peak Fuzion Titanium is a great option for these matches as they run like a stainless while saving weight to make either the 12 or 16 pound weight limits. Finding and Ranging your targets while obtaining ballistics for each target is key for these matches and some of the more popular options for this are the Vortex AB5000 Binos, Swaro EL Range TAs and the Sig Kilo 10k binos. All in all it was a successful match and we are super proud of those who came out and shot it. This was a first match for a lot of the competitors and we look forward to seeing them at more matches in the future especially this one. Congrats to all of those who won your division and to Jon Pynch for winning overall with a factory Tikka! We also want to thank all of the sponsors for making matches like these happen especially MDT! Josh, Ryan and Dave from MDT made it out from Canada to support and shoot the match as well. MDT is really going above and beyond by actually being there and using their products to help perfect and develop future products that customers want and need. It's companies like this that really push the envelope on product develop as well as the future of this sport and matches with all of their support. Other key sponsors were CSTactical/CSOptics, Leupold, Vortex, ZCO, Hawkins, Lone Peak Arms, Sig Sauer, Savage, Mountain Forged Rifles, Short Action Precision and Alpha Munitions.

 

[Modoc]

I was looking to be there to at least check it out. Sunday was a gold plated stinker at Redding Gun Club with driving rain and 40 MPH gusts. What a time to be running a Trap Range for a group of Jr. hunters.

This match looks like it was a kick in the pants despite the weather. I’m glad things still managed to work out. Thank You for putting it on.