High-Plains Antelope Hunting on the Horizon

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Integrated visual focus is largely predicated on the ability of our brain’s processing streams to work together—focal vision directing attention while ambient vision provides spatial context. Being a person with 20/20 vision (or at least that’s what they told me the last time my eyes were checked), I probably take it for granted—but the high plains outside of Casper, Wyoming, said, "Jokes on you, ol’ Eagle Eyes.”

For one, it’s extremely difficult to direct attention to a singular object in such a target-rich environment. There were pronghorns galore spread out rather evenly across a sprawling landscape. I was looking to kill my first antelope buck and wanted a solid representation of the species from the region. I certainly wasn’t expecting to be able to observe and respectfully scrutinize so many specimens. “Mass, length and cutters,” I was told. It kind of felt like being in the cereal aisle of a supermarket after the year 2000—I had come for classic Cheerios and was now inundated with too many flavor variations.

Secondly, the terrain was a far departure from the coniferous mountains near my home and played tricks on my depth perception. It amazed me how much an area can seem so still, yet bustle with movement. Gusts made the tall grass dance in swirls. Prominent wind turbines spun constantly, scattered rock crags were strewn about, and stationary silos rusted with old memories. What was far felt close, and what was close felt far.

Thankfully, I was surrounded by a couple of experienced pronghorn slayers—Kelly Glause of Heart Spear Outfitters and Seth Swerczek of Hornady—that would steer me correctly. I was also wielding an exceptional rifle.

AT THE CORE

According to Horizon Firearms, “the Venatic was meticulously crafted with the lightweight hunter in mind.” Even its namesake in the Merriam-Webster dictionary means “of, relating to, or used in hunting.”

And that’s exactly what the Venatic is—a supremely accurate rifle adorned with high-end components and assembled with strict attention to detail, allowing it to excel in a wide variety of hunting environments.

At first glance, probably the coolest visual feature that pops out is the barrel. The aggressive signature twist spiral fluting is done by Horizon in-house and is finished with a Horizon green Cerakote—a color much akin to Hulk’s skin when he gets angry—but it makes me happy, and the fluting helps reduce the front-end weight and barrel cool faster.

Aesthetics aside, Horizon uses Benchmark 416R stainless-steel barrel blanks—which for a long time have been one of the top choices for competitive shooters on the PRS, NRL and benchrest circuits, as well as a common selection for gunsmiths advising clients on the start of custom builds. The barrels are threaded 5/8-24 and the rifle comes with an Iota SIM muzzle brake. I was enticed to run it suppressed, so I threaded my Kovix 6-inch Timberline series on it and don’t regret it one bit. The 100% titanium construction of the .30 caliber can paired perfectly with the weight-saving design aspects of the 6 pound, 8 ounce Venatic.

THE HEART OF THE RIFLE

The barrel itself is spun onto a Stiller Wombat action. Featuring a skeletonized stainless-steel design, and having a scant overall weight of 23 ounces, the Wombat maintains tight tolerances, isn’t cumbersome and is slick to operate. The 2-lug bolt incorporates a 3-piece assembly that allows the handle and knob to be tailored to the shooter’s preferences. Even though it’s becoming more commonplace on rifles, the inclusion of a 20 MOA rail is a nice touch, and it matched nicely with a Leupold VX-6HD Gen 2 3-18x44 scope. This action has been one of my favorites in recent years. It’s important to note that Kaspar Outdoors, Horizon’s parent company, owns Stiller and Iota, which helps keep quality control up and sourcing scarcity down.

An inviting resting place for the barrel and action is the Iota EKO X stock. The EKO X comes with dual-thumb detents, which help mitigate rifle torque and encourage proper grip. I found the vertical palm swell to be very comfortable while shooting in many different positions—the mitts/pads of my hands are large, but my finger length is average—no problem. Every EKO X stock is hand-laid and hand-finished for optimum quality, which can not only be felt but also seen.

The stock features an integrated bipod rail—which is sleek, although I found it to barely have enough meat for my Gunwerks Elevate 2.0 bipod to bite down on; it worked and was serviceable. Weighing in at only 24 ounces and having an overall length of 31 inches, the baseline stats of the stock were very desirable. I was also pleased with the custom-machined pillars that help maintain accuracy and dimensional mating of the action. The bottom metal (made by Horizon) is constructed from lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum and is compatible with AICS-type magazines. The negative angle on the cheek rest is an added benefit for shooters and, in concert with the Custom AirTech pad from LimbSaver, drastically reduces felt recoil (not that the .25 Creedmoor my rifle was chambered in is an untamable panther).

And making things go “boom” with a slight press of the finger is a TriggerTech trigger, which broke crisply at just under 2 pounds, 3 ounces. I still prefer curved triggers over flat ones and was glad the Venatic came with a crescent moon shape.

HOME, HOME ON THE RANGE

When I first received the rifle, I did my normal OCD procedures—verified action screw was at the recommended torque, slid in the bolt and cycled it a hundred times or so, ran a dry patch through it in case of gunk, shouldered it feeling for quick acquisition, etc. I was excited to get my hands on a fantastic-looking, and highly touted rifle, chambered in a newly SAAMI-approved cartridge—the .25 Creedmoor—and was eager to get over to my local range to shoot it.

As a handloader, I would have loved to be able to source a gamut of .257-caliber projectiles and consistent brass to work up loads and listen to the barrel feedback on paper. But for this test, I shot a factory offering due to the infancy of the cartridge and my assumption that once market support catches up, many of you have already recognized the merits and consistency of modern factory ammunition—especially with match-grade chamber tolerances.

Thus, I had no qualms relying on Hornady’s 128-grain ELD-X Precision Hunter ammo, especially because I’d be hunting with them shortly thereafter.

The first three shots down the barrel at 100 yards yielded a sub-MOA group. Whenever you receive a test rifle, it’s hard to assume how much it may have been shot previously. So, I thoroughly cleaned it and shot it again, assuming it needed three or four fouling shots. After letting it cool, I shot four more. (I couldn’t help myself after stacking five holes close together; my zeal and hubris resulted in the final two shots being pushed right). The Venatic was pleasant to shoot and very consistent. I was confident in my chances of success in Wyoming.

WHERE THE DEER AND THE ANTELOPE PLAY

Returning full circle to the prologue of this article, the speed goat rut was dwindling down, but there were many of them on their feet—some still with large harems. We had looked over quite a few bucks, some that maybe “scored” better than the one I ended up taking, but I wanted mine to have a special swagger.

We came upon a hot doe getting harassed and chased by two bucks. One of the bucks was splayed out flat and kind of weird (a plus for me) and the other was younger and full of piss and vinegar. But in our periphery, we could see a nice buck a couple hundred yards off converging slowly on the group with a stoic trot and without haste. When he got into intervening distance of their rut-fueled tryst, the other males bailed quickly out of there.

Maturity, dominance or both? I wasn’t sure, but he was the one for me.

Ironically, in his tunnel vision, he kept bearing down on our location until about 90 yards, where Kelly whistled to stop him, slightly quartering to us. I pounded him with a heart shot. Regardless, I’m thoroughly convinced that the .25 Creedmoor might be the ultimate antelope/deer round in open terrain and that the Horizon Venatic rifle offers quality precision and dependability worth every penny.

Horizon Venatic Specs

• Type: Bolt-action rifle
• Caliber: .25 Creedmoor (tested)
• Barrel: 22 in., 1:7.5 twist
• Capacity: 5 rounds, included AICS-type magazine
• Stock: ​iOTA EKO X
• Sights: None; factory-mounted optic rail on receiver
• Trigger/Safety: TriggerTech, two-position safety
• Price: $3,799
• Website: horizonfirearms.com

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