In my previous post I described the development and attributes of the .22 Creedmoor, one of Hornady’s newest cartridges. As promised, I wanted to give some attention to hunting with this cartridge.
22 Creedmoor Ammo for Hunting
After having tested all four loads that Hornady developed thus far for the .22 Creedmoor I found that each one exhibited excellent accuracy out of the Bergara CIMA CF. Your selection is limited at the time of publication in late 2026 but all four of these loads can make for an excellent 22 Creedmoor round with the ELD-X Precision Hunter our pick for the field.
My range results of the four variations of .22 Creedmoor by Hornady:
- 65 gr Superformance, group size at 100 yards, 1”
- 69 gr ELD-VT V-Match, group size at 100 yards, .56”
- 80 gr ELD Match, group size at 100 yards, .41”
- 80 gr ELD-X Precision Hunter, group size at 100 yards, .44”
At 100 yards the velocity of all four of the above loads still exceeds 3000 fps. In other words, the cartridge generates higher velocities meaning flatter trajectories and less wind drift. Obviously, this can be an advantage when shooting at extended distances, whether it be for hunting or hitting steel targets.
The Rifle
As I described in my previous post, the Bergara CIMA CF sports a carbon stock chassis along with a CURE Carbon Barrel. What sets this barrel apart from generic carbon-wrapped barrels is that Bergara weaves micro-thin stainless-steel strands directly into that carbon wrap.
Carbon fiber naturally acts as a thermal insulator and traps heat against a barrel’s core. The embedded steel strands on the CORE barrel allows heat to be actively drawn away from the steel chamber and therefore dissipates this heat along the barrel. All of this allows for more consistent groups and accuracy down range.
Hunting Pronghorn
Hunting the prairie speedster; otherwise known as the Pronghorn Antelope, can provide a challenge to even the most seasoned hunter. While pronghorn is not particularly difficult to put down, they are known for their excellent vison and speed on the wide-open spaces of the American West where they are found.
Pronghorn possess several unique traits unique only to them. They are the fastest land mammal in the western hemisphere reaching speeds of 60 mph making them one of the fastest land animals, second only to the African cheetah. Additionally, they are the only animals in the world with branched or forked horns that shed their outer keratin sheath every year, combining traits of both true horns and antlers.
Hunting the pronghorn is generally focused around a spot and stalk approach. Living mostly in open, flat country, where tree cover is limited or non-existent and where their binocular vision is a primary defense makes these animals no push over. Finding pronghorn is not the problem in good country. Closing the distance to within reasonable rifle range is often another story. This point brings me to the jest of this particular hunting venture.
While yes, my intention is to put the .22 Creedmoor to the test as a big game hunting cartridge, I have no intention of taking an extreme long distance shot just to prove a point on a game animal.
A Unique Pronghorn and Hunt Tactic
In late August of this year, Mark, a good friend and hunting compadre was able to procure a pronghorn tag on a good ranch in southeastern, New Mexico. Since he had the tag, I became his guide already having some knowledge of the ranch and where to locate pronghorn. Mark had spent time on the range with the Bergara CIMA and was well acquainted with the rifle and the 200 yard zero.
Before the first day of the hunt, I had located a very nice buck on the southern end of the ranch that possessed an interesting horn growth, or so it seemed. From afar and through binoculars I could see the buck was in the 14-to-15-inch class, not a monster, but certainly a solid buck. What was interesting was that his left horn appeared to have additional growth, mass or prong extending off the main horn itself. This trait is not unusual in pronghorn and can sometimes be attributed to genetics.
I knew animal would be of interest to Mark because he was unique. So, on the first day of the hunt, we found ourselves in the area where old mossy horn was living. It was not long before we spotted the buck with his herd of does well out in the middle of wide-open prairie. No matter the approach or position we took the antelope had the position of advantage. And while we could get to within 500-600 yards, neither one of us felt good about taking that shot even though the .22 Creedmoor is more that capable.
I thought we might have to leave the buck and come back late afternoon hoping the buck would move closer to our two-track road. Then I remembered; I had the “Big Red Moo Cow”. What in the heck you might ask, am I referring too? In simple terms, the Moo Cow serves as a stalking shield of sorts for a hunter to conceal himself behind and work in closer to the game hunted. On western ranches where cattle abound this tactic is not without merit and I would soon see that for myself.
I must admit right here, that I had never utilized this tactic and that a good friend and fellow hunter, Shane Jahn had mailed me the Big Red Moo Cow the previous year after we were having the same trouble of closing distance to our quarry. I laughed when it came in the mail and told Shane he would have to come and try it and I would video the whole thing because I felt like a fool walking across the prairie behind what amounted to a silhouette of a cow.
Stalking with Big Red Moo Cow
Back to our buck with an odd horn. I mentioned to Mark having the cow shield in the back of the truck and he said, sure I will give it a go. Good I said, I can sit back, watch and get a good laugh. We found one spot behind a small rise that gave us some concealment where we could put the Moo Cow together (simply folds out somewhat like a car windshield shade) and gave Mark a starting point from which to start his stalk.
Before long Mark had closed the distance to within a couple hundred yards of the herd. All the while the doe’s watched with curiosity and actually walked yards towards the cow shield. I was somewhat amazed as I watched from afar and admit the whole thing was quite comical. Never the less Mark was now within a chip shot distance for the .22 Creedmoor. From a kneeling position and with the aid of shooting sticks, Mark made a perfect shot on the buck behind the front right shoulder. The .22 Creedmoor, Hornady 80 grain Hunter Precision ammo performed wonderfully as the buck was dead when he hit the ground.
Finally… an Close Look
After all of the focus and stalking neither us had really looked at the left horn mass until we approached the buck. What we thought was additional growth turned out to be fence wire wrapped around the ole bucks horn. I have no doubt that since the rut was coming on the buck had gotten into a sparring match with a fence post somewhere and gotten wire wrapped around that horn until it fortunately broke away leaving the buck with “added horn mass”.
All in all, the hunt was quite unique as compared to many I have been on. I must say I’m not quite so fickle about using the cow shield when the situation calls for it. I have since used it successfully on another pronghorn hunt but have also seen where game that is already spooked will not stick around even the cow shield is used. If it allows a hunter to make a better shot and ethical kill, I’m all for it.
Final Thoughts
Quite simply, the Bergara CIMA CF rifle, Hornady ammo, and the .22 Creedmoor cartridge all did their job in marvelous fashion. While I might not choose the cartridge for every big game hunt, it certainly is viable for those beyond the norm distances and with minimal recoil. The other thing I like about the .22 Creedmoor and the CIMA rifle is that it would be a perfect combo for a varmint hunting package…but that is a story for another time.
