Gamo Squirrel Masters Classic 2019
Bone Collector Wins Its 4th Squirrel Masters Classic Championship
Bone Collector has won a 4th Squirrel Masters Classic Championship! Squirrel hunting is at the base of hunting and we all honed our skills and cut our teeth in someone’s backyard shooting tree rats.
The Event & Participants
Arguably, the greatest small game hunting event of all time, The Gamo Squirrel Master Classic is a 2-day squirrel hunting competition/TV event put together by Buckmasters that takes some of the top hunting personalities and their TV shows and pairs them with different media editors, 4-H kids, and Gamo executives. All in an effort to get kids outdoors and have as much fun as possible. The teams then compete in an ALL STAR squirrel hunting competition for the coveted Squirrel trophy and title of Squirrel Master Classic Champions!
Competing in this year’s classic were teams from Raised Hunting, Realtree, Buck Commanders, Buckmasters, and Bone Collector. The scores are calculated based on the number of squirrels killed mixed with the team shooting competition, allowing for those that don’t kill the most squirrels to still have a chance to win. This year’s championship was decided by 1 squirrel (see the video for winning squirrel kill). Raised Hunting were the runner ups.
The Bone Collector Team consisted of 7 main shooters, Michael Waddell, MaCoy Waddell, Nick Mundt, Travis T-Bone Turner, Edwin Waddell, and Braxton Delgado (4H). 2 dog handlers and dogs – Ronnie O’Neal and his dog TC & Wade Hildebrand and his dog Diesel. While Cohen Stone and Jacob Keel were on camera capturing every moment! Since the first SMC in 2014, Bone Collector has won 4 out of the 6 competitions.
Our team covered over 10 miles on foot through the hills, bottoms, and swamps of South Alabama. Tactics for late February squirrel hunting consisted of covering a lot of ground, searching and scanning while allowing the dog to work, and shaking vines to get the ever elusive squirrels to come out from hiding.
HUGE thanks to Gamo, Jackie Bushman, Buckmasters, and Southern Sportsman Lodge for having us and putting on the event!
Equipment Used
Guns:
The Swarm Magnum .22 Caliber Air Rifle By Gamo
The Swarm Maxxim .22 Caliber Air Rifle By Gamo
The Swarm Magnum and The Swarm Maxxim are equipped with Gamo’s innovative 10X Quick- Shot technology which enables you to shoot up to ten pellets without reloading. T-Bone says that “not having to reload every single shot is an absolute game changer.”
Ammo:
A variety of ammo was used; however, T-Bone’s personal favorite is the all lead Whisper Pellet. It’s the heaviest and really packs a punch.
The Whisper Pellet By Gamo
Scopes:
Remarks From The Crew
T-Bone had this to say about winning a 4th SMC “I am super proud of our team for winning it’s fourth (out of six) Squirrel Master Championship. But I can’t help but think how proud my grandmother and grandfather would be if they were still alive to see that we have won 4 championships for chasing the elusive tree rat. The very critter we all cut our teeth on growing up hunting in the country. So cool.”
“Even if Jackie cheated again this year, we still found a way to win. Great teams find ways to win. The Gamo’s performed flawlessly and we worked hard to make sure we did everything in our power to kill every squirrel we encountered. You have to want it. And we did!” – Michael Waddell
Less than 24 hours after the win, Nick Mundt found some humor in a private plane ride to an appearance and posted this photo on Instagram…
“Being a champion of the @gamooutdoorsusa Squirrel Master Classic has its perks!!! Jet rides, endorsements, trips to the White House, it just never ends!!! #MAGA #Gamo #Champs.” – Nick Mundt
The full event will take place on an episode of Bone Collector set to air this season during Season 11.
All in all, it’s good fun, with good people and a great way to get the kids from 4H involved in the outdoors. Small game hunting has a place in the hearts of every Bone Collector and at the end of it all, as hunters, we’re all on the same team. After all, we all had to start somewhere.
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