Hunteering

[Mud Puppy 0]

Just thought I’d introduce you to a new sport invented by a group in North Yorkshire called Hunteering. It’s a niche sport, focusing on the thrill of the hunt with a little twist - you're both the hunter and the hunted! You and equal opponents stalk each other over extended periods whilst attempting to complete complex navigational exercises, either using low powered Airsoft guns (usually a bolt-action rifle firing a 0.2g BB at about 500 feet per second at the muzzle) or cameras to score points.

 

Just to put your mind at ease - this is not Airsoft. It’s not kids (or big kids) running round in Army uniforms shouting and laughing while they spray BB’s in all directions (neither is proper Airsoft, but that’s another discussion). It’s a game of stalking, concealment, fieldcraft and knowing when to shoot and when to move. It's rough, wild camping for two days, in all weathers, with minimal kit. A standard game lasts 30 hours, the only way out is to pack up and go home (you are not allowed to rejoin a game once you have left the field), and it continues no matter what the weather. Only a safety or medical emergency halts an event. It's intended to be a combination of hunting and orienteering (hunt-eering, get it) done over an extended duration to bring physical and mental endurance into play. Your prey and your predator are highly skilled people pushing themselves to the limits in a game where a single point can be the difference between winning and losing.

 

The Game Rules

 

Game requires a minimum of 3 players.

If 3 or 4 players then everyone is solo (one is called the Counter, the rest are Hunteers).

If 5 players (or an odd number above that), there are pairs of Hunteers and a solo Counter.

If 6 (or an even number above that), there are pairs of Hunteers and a pair of Counters.

There are no teams of > 2 players, simply more pairs.

 

To find who plays in what pairs or who the Counter is, draw straws/twigs - same length twigs play in teams and the Counter is the short straw (twig).

 

Pellet limits

 

> 500fps Bolt Action Rifle: 30 pellets.

< 500fps Bolt Action Rifle : 40 pellets.

> 400fps Semi-automatic Rifle: 30 pellets.

< 400fps Semi-automatic Rifle: 60 pellets.

Shotgun (any type): 60 pellets.

Gas Pistol: 30 pellets.

Electric Pistol (semi only): 60 pellets.

 

An extra allowance of 30 pellets is made if you carry only 1 gun into the game (no pistol).

The Counter also gets 1 extra 30 pellets for each gun carried into the game.

 

Game Start

 

At the start line (in the centre of the gaming area), you assemble with all kit you need to stay in the field. Each player must have a PMR with fresh batteries on a common channel for safety purposes.

 

Players draw sticks until the player holding the twigs is left with only one for himself. Players then match sticks to find their partners or the lonely task of solo Counter (shortest straw).

 

The pairs set off in order from longest to shortest in 5 minute intervals in any direction with the Counter setting off last.

 

At the start of the game there is a 30 minute cease fire. Players may stalk and track each other and also dump/hide kit etc in this period. However the navigation only starts after the cease fire has elapsed as this is when players are allowed to shoot.

 

The Navigation

 

There are two possible variants to the navigation with one common feature – the Counter doesn’t do the navigation:

 

1. Controls

 

As each pair of Hunteers moves off to a position during the 30 minute cease fire, they must set up a control marker.

 

The control marker cannot be hidden and must be visible from > 10m in at least a 180 degree arc. The marker must be set up off the floor and preferably hanging at waist height, with sportsmanship used in placing.

 

Once the control marker is placed, each team radios in to announce they have setup and waits at their control marker location. All teams must do this within the cease fire time. The objective is to find all the other control markers and punch their control card. Only once all are found, can the team return to their control and punch their card, to finish that day’s navigation. Each control missed each day loses the team 1 point.

 

2. Grids

 

Each team will need a laminated and accurate mini map split into around 20-25 grid squares.

 

After the cease fire, the navigation begins. Each team marks their start position with a thin marker and continues to document their route around the site, including times. The team needs to enter each grid square on each day. Each grid square missed each day loses the team 1 point.

 

Hit Points

 

The main objective of the game is to hit your opponent and each time a player does this they achieve 1 point. This is a game of honour so each player counts their own points.

 

When a player is hit, they must move with their gun in the air, declaring "I'm hit" sporadically. This is in case a player is being stalked by someone on a sound contact.

 

The player must move away from the opponent who shot you and to a boundary (any edge of the playing field), moving off and rejoining the game as quickly as possible to avoid using it as a form of safe zoning. When the player believes they are no longer in sight of an opponent and at touching the boundary, the player will radio to all players the phrase "back in." At this point the play rejoins the game and can be shot again.

 

While hit, you do not count as doing any of the NAV task nor can you shoot.

 

The Counter

 

The Counter has the benefit of not having to navigate and can therefore ambush more than the other players. He also has 1 extra magazine for each gun. To level things up, during the game the Counter must recover a large target (a cardboard box is good) and set it up somewhere in the gaming zone, in such a way that it can be seen from pretty much all directions from at least 10m. It may be moved around at any time until the endgame is started.

 

Endgame

 

At a predetermined time (often 90 minutes from the game end), the Counter radios to all Hunteers the grid location of the target and description (on the ground, in a tree, etc). Hunteers may have already seen the target located during their navigation, but cannot shoot it until they have been radioed the location.

 

Each Hunteer team may initiate a stalk and hit the target (once) to get 1 bonus point.

 

Any Hunteer team that hits the target may also go for a predetermined finish line inside the time limit to get 1 bonus point.

 

An accepted variation on these rules is to add an Endgame for the first day, but with no finish line.

 

For more background, check out the guys who invented the sport www.sixmmhunters.110mb.com or on the forum that's been running for the last eighteen months (www.pursuitoutdoors.lefora.com).

 

[davyt63 1,845]

hi buddy

welcome to the mad house :crazy:

i like the sound of this!

are we allowed to pre set traps the night before the game starts?? :crazy: :crazy:

 

regards

 

Davy

[Mud Puppy 0]

Thanks for the welcome, I've been snooping round for a bit but as I haven't technically 'killed' anything, I don't have much to offer.

 

As for setting man-traps, the two major problems I can envisage are 1) remembering where you put all yours, and 2) if you can lay traps, so can you opponents...

 

Matt

[Rommels 7]

Thanks for the welcome, I've been snooping round for a bit but as I haven't technically 'killed' anything, I don't have much to offer.

 

As for setting man-traps, the two major problems I can envisage are 1) remembering where you put all yours, and 2) if you can lay traps, so can you opponents...

 

Matt

 

Having done airsoft few times "properly" at a club this certainly sounds interesting, especially the Hitpoint's or Survival type game... I remember something similar in which each player was assigned a coloured ribbon (Velcro) that is to be attached to their gun or body visibly.

 

4/6 colours depending, upon entering the field each player is handed a small piece of paper containing the colour of player they are able to shoot, the intention is to shoot and collect ribbons and survive....could be an interesting variant to added that if you where to say add on said paper that you are to shoot red, upon collecting red you are then able to shoot .... etc...

 

Might be an idea

 

As to the traps I still remember being "encouraged" to take an alternative route into the field at the start of a co-op survival style round in which it was players vs site organisers, immediately during which the two persons in front of myself and 2 others were confronted with a BB claymore to the face (protection worn )

Edited July 8, 2011 by Rommels

[Mud Puppy 0]

I like the shoot and survive idea for games at my Airsoft club, I'll suggest it next time I'm home - did you get to re-join the game after you'd been hit or was it one hit and you're out?

 

Hunteering has very specific rules these guys have developed and stick to, so I doubt they'd modify it now. It's something I thought people on here might be interested in as it's supposed to be closer to hunting than Airsoft - they only use Airsoft toys cause they need something to score points with tbh.

[Marksman 934]

sounds like an E & E course.....

 

What sort of costs will be involved and what areas are these being held in??

 

Darryl

[Mud Puppy 0]

I've never been on an E&E or SERE course, but I'm guessing there must be similarities if the aim of those is avoiding detection using limited kit, speed, stealth and endurance to get you through. There is an offer of these guys running a course in the near future on how to play, and teaching basic skills in order to be able to start some kind of league, but finding like-minded individuals is proving a bit difficult. Part of the problem is, as you've probably guessed, it's not cheap to run. The main problem with keeping costs down is the insurance that's required given that it's low numbers of people playing. The rough figures being touted at the moment are £ - £100 each for a weekend training course, running at what they consider their best site - somewhere in North Wales. If you compare that to a survival course from someone like Trueways it's cheap enough, but people from the Airsoft community are used to paying less than that for a weekend game because the numbers are usually higher. I guess it's going to be a while before it takes off, but if no-one tries...

 

I've only got access to a couple of pic's of the site, but have a look on youtube at some of their stuff (search for 6mm hunters) - they're really very good at what they do imo

 

[Mud Puppy 0]

I know it's been a while since I posted on here, but tbh there hasn't been much news to post UNTIL NOW!!!! It looks like Phantom has managed to wheel and deal his way into setting up the first public Hunteering event, so if you're interested head over to their forum and register your interest. If you're a fan of Hunteering and you're on the book of face you can now also show the love https://www.facebook...182406695155453

 

Matt

[secretagentmole 1,701]

sounds like an E & E course.....

 

What sort of costs will be involved and what areas are these being held in??

 

Darryl

 

Sounds more like a ruddy A&E course to me!

[Mud Puppy 0]

Yeah, I've very likely to end up requiring some kind of medical attention once this gets off the ground!

Got some more pic's

[Mud Puppy 0]

New video up now, which explains Hunteering a lot better than I can

[Ideation 8,216]

I'd LOVE a crack at this against some of the folk that think they are 'hunters' or have 'good field craft' because they can kill a few bunnies

[hugo1 31]

would love to have a crack at that looks mint

[Mud Puppy 0]

The first public event is still in it's infancy with discussions on forums and trying to estimate interest, but this is the format they have proposed for the first event - for the more experienced of you here, I think this will be more of an introduction to the sport of Hunteering and it's different disciplines than training, but that's perhaps semantics. Get in on the ground floor of this exciting new sport and give your comments http://pursuitoutdoors.lefora.com/2012/03/20/a-hunteering-event/

 

"Well, I know you all want to do FIELD HUNTEERING, but my experience is telling me I should run a training course first.....it would still include gaming of all the different disciplines.... with 5 trophies available.

 

DAY 1.

Introduction to the concept and rules.

Camo techniques and stealth (stalking and ambush)

Zero guns followed by TARGET COMP & KINGFISHER CHALLENGE (pistol shooting against the clock).

Working as a pair (including communication and spacing)

KING OF FIELD (stalk and shoot the target)

Hunteering style campcraft

Navigation relevant to Hunteering

CROSS COUNTRY HUNTEERING (lasting into dusk) maybe including being hunted by dogs.

Team building & rest (with optional night game). Discussion.

 

DAY 2.

FIELD HUNTEERING (yes, the second day would be a full game from early doors).

Discussion and analysis plus final scores and award ceremony.

 

Players would earn their ANTLERS badge if they reach the required standards to be competent and safe. This qualification, would make them a HUNTEER and allowed to attend future full on events of all disciplines.

 

My experience tells me that many different standards of players will come through the gates; some of them not capable of being fully self sustaining in this hard type of gameplay. This training course would ensure players are at the required level of knowledge and ability to attempt a true Hunteering challenge that enhances everyone's experience rather than waters it down.

 

I know that is not what you want to hear, but trust me, it's the best approach and will pay dividends in the long run. Getting together and creating bonds and trust as well as sportsmanship will be what makes Hunteering succeed and not be plagued by bad feelings/cheating or poor sportsmanship.

 

But, would you still be interested?"

[davyt63 1,845]

New video up now, which explains Hunteering a lot better than I can

 

sorry link dont work! for me!