On the hunt - The Aimpoint Media Hunt

The Aimpoint Media Hunt is run in combination with other manufacturers to showcase some of the latest equipment alongside appropriate rifle training and two days of driven hunting. The 2024 event began in Malmö, Sweden, which is just a 15-minute train journey via the Oresund Bridge from Copenhagen. The first evening was a great social gathering of hunting journalists from across Europe, with a couple of Americans present this year, too.
Day one started with breakfast and feverish discussion of the plans ahead. I managed to snag a ride in a fully customised Arctic Trucks Isuzu D-Max, which was fully kitted out with every accessory for the hunter and dog handler on board. The group reconvened at the Jakt & Skytte facility, an impressive venue that combines a shooting cinema with a well-stocked gun shop in Staffanstorp.
Shooting cinemas can vary around the world, but this one was a perfect venue for a media trip with over 20 shooters. Here, we were introduced to the equipment we would be using for the hunt, which consisted of a Haenel Jaeger NXT rifle, an Aimpoint Acro C-2 red dot sight, and Hornady ammunition. Additional products for the cinema and hunt were the latest Peltor ComTac VIII ear defenders, as well as both Boarhammer and Gamehammer rifle slings to aid shooting and rifle transportation.

Training day
The first couple of hours were spent with Erik Ås, Aimpoint’s chief instructor, teaching everyone the benefits of the red dot concept and the suggested technique to get the best from the system. Essentially, the compact red dots are not like a scope; they rely on shooting with both eyes open and trusting the visual technique and mantra you will develop: contact, focus, shoot. This approach is designed to develop a natural, dynamic gun movement to make the shot with appropriate lead subconsciously.
Everything was initially practised with a dummy rifle stock/Aimpoint setup on a series of wild boar targets to develop coordinated, instinctive muscle memory.
Stage two involved switching to our designated rifles with live ammunition to check the ergonomic setup and zero. The range is 25m long and has a rubberised wall in the danger area, to which targets were stapled before we withdrew to the shooting benches for three-round groups and any required adjustments. It’s important to mention that this was not about shooting tiny precision groups; it was simply about confirming the rifle’s zero. We were each given Hornady ammunition types most likely suited to our home-market preferences, and just a few clicks of adjustment got me shooting nicely.
It was good to see that each shooter had been supplied with a rifle and ammunition selected specifically for them. All the rifles were in .308, but three stock variants were represented – polymer, laminate, and an adjustable cheekpiece.
The Jaeger is an interesting rifle that I’ve previously reviewed in detail, featuring an unusual combination of straight-pull and turnbolt action. The bolt handle is pulled straight back, and bevel gears within the bolt’s shroud rotate the bolt shaft, unlocking conventional lugs. This provides the primary extraction as well as a linear reload cycle. I was issued the polymer version with an adjustable cheekpiece, and, based on my previous experience, I was pleased to receive this variant, which is ideal for UK shooters.

On video
Stage three was the most fun. Real video footage of moving quarry species was projected onto the rubber wall, and from 25m back, we all took turns shooting at targets at a variety of angles and speeds. The screen freezes, and sensors detect exactly where the bullet has hit the animal, and this can be replayed to instructors and shooters for analysis and improvement. Most importantly, Erik watched the shooters to advise and assist with the dynamic technique, which to many hunters was somewhat alien.
As well as deer and boar, the last stage simulated random dangerous scenarios, such as multiple animals crossing paths, as well as dogs nearby, for example. This is a situation you have to be ready for, with specific minimum proximity rules. The fines for incorrect species, sex, and maturity are substantial. If you injure a dog, you might need to re-mortgage your house.

Equipment
Shooting cinemas are very noisy, and the new Peltor ComTac VIIIs offer 28dB of hearing protection. They also feature a secondary mode allowing additional internal sound transmission of ambient noise and conversation if you are using additional protection for extremely noisy environments.
The Boarhammer wrist strap fastens to your front sling stud, and with your hand slid through the padded, non-elasticated neoprene loop, it assists in drawing the rifle into your shoulder with less muscle strain. You might be standing for hours with the rifle tucked under your elbow, waiting for a shot opportunity, and this aids the wait without compromising immediate gun mount.
The Gamehammer is a full sling that provides the same benefits, alongside the ability to shoulder-carry your rifle as normal. Having the chance to use these slings in the cinema helped assure us of their relative merits. In the end, I chose the latter for my rifle.
Hornady supplied more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, including ECX (lead-free) for designated regions and SST (lead), which provides rapid expansion and is a firm favourite among boar hunters for its fast, devastating terminal performance. Finally, there was ELD-X (lead), a precision hunter’s ideal bullet designed for longer-range use with more gradual expansion and ballistic efficiency.
Depending on their home market requirements, each shooter took a stack, and I was quite happy using the SST. Immediate terminal performance is reassuring, and the likelihood of taking a longer shot with a red dot sight is minimal, even when quarry is plentiful. There was a Gaim simulator on hand for more practice in the lounge area, as well as a tour of the attached gun shop for those last-minute needs.
The day ended back at Aimpoint’s headquarters in Malmö. We watched product briefings and had a short tour of the facility where externally manufactured components are assembled. The company’s president, Lennart Ljungfelt, joined us for a superb dinner before we ventured further eastward, out of the city, to our next hotel, Brösarps Gästgifveri in the Hörsalen hunting area.

Day two
The Högestad Estate and Christinehof Castle comprise one of Sweden’s best hunting locations, with 13,000ha of open land and forest to hunt red deer, fallow deer, wild boar, foxes, and moose, depending on your pockets and licences. This is one of Skåne’s largest private forestry and agricultural enterprises, combining hunting, property management, and nature conservation. It was established in 1747 by Christina Piper and employs around 20 people to monitor wildlife, with limited hunting prioritised to respect the environment.
Högestad and Christinehof follow the traditional Swedish driven-hunt style, using several teams of dog handlers who enter the designated part of the estate from different directions. Unlike the single three-hour hunt in Germany, the Swedes prefer two to four drives spread over the day, chosen from hundreds of hunting stands across the estate.
The day started before dawn with a full briefing while we met all the beaters and dog handlers. Distribution of radios and signals was confirmed, with everyone receiving a written list of the quarry that was on or off the menu that day. There is an opportunity for single animals of certain species/maturity to be taken, but if you do, it must be announced over the radio immediately and removed from the list. A large fallow buck was a typical example. Fines are immediate – some go to the estate and some to the government – so fast identification is critical in the split-second encounters that driven hunts usually provide.
Having attended this hunt before, I was well aware of the likely chances. I have seen plenty of boar and hundreds of fallow deer in the past. Of the former, no piglets with stripes, but Frischling and Überläufer were okay. Any males were allowed. Of course, a Keiler is the most desirable.
Caution is the smart option, as both males and females can show tusks, but the males are larger with a greater forward-leaning stance, body size, and mass. The usual rules apply in that any Bache (sow) with a following sounder must be left until the young are taken.
It’s essential not to assume that a large solo boar is a Keiler until you are absolutely sure, based on the two humps on its back, its shoulders, head shape, and relevant undercarriage. These features, of course, are tricky to see depending on the terrain and ground cover, and the general rule is that no Bache over 80kg can be taken at all, and that is dead weight on the ground, not larder weight. On a previous shoot, I let a sow pass me because it didn’t have a safe background. The gun next to me did shoot it, and because it weighed 83kg, there was a big fine. There is no margin for error.
The weather wasn’t cold, but it was damp with fog. The hosts had been hoping for snow, but thankfully, the mist burned off by 9am, and I found myself in a stand with great views to my left, over uneven grass. I had walked to my stand, which was only about 1.5m off the ground. It followed the estate’s template with a rugged ladder, removable seat, and a safety rail. For safety reasons, you must stay in your stand at all times once the drive has begun. Wild boar can be dangerous, with a particular habit of going between your legs, where the self-sharpening tusks can lacerate both your femoral arteries, which is a quick way to die.
I brushed the fallen leaves from the wooden floor to reduce noise, then readied my rifle and settled in to wait, watch, and listen. It was breezy, but the Peltors have great electronics and windshields to minimise undesirable noise. It was still incredibly easy to hear the beaters and dogs many hundreds of metres away.
I’d been on the stand for about 30 minutes when I got my first sighting – a large, dark solo boar. I couldn’t see tusks, and the profile wasn’t clear enough to be a safe bet. It was a good 50 to 60m away and just walking. A second later, it disappeared from sight into the edge of a copse in front of me and then actually wandered even closer as it traversed between the trees. It was probably under 80kg, and it was alone without a sounder, but I just didn’t want to take the risk.
Another half hour passed, and I heard noise behind me. Spinning around, I saw a definite Keiler at about 30m, but with the road behind it and orange tape in the trees marking unsafe shooting arcs, I left it. I’d heard a few gunshots in the distance, but nothing close by. I estimated my nearest companion to be about 150m away on my rear right quarter.
Drives two and three saw me in denser forest with clear shooting lanes, but I only saw a vague, fleeting impression of two deer, most likely fallow, flickering through the trees some 70m away in the now very damp and misty air.

More hunting
The second day’s hunting was similar to the first, with slightly different allowances on shooting red prickets between certain tine lengths. Stags with fewer than six points were allowed, which I found left an unsure grey area, so I decided it was better to avoid them altogether.
My first drive started in thick mist, but it lifted around 9.30am, allowing me to survey what must have been the best 360-degree view of an open-laned forest I’d encountered. There was an obvious track running straight down to a small pond at the bottom of the valley, about 100m away, which drew my focus. I felt quite visually exposed, especially with such a wide field of view, which required quite a degree of physical movement to survey.
I heard a lot of noise that was not gunfire or dogs, but a large disturbance in the undergrowth. In the blink of an eye, a huge black boar appeared about 70m away in the centre of the track by the pond, stationary for what seemed like a lifetime. It had a rounder, less angular stance, without humps on its back, and had to be a sow. She turned, and I quickly glanced through my binoculars, which is rare on a driven hunt. She was definitely female. Given her proximity to dense cover, you never know if there may be Frischlinge in convoy behind, but when she finally trotted along, none were with her. She was massive and undoubtedly over 80kg.
After each drive, all observed animals were logged in a register and shouted out across the beaters’ lodge while we refuelled with hot drinks. It was a bit like roll call in a school classroom. The numbers of shots, hits, misses, wounds, etc., were logged, and it seemed there were a lot of deer but relatively few boar in general.
On my next drive, I didn’t see a thing, but on drive three, I saw 10 fallow deer in the centre of the field, 200m beyond the edge of the woodland I was in. The rain had been relentless most of the day, and I don’t think many people were sad when the radio crackled, “End of drive.” Once again, I left without firing a shot, but that’s driven hunts, as sometimes luck doesn’t go your way. At least my quarry identification is becoming more trustworthy, even if it’s only being tested on animals I can’t shoot.
The game tableau at the end of each day showed examples of each species shot, but the bag was smaller than hoped for. Our hosts were disappointed with the weather but congratulated us on our determination. There were no negative comments from any of the participants regarding the rifles or ammunition on this trip, and hopefully, I will soon receive all the gear back in the UK for a full review.
Many thanks to the team at Aimpoint, Haenel, Hornady, 3M Peltor, and Sauenhammer for the invitation to shoot and hunt in Sweden, a fantastic location to visit, with a rich hunting culture. GM