New Zealand, 2026, audio journal entry number one.

It's the wee hours of the morning, and I'm speaking kind of quietly because my daughter Audrey is sleeping in the truck seat beside me.

We're on our way to the airport for what promises to be a very epic two weeks in New Zealand, in the correct sense of the word epic.

We're going first to the northern tip of the South Island, which, by the way, seems to have a reputation for having the best weather in all of New Zealand.

And then about a weekend, we'll

transfer down south about eight or nine hours drive to hunt with another outfitter. And

both have fantastic reputations. I believe both are 100% going to be in our group of most highly

recommended outfitters. The next couple weeks will prove that point out or otherwise. Prep has

been kind of interesting, Audrey and I were up to almost midnight last night doing final packing because both of us are taking a bow in addition to the two rifles that I'm taking.

I'll really use one of them for the most part, but fairly significant equipment for some article and podcast review projects that I'm working on.

For the gearheads on our show, I'll mention what they are briefly.

One of them is one of the new Browning X-Bolt 2 and the Pro Series rifles.

It's not the Mountain Pro or whatnot.

Just a standard X-Bolt 2 Pro, but there's really not much standard about it.

It's an incredibly nice rifle, skeletonized action to make it very weight, very, very nice carbon fiber stock,

20-inch barrel in the SPR suppressor-ready version, and with my handloads, it's shooting

incredibly well. I zeroed it, just rough zeroed it with a new Louisville V VX5 Gen 2 scope in the 3 to 15 power

using Hornady Precision Hunter Ammo

with 175 grand ELDX bullet

and it was shooting three shots touching

with that factory ammo as well.

So I've only used two loads in it so far

...