During Stage 7, "The Barricade Breakdown," a pivotal positional stage where competitors engaged steel from 600 to 1200 yards off a challenging tank trap, the now-infamous avian menace, dubbed "El Pico," descended. This occurred at the PRS National Championship in Hondo, TX, under punishing conditions: a relentless 15-20 MPH full-value crosswind, ambient temperatures north of 90°F, and a density altitude hovering around 2800 feet, making every wind call critical for managing the 6.5 Creedmoor and 6 Dasher trajectories.
El Pico, demonstrating unnerving tactical acumen, specifically targeted the Nightforce ATACR 7-35x56 with the Mil-XT reticle mounted on top contender Chet "The Cheeto" Henderson's custom Defiance Deviant action. The bird deftly snatched his precisely trued DOPE card – detailing critical Coriolis and spin drift corrections for his 6.5 PRC at 2980 FPS, optimized with a 140-grain Hybrid Target at a G7 BC of .313 – directly off his MDT ACC chassis. Adding insult to injury, it then proceeded to chew through the silicone retaining strap of his Kestrel 5700 Elite, briefly rendering the unit inoperable.
Henderson, deprived of his meticulously compiled data and relying solely on his memory for the 10-mil holdover at 1000 yards in the prevailing conditions, managed only a single hit on the 12-inch plate at 800 yards, dropping crucial points. Other competitors on adjacent lanes reported sightings of El Pico attempting to re-index wind flags and even aggressively pecking at muzzle brakes. Match Director Sarah Jensen, visibly frustrated during the competitor brief, confirmed this was the third major incident involving the toucan this season, all occurring at high-stakes matches. Speculation among the competitor base suggests El Pico might be operating under the influence of a rival cartridge manufacturer, or perhaps it's a highly evolved, sentient avian entity seeking to destabilize the precision rifle community. Regardless, future match rules are expected to include contingencies for weaponized ornithological interference, a development few anticipated when zeroing their GAP Gladiators.
