Beardo Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 (edited) Haven't got a huge amount of work on at the moment unfortunately so thought i'd make the most of the day by doing a bit of shooting. Headed up to one of my permissions at Mid-day, nice size arable farm with 3 fields of rape at the moment. Phoned the farmer before hand and he told me that one of the other guys who shoots had been up there since 10am, so i phone him to say i'm on my way - the more the merrier to keep the pigeons moving. He was up there with a couple of his mates, so i set up on the far side of the biggest field. I set up a Magnet (with Air Pros) and 15 or so deeks and tucked my hide into the elder hedge. Very quiet to start with (it was lunchtime after all), but things started to pick up about 1pm. I'd parked my Frontera down near the main road in one corner of the field about 200 yards from me, and would you believe it - about 50 pigeons flew over the main road and settled yards from my motor! Fortunately shortly afterwards a couple flew down at my deeks and the report from them got the group back up in the air. Very stop start afternoon - i managed to fire off 20 carts for 5 birds (4:1 not 5:1 as i thought - just looked at my cart belt), which is pretty poor, but it's the first time i've been on the pigeons in 5 weeks. If i'd been on the ball a bit more i could have bagged a lot of birds, all good fun though! I had to call it a day at 3pm as i needed to meet a friend at his workshop to try and sort the stock extension to my Browning Medalist - so i called the other guy who was shooting - now bearing in mind i had heard 20 or so shots coming from his direction (and 10 or so from his mates), when i said i had only bagged 5, he asked "can i have a couple for my magnet?"!!!! Anyway i dropped him a couple over and went on my way with a smile on my face. A while ago a horsey friend of mine Heidi, had asked me to take care of some rabbits with the air rifle - haven't really used it in 6 months, so i dug it out yesterday to check the zero and clean out the cobwebs (mine not the rifle). God i forgot how heavy the HW100S is, but that is my one and only complaint. Set her up and re-zero'ed - i used to be able to shoot a 1" group at 30 yards standing, no chance now - so made a mental note to only take rested shots. Headed up to her paddock about 8pm, parked up 200 yards down the road so as not to spook anything. It was covered in snow and you could see the bunnies chasing each other around in it - marvellous! Got to the gate, but nothing was in range, so climbed over and tried to sneak up on a couple - very difficult in such crunchy snow. Didn't manage to get within range of anything unfortunately, so stalked across the the stables block. As i entered the back paddock i could see 5 or so dotted about the field, so i crept ever so quietly up to a big old generator unit that was half way in between me and them. Most of them got a bit jittery and headed off to the hedgerow, so i just hunkered down by the genny and waited a while. It only took 5 mins and one came out exactly 30 yards away - so i loosed off a Powerpell, and that was the end of that. Again this spooked the others, so i picked up the dead one and walked back to the stables to look at the first paddock. Sure enough the bunnies had come back out, but nothing was within range from the stables so i strolled back to the back paddock and the genny. Again after only 5 mins or so, another bunny popped out in exactly the same spot as the first. Pop goes the Weihrauch and the bunny flips around 180 degrees, but unfortunately it doesn't look like a clean kill, so i loose off another and this send him up in the air again - i run over to get him, but he's disappeared, and where he was is big pool of bunny claret - i'm gutted, there's nothing worse than having a wounded runner. I had a really good search for him, even stuck my arm down the nearest hole, but nothing. This put a real downer on the evening, i still don't know how the hell he ran from that - i take some comfort from the fact that it's not going to suffer long from the amount of claret it's lost. Still not a great feeling though. So i wander back to the stables, again nothing in range, but there's a cattle feeder about half way between me and the bunnies, so i stalker over to it, and lie down in it's shadow. The bunnies have spooked a little, but i can still see them on the bank, so I wait. Again no more than a minute or two, they've got their confidence back - and two are just about within range on the bank. It's a long shot, but i'm on the bipod, and i'm feeling confident - i reckon it's 50 yards, so i hold over 2 mildots on the Walther, whack - perfect hit, bunnies down without even a twitch, this is great because the other bunny is 3 yards from it and hasn't moved an inch. I calm my breathing back down and wait 10 seconds or so until i'm comfortable, and again whack, bunny down. So the end of the day - 5 pigeons, 4 bunnies (3 to take home). All in all a good day, just a shame about the runner - it's the first time that's happened in years, but it does happen - just try to minimise the risk and respect your quarry. Edited February 14, 2009 by nickbeardo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shot shot Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 great write up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy. Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 You must've slept well when you got home! Nice write up and nice headshots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackthorn Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 good read, well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavman Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 fantastic stuff, we all get the odd runner so dont beat yourself up your ethic is sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Superb mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted February 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 You must've slept well when you got home! Nice write up and nice headshots. i played squash in the morning as well - out like a light, struggled to get up this morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoaty Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Top job and write up Nick - particularly well done on the rabbits at this time of year, they're in short supply and very twitchy round my way! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newsportshooter Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Nice write up - I should be allowed out to play soon..... Hot flask and a bit of lamping me thinks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turk101 Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Quality write up Nick, sounds like a good day/night was had. How good does that make our cart/kill ratio, the other guys asking for two for the magnet! were not so bad afterall. take care and well done. turk101 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeinVA Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Outstanding Nick.. I could go for some bunny actually.. Lets trade straight up for some good ole American white tail doe.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardo Posted February 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 i'd love to mate - had venison for dinner last night at a local restaurant with missus - very tasty (but bloody expensive). Just had the rabbit for dinner today - Rabbit in white wine casserole. Managed to sight in my CZ and Anschutz this afternoon - impressed with them both, the CZ .17 is so bloody accurate and the Anschutz is so quiet and easy to point (plus it was dirt cheap) - many thanks to Gary for the ammo, the gunshop didn't have any .22RF subsonics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samyw Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 good day you had well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samyw Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 good day you had well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosd Posted February 15, 2009 Report Share Posted February 15, 2009 Good honest write up Nickbeardo, well done. Sounds like a good day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bullet boy Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 Good Shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonna Shoot a Wabbit Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 well done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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