clone Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 i was out shooting at the weekend on my little bit of land and bagged my first rabbit proud as punch i was walking over to my shooting buddy kill grasped in hand however later that night i sighted another rabbit got it in my sights, put the lamp on and crack fired my gun, no sooner had i shot my gun than the rabbit jumped and i watched the pellet zoom straight underneath the rabbit, i sat there dazed and amused at how the perfect shot had missed due to the skill/luck of the hunted has this happed to anyone befor is it somthing that happens often Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old rooster Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Welcome to the art of bunny control. You'll be amazed at their antics, I don't reckon they have fast enough reactions to jump out of the way of a fired pellet (unless you are using a very low powered gun with low velocity) but I've seen them move just as I've fired on many occasions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 i have a theory which is not directly related but similar, its the same with any subsonic round, my belief is that when you shoot something as they will hear the muzzle blast slightly before they are hit, that they have time to decide to prepare to move, so build muscle tension, which is then released in one go when they are head shot, resulting in the spectular leaps many rabbits manage when they are head shot, rimmy and airgun alike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clone Posted August 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 well i didnt kill the rabbit, the only thing i can think of is that the lamp startled it but it jumped the shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 however later that night i sighted another rabbit got it in my sights, put the lamp on and crack fired my gun, no sooner had i shot my gun than the rabbit jumped and i watched the pellet zoom straight underneath the rabbit, i sat there dazed and amused at how the perfect shot had missed due to the skill/luck of the hunted Clone I just managed to beat you to it with my FAC (975fps you know) Good Hunting Cheers Ive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High velocity Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 i have a theory which is not directly related but similar, its the same with any subsonic round, my belief is that when you shoot something as they will hear the muzzle blast slightly before they are hit, that they have time to decide to prepare to move, so build muscle tension, which is then released in one go when they are head shot, resulting in the spectular leaps many rabbits manage when they are head shot, rimmy and airgun alike. Nick, sorry nothing to do with being tensed up, when your bunny wabbit jumps in the air and does a double twist and tripple sumersalt it is - just nerves. Seen it happen nearly every day in the slaughter house after using a captive bolt. mind you not seen the sumersalt. A very similar thing would happen to you if someone were to put a "V" max in your bonce. (though i sincerly hope not as i find you entertaining) HV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deadeye ive Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Hello Hv Glad you could grace this forum with your presence Cheers Ive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 i have a theory which is not directly related but similar, its the same with any subsonic round, my belief is that when you shoot something as they will hear the muzzle blast slightly before they are hit, that they have time to decide to prepare to move, so build muscle tension, which is then released in one go when they are head shot, resulting in the spectular leaps many rabbits manage when they are head shot, rimmy and airgun alike. Nick, sorry nothing to do with being tensed up, when your bunny wabbit jumps in the air and does a double twist and tripple sumersalt it is - just nerves. Seen it happen nearly every day in the slaughter house after using a captive bolt. mind you not seen the sumersalt. A very similar thing would happen to you if someone were to put a "V" max in your bonce. (though i sincerly hope not as i find you entertaining) HV get but i have to say its a very different movement, i know what nerves looks like, i mean ive shot a few as im sure you have. but you dont get this affect with anything other than airgun and rimmy, the centerfires get the nerves, but they dont get them leaping 5ft in the air in a quite noticeable controlled fassion (well as controlled as a dead thing can be ) its odd, i take what you say, but its not the answer to this strange behaviour (if it can be called that) centerfires never get anything but a lot of twitching, and i would think there is little difference between one hole through the head to the next. so can only put it down to the bullet/pellet being subsonic and the animal having nearly enough time to react. had one jus the other evening out of the 3 i shot which jumped like this, head shot @ 75 yards, and it did a massive jump and landed dead, bar the odd twitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High velocity Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Hi Nick, i can only assume that due to the velocity of the bullet impact that there is so much damage to muscle tissue that yes its true you may only get the odd twitch. also you get allot more of what is called hydrolic shock with a higher velocity round which causes an extreme increase in internal presure on all internal organs. but as we all say dead is dead HV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evilv Posted August 31, 2005 Report Share Posted August 31, 2005 Nick,sorry nothing to do with being tensed up, when your bunny wabbit jumps in the air and does a double twist and tripple sumersalt it is - just nerves. Seen it happen nearly every day in the slaughter house after using a captive bolt. mind you not seen the sumersalt. A very similar thing would happen to you if someone were to put a "V" max in your bonce. (though i sincerly hope not as i find you entertaining) HV get but i have to say its a very different movement, i know what nerves looks like, i mean ive shot a few as im sure you have. but you dont get this affect with anything other than airgun and rimmy, the centerfires get the nerves, but they dont get them leaping 5ft in the air in a quite noticeable controlled fassion (well as controlled as a dead thing can be ) its odd, i take what you say, but its not the answer to this strange behaviour (if it can be called that) centerfires never get anything but a lot of twitching, and i would think there is little difference between one hole through the head to the next. so can only put it down to the bullet/pellet being subsonic and the animal having nearly enough time to react. had one jus the other evening out of the 3 i shot which jumped like this, head shot @ 75 yards, and it did a massive jump and landed dead, bar the odd twitch. I think the leaping reaction may well be caused by the comparatively low velocity and hence low shock level imparted by the airgun pellet. There is I think a great difference between a .22 pellet travelling at 560 feet per second and a .223 bullet travelling at 2500 feet per second. One will travel almost through a rabbit's head at thirty yards and deliver about 8 foot pounds of shock to its brain. It will certainly die soon, but there may well be enough of the nervous system intact for the odd one to do a somersault before close down. In the cente fire case, there is a huge impact, hydraulic shock destroying ALL of the central nervous system and nothing but spinal cord induced twitching. Shoot the rabbit through the chest with anything of that order of power and you get a similar response. My old .22WMR would entirely destroy the contents of the thorax and they fell dead at once when chest shot. They fell down stone dead wherever you shot them with that. The fact is - a sub 12 foot pound airgun will kill rabbits when they are shot in the head, but it can't do the same job as a gun 10 times as powerful (.22 rimmy) or 25 times as powerful (.22WMR), hence you can expect a few acrobatics now and again, or to be honest, maybe one or two times in three. Of course, miss your intended target area by an inch, and the rabbit will fall down, and then jump up and run off. This would not ever happen if it was shot with a more adequate weapon, though I have seen it occur with .22 LR. On the other hand, maybe we shouldn't get too prissy about this. We are talking about vermin control here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted September 1, 2005 Report Share Posted September 1, 2005 Ive had several shots miss due to the rabbit moving before the pellet arrives. I'm in no doubt that this is because the velocity of the pellet is slower than the sound travelling from the muzzle. Unfortunately, targeting rabbits within the 30-35 yards tolerance of most shooters, this is always going to crop up from time to time. Look at your surroundings, if your lying up with trees close by the sound will travel further rather than disspersing over open ground. As for the jumping, I was whatching two rabbits out to 50 yards jumping in tandem. It was a peculiar sight but one that amused me. They litterally jumped at intervals but together and in perfect time. Of course this all stopped when an unsuspecting rabbit ran straight towards and was quickly despatched. Regards, Axe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.