Jump to content

what gun to use near horses


springer1996
 Share

Recommended Posts

I'm no expert as I've been looking at the same question essentially.

 

from what I gather the 410 is quite popular for rabbits and a good tool for the job, to get most benefit of the hushpower you need to use the lower velocity cartridges, the effective range I think maybe less than the 12 bore.

 

Shot for shot the 12g is cheaper to run comparatively than the .410

 

Im sure someone more experienced will come along and correct me :good:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its my experience that out of all the animals around the farm, horses are the most spooky when shots are fired.

I keep well away from them.

 

If you intend shooting "pigeon, rabbits and foxes" and want a hushpower, then it has to be the 12bore version.

Someone will tell you that you can shoot a fox with a .410, but how often do they come and sit in front of you. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest it's not the horses I'd be worried about, it's potentially their owners! Some horse owners can be a bit erm.... twitchy, when it's not 18 degrees, slightly overcast with no more than a 6mph south westerly blowing, if you know what I mean! I personally shoot around my own horses without issue, horses WILL get used to the noise. I have a friend who runs a yard under the flightpath of an RAF base with fast jets screaming overhead and none of the horses even bother with it after they've been there a couple of days.

However, if the horses aren't yours, just check that the owners (this might not be the person giving you permission to shoot) are ok with it too. This is just to cover yourself, I've known people get blamed for kicks in the field at a moments notice.

I personally find the calibre that startles my horses the most is my HMR, so if you're thinking of the hushpower route you should be absolutely fine.

:good:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bear in mind the fall out safe zones for shot are recommended 300 yards if shooting into the air 15 acres doesn't leave a lot of room.......... You should not have shot falling outside your permission zones.

 

Solution would be Air or FAC air for rabbits, traps for foxes and for pigeon you need to satisfy the GL so what crops are they damaging? What preventative measures have been used? OR how are they a health hazard?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi all , tricky one best check with the horse owners that way you cover yourself , prob best to keep as far away as you can , its sudden noise that will spook them not noise in itself they will become used to that

if youre near them they will spook at first few shots but should settle down but like i saw best if you can keep clear

 

The above is spot on for advice :good:

I have permissions on horse paddocks and they do not even flinch with AA 410 + AA MOD,a bit startled with spring air rifle,not bothered by .22lr and when i first introduced them to a unmoderated .410 i shot it at the far end of the field and they cantered over to see what my new gun was :lol: i have even had a mare and foal follow me whilst stalking rabbits which was a bit unerving at first but provided great cover :yp:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use a 20 bore Hushpower around Pedigree(believe it or not)Sheep and run of the mill cattle no real bother as it is nice and quiet they just sod off to the other side of the field as long as you use fibre wad cartridges it wont matter much if they are subtonics or not there is no real noise difference

 

12 or 20 bore is no bigger or smaller if it is chucking 32grams of lead down the range and sting just as much if you are at the wrong end

 

20s are a little more expensive to run but worth it for less noise I think

Edited by kenny
Link to comment
Share on other sites

thanks for all your advice and info you all gave me as all i was asking for was which one is the best hushpower 410 or 12g for around livestock and some of you said that there is a 20g as well so now i am going to tell the missis that i need them all 3 of them to do the job lol

 

and thanks again for all your help and advice

 

springer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi i have just been given permission to shoot 15 arce of land that has a lot of pigeon,rabbits and foxes on it but has horses in the corner of the field that dont like the noise so what is the best hushpower to get to do the job a 410 or a 12

 

thanks springer

What sort of horses? i only ask because me and a pal used to do a bit of shooting for a racehorse trainer who said the horses will be in at night if there is the odd one left out they will probably be ok try it, if not come out of the field and go in another one, this was with an air rifle the horse didnt like it at all so we left it alone.

For the last 3 or 4 years i have been shooting for 2 horse dealers who both deal in cobs,these are fine day or night after the first couple of shots with either the 12g or rifle,as others have suggested ask the owner first,if there happy for you to try start at a distance and work a bit nearer you will soon know if there not happy,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Iv'e had some sucess around cattle with a .410 hushpower. Although horses 3x the distance away have spooked at times. Its true they are stupid animals and take twice as long as the cattle to get used to the thwack. Strange thing is the cattle seem more worried by falling birds, and the odd runner gets attacked by them should it drag itself into their pen before I can grab it!

 

Be really careful around horses, mainly because a lot of horsey people are all raving lunatics with an RSPCA bumper sticker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We, my Mrs and me, bred arab horses for years. They are the spookiest animals on this planet. They think there is a dragon behind every tree! But they will spook at anything and then get used to anything. What ever you use, the horses, of any type, will canter about on the first occasion - they get bored just standing in a field all day so they get excited at anything new - but then they settle down again. It's those first few minutes that can cause the problems. Never mind the gun - make sure you have insurance - BASC or similar. The vet bills for a horse running straight through a three bar fence can be horrendous. Best is a well silenced .22 I should think. Its what I use around the paddocks.

Edited by Grandalf
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We, my Mrs and me, bred arab horses for years. They are the spookiest animals on this planet. They think there is a dragon behind every tree! But they will spook at anything and then get used to anything. What ever you use, the horses, of any type, will canter about on the first occasion - they get bored just standing in a field all day so they get excited at anything new - but then they settle down again. It's those first few minutes that can cause the problems. Never mind the gun - make sure you have insurance - BASC or similar. The vet bills for a horse running straight through a three bar fence can be horendous. Best is a well silenced .22 I should think. Its what I use around the paddocks.

 

If a horse was to run thru a fence would the shooter be responsible.

 

If he were in the next field is it his fault that the horse is over sensitive and daft enough to damage itself :hmm:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Horses **** themselves if you **** near them - weird stupid animals. I've had mixed reactions from them though. To be honest they jump more at the air rifle than they do with the shotgun or HMR.

 

Just don't let the owners see you in the act, or they'll claim their horse has every disease under the sun, a shock will kill them instantly and they've only just had it bought back from the dead since someone looked at it funny.

 

After the first shot once they've done their stupid run around and made their huff noise they just stand there and stare at you like a dense bit meat anyway. <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I shoot a few paddocks with horses present-they will react to anything!

 

They even jump at my silenced BSA ultra which is whisper quiet and these are horses which are used to guns!

 

Same here. They seem to have either a 6th sense or very sensitive hearing. Ive been in one of my fields before, no sign of any horse anywhere, im sitting there quiet as anything waiting for a rabbit to come out, next minute theres a horse standing behind me about to eat my hat. They seem to "know" your there.

 

Likewise, when ive shot my s410 .22 air rifle and got a rabbit, the horse will hear it a mile off and start running about. If im closer he will clearly get upset about it. I darent try my hushpower 410 shotgun.

 

Maybe some horses are different, but the ones in my permission seem very "sensitive". Still, hasnt stopped me getting loads of bunnys... just have to keep one eye on what the horses are doing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...