Clever Bunnies

[sussexkerryblue]

Hi All,

 

Apologies if this has been covered before but I wanted to get some advice on bunny shooting. The land I shoot on is essentially 14 acres of the south downs with tonnes and tonnes of rabbits. The problem is when I go early morning the little **** can see you a mile off and ****** off into the woodland etc and don’t come back out. Just wanted to see how long it takes for them to come back out (waited 20 mins nothing).

 

Chris

[oscarsdad]

Go when it is dark and use a lamp-they won't see u coming then.

[hyflier]

If they're used to seeing people without being shot at, they're normally not too shy. Make sure you are down-wind of them (so the wind is blowing from them to you) as they will smell you first (without wishing to be personal) I sometimes have to wait 40 minutes or more for 'em but mine do get bullets wizzing around them quite often. If its that tricky, I tend to leave it and try elsewhere and return some other time. The weather can help and hinder too, wind whistling around their bunny ears can mask a footstep, as too can rain. But the best is to stalk within range and sit tight down-wind, dont cough, sneeze (nor that) or smoke, all these will ensure Bunny stays put.

Edited August 3, 2011 by hyflier

[-Mongrel-]

I have the same problem at my main permission in Partridge Green, they are really skittish despite not being shot at for several years!

 

So long as I keep quiet, I can normally start to see more action about 20 minutes after knocking one over, if I don't keep quiet I could be there all night! It's open fields with tidy hedgerows so I stand almost no chance of stalking up to them either, so I have to spook them, hide up and then wait for them to reappear.

[ellebarto]

I've got a couple of fields used for horses with fern and hedge banks riddled with bunnies. Trying to be as quiet as I can I walking slowly to a corner and set up a very basic basha looking down a hedgerow. The basha is one small pole with a small camo net then pegged into the groud to give me a low concelaed a frame tent like thing. I set my gun up looking down the hedgerow and then usually, depending on how quiet I was setting up they start drifting out in two and three's after 20 minutes. I find alot depends on my initial approach. If I keep it stealthy and low key they are less disturbed. If my big stupid brother comes with me and clomps out through the field, smashes his pegs in to hold up the aframe, it will be 40 minutes before we see anything.

 

Once in situ though and your little hide becomes part of the sceneray, its usually a steady stream! I'm not convinced bunnies are as sensitive to scent as say a fox and I find its all about the noise you make and not so much being up or down wind!

[Dekers]

I do, and have,m shot on a lot of different sites over the years, it is part of the learning curve, you will get to recognize behavior patterns and if you stick at it you will learn how to beat them... ATB!

[FalconFN]

If you spook them in the morning they may just keep underground until evening. You will have better luck if you go a couple of hours before sunset as they are likely to come out again within 20 mins.

 

Also can you approach them using trees and woods as cover? Keep downwind of them so they can't tell if you are still there.

 

Out of interest where roughly on the south downs?

 

Good luck.

[Lefty gunz]

If you spook them in the morning they may just keep underground until evening. You will have better luck if you go a couple of hours before sunset as they are likely to come out again within 20 mins.

 

I couldnt agree more. I find that it generally takes 15 to 20 minuits for them to reappear after they have scattered from the noise of a hmr or mach2.