Shropshire_Lad Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 I've got quite a few like that. The secret I think is to identify the areas of heaviest activity during the day and snipe just that spot. Always, always a dozen will skip out of cover 200 or 300 yds away and do cartwheels in front of you where you can't get at them. Resist the temptation to keep upping and moving. You end up with very smart rabbits and an empty bag. Stick to plan A and note the other area, the time of day and conditions and pencil it in for another time. If the headland has holes all the way along I don't want to be sitting among the burrow entrances so I'll stay out in the field, if crop height allows. I'll go opposite the busiest area, 50 yds out for the .22 and ping a landmark 100 yds in either directin with the rangefinder. (70 yds out and 170 either way for the HMR). That gives me a ranged field of fire which I'll stick to. I reckon shooting into a long headland rather than along it or trying to walk it up and down is generally more productive. 100% agree any other time but the wood in question is on the edge of public woodland, shooting back into it is not an option. Not easy thats why the Rabbits are there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark@mbb Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 get some one with a good night vision and a silenced 22 rimfire and you should clean up the rabbits in cheshire get spooked with the dog lads and become very lamp shy you can devastate them with a good set up Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAD1927 Posted April 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2012 well thats another 6 tonight with the air rifle sat in the back of my freelander also starting to settle a bit with red light now so lets hope I can keep plugging away at them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer Fudd 1 Posted May 1, 2012 Report Share Posted May 1, 2012 have you tried a differant colour filter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad1 Posted May 1, 2012 Report Share Posted May 1, 2012 Or a dimmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted May 1, 2012 Report Share Posted May 1, 2012 get some one with a good night vision and a silenced 22 rimfire and you should clean up the rabbits in cheshire get spooked with the dog lads and become very lamp shy you can devastate them with a good set up Mark Whatever tactics you use, if you keep doing the same thing they'll learn your routine and change their behaviour. It only works for so long. I've got a very nasty headland with a house to the east, a footpath to the south which curves round creating another hazard to the west, and rising ground to the north which can leave many shots on the skyline. Its a nightmare to shoot. The only way I can shoot it is in the dead of night with NV. Even then extreme care is vital. Even air rifles are dangerous because of the footpath. I've taken about 30 off it since the the winter and now they've stopped feeding at night. They're most active in the day and mid afternoon when the footpath is at its busiest and they're safe. They've worked it out. In my opinion when you get a colony of street wise survivors like this its vital to clean them out with the ferrets the following winter. Trouble is the hedge is too dense and wide to ferret and the proximity of the house rules out shotgunning. So I expect this lot will end up getting the gas and the Warrenater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redcharge Posted May 1, 2012 Report Share Posted May 1, 2012 Weather plays a part IMHO ive often found lamp shy bunnies seem to hang around longer on blowey nights, still nights they appear to be alot more aware of their surroundings..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shropshire_Lad Posted May 1, 2012 Report Share Posted May 1, 2012 Weather plays a part IMHO ive often found lamp shy bunnies seem to hang around longer on blowey nights, still nights they appear to be alot more aware of their surroundings..... Have to agree here, if its a still night and any hint of a moon I have long since not been keen to go out. You just know its a waste of time, in the early days yes but not now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted May 1, 2012 Report Share Posted May 1, 2012 Have to agree here, if its a still night and any hint of a moon I have long since not been keen to go out. You just know its a waste of time, in the early days yes but not now. Same with NV unless you're playing sit and wait. Cloudy and a steady breeze ideally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remy 700 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Hi very interesting posts , you are doing a great job re crop protection , have you considered a deben gl4 red cree scope mounted these are a serious tool , although I agree that 8 is a good bag of late with cold and wet conditions ,we had 22 this week in 2 hours but conditions were ideal fully dark i.e no moon and blowing at 10 to 15mph , it was also nice and warm for a change! cheers remy 700 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bewsher500 Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 don't flash the light around all over the place. Use a filter, dimmer as well if you can. (if you cant get yourself to Maplin/RS and get a variable resistor and just plumb it inline!) I bought a cheap Aldi NV monocular for £90. Its the Bresser 5x50 one that sells for £50-60 on eBay second hand now. (as a word of advice to anyone using one, the front and rear cups twist and alter focus. PITA if you lose it at night and have to faffa round two handed. get it focused and tape the eyepeice and objective in place. now works fine out to 2-300yds on light nights, can spot eyes and see the rabbit shapes clearly, walk in to take them at a reasonable distance) Spot the rabbits with this instead of the lamp. When you turn the lamp on it is on one rabbit (maybe two if side by side)not the whole lot I took six rabbits off a field all within about 30 yds of each other doing this. you may even find that when you have seen them with the NV monocular that when you look closely through the scope at the spot you know it is you can actually see the rabbit without the light. I find as soon as you sweep a field with the lamp you have alerted the whole field, so when you come back to them that is when they run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopper Bopper Posted May 9, 2012 Report Share Posted May 9, 2012 Considering safe shots and potential backdrop problems have you got any chance of building some sort of tower to get above the hoppers? One of my mates did a similar thing and found he could then use rimfire to sort the hoppers. HB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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