Stratts Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Morning chaps, Me and my shooting buddy have just recently picked up about 3000 acres of land to shoot on and are looking into getting a truck to leave on the farm to shoot from. We are used to smaller permissions where we can walk the whole area. I've been driving round the headlands in my car with the rifle picking a few off but they are hard to get close enough to and it's a blimmin long way to walk around creeping up on the *******!! Do any of you guys shoot from the back of a truck with shotguns controlling bunnies? If so do you have any tips or pointers as to how you go about it? I'm wondering if it's not going to be viable until harvest time as it's nearly all wheat and we could just bomb all over the fields when it's been cut? Or do you drive along the tracks through the fields when it's fairly low? Also wondering how effective it would be lamping with a rifle off the back of a truck too? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Most effective for rabbits IMO would be a .22 LR with sub-sonic ammo off the back of a pickup. Two men, one driving/lamping, one rifleman in back of the truck ready to shoot off the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39TDS Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 I do pretty much all of mine out of my truck window with a rifle, on my own. Don't have 3000 acres though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pegasus bridge Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 the rifle would be the best idea - I've just stopped lamping because the wheat is now too high. if yours is not too bad you might get a couple of weeks out of it, the rabbits tend to feel secure with a couple of inches of wheat and often stay put. I also shoot from a vehicle when lamping - rabbits seem less jumpy at the sound of an approaching vehicle than they would to the sound of someone on foot. once the crops have been cut it can be very productive for a few weeks - lots of rabbits living in the wheat / rape for the summer tend to converge on the edges. I had a very good few nights on a field that had just been cut (maize) last year, rabbits sat around the edges in a daze proved easy targets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeds chimp Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 stick to a rifle. Having the same problem with the crops too high now and having to wait till they cross the grass verge to get back home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedwards1966 Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 .22lr - why struggle to get them in range with a shotgun when you can pop them off quietly from 100 yards away. Or if you want to push it out further or the land is likely to cause ricochet perhaps a .17 HMR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratts Posted April 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Cheers chaps I have 22lr and 22wmr at my disposal and my mate has 22lr and 17hmr so that's gonna be the way to go then Now just gotta find a truck for not a lot of pennies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 If it's just a shoot truck just pick up a cheap 4x4 and jigsaw a big hole in the roof above the boot space. You can stand in the boot and shoot off of the roof just the same as you would in a pickup but the vehicle is likely to be much cheaper. An old MOT failed Fourtrack or similar can be found very cheaply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpshooter.123 Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 4x4 with a semi shotgun can be a killer when crops are short or harvest BUT at the moment you will be better with a rifle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockercas Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 shooting rabbits out of a moving 4x4 with a shotgun is hard. i do it along the canal but it dose take some getting use to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadkill Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 mostly use the rifle, but I have had some good shooting from the back of a 4x4 with the 410 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratts Posted April 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 Cheers been looking on the bay and like u say around 400 quid gets a running 4x4 like a jeep cherokee that can run on red diesel. Also found out today I can get a 4x4 through work as company motor so hopefully something like a Navara will be on the cards too. I've had a good day!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampire Posted April 3, 2012 Report Share Posted April 3, 2012 We go lamping every week with my frontera (see sales section) ,take the roof off in under a minute and two can stand in the back safely,we use both rifles and shotguns both have their merits,like me you have thousands of acres to shoot, it is entirely possible to keep going round all night as they will just keep coming out. Once you have mastered the art of shot gun lamping it can be very productive shooting on the move getting 3 or 4 at a go is easy with 2 guns up top,but never done that with a rifle. Rifle lamping we go round very slowly as with shotguns,only difference is with rifles its getting into range and stopping and with shotguns its a case of chasing em down once seen. Crops are now to high and so its on the tracks only from now on,but they are just going to sit tight so its a rifle job now............if you can see em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpshooter.123 Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Vampire. We only do that well because we have the best driver when he is warm il drive over harvest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampire Posted April 4, 2012 Report Share Posted April 4, 2012 Yeah he will want to shoot come harvest when its nice a warm up top,havent seen him shoot all winter as he likes that heater to much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooter Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 If you are shooting from a truck just do what I do and work a single warren for an hour or so. Park up and wait, they come out, you shoot a few, they come back in fifteen minutes, you shoot a few more etc. If you want to hang over the roof try a rag top vitara. With 4" spacers they will fit in the tram lines, very ight so not much chance of sinking, and with a lift kit they can be driven over wheat right up to harvest. Also very cheap to run and insure and all the spares are cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wurzle Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 Moderated 22 lr from back of truck is the best way to bag lots of bunnies. Trucks have diesel clatter tho. I did my best shooting from the huge sunroof of a Subaru forester. They are so quiet and 4x4 system is plenty good enough. The sunroof was so big I could stand in the rear footwells and use my bipod off the top of the windscreen whilst my driver/mate lamped. Good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aister Posted April 8, 2012 Report Share Posted April 8, 2012 here on the croft where i stay i shoot out of an old vitara, i fixed the padded arm from an office chair to the wing mirror for a rest and shoot the rabbits in the head lights. when lamping else where my mate has access to a shogun, he drives shooting anything in the headlights and i use a scope mounted lamp out the passengers side window, works well for us . the vitara is brilliant, its so light even when its wet it doesn't leave great big ruts in the park Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pboro shot Posted April 8, 2012 Report Share Posted April 8, 2012 ive got a range rover take out passanger seat open sunroof ,roof bar to rest on ,then just watch and shoot also got some red driving lights for driving about with if the bunnys get spooked shooting from the sunroof gives you good 360" visision/shooting ,works for me anyhow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drut Posted April 8, 2012 Report Share Posted April 8, 2012 "If you are shooting from a truck just do what I do and work a single warren for an hour or so. Park up and wait, they come out, you shoot a few, they come back in fifteen minutes, you shoot a few more etc." Works well for me too!Just remember to sit still/move slowly & vehicle makes good hide.Funny how vehicles don't seem to be seen as a threat,works well for magpies as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-G Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 Copy cat's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmos05 Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 Get a shogun they got 1 off the bigestsunroofs to land out off and when you get cold you can just pop in + u only need to people there 1 driving and 1 lamping and shooting, thats asuming you have a bipod on your rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Fox Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 Despite having a 17hmr, and a pal with a 22lr. The most effective way we control rabbits is by pick up shooting and shotguns. We have a cage and drive at a steady pace. We average about 30/40 a night. As for people talking about range etc - the secret is not to lamp to far ahead, the lamp man keeps the beam on a flood setting and always only shines with in shotgun range, and it works very very well. If the lamp man is scanning 100 yards then you will not get near them. I tend only to use the rifles when stalking rabbits, or camping out on a warren early in the morning. So it can be done with scatterguns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandalf Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 Bolt action .22 with a good moderator. Any truck will do the job but a Landrover with a hole in the roof is probably the best. Driver has the lamp. What will make the whole thing so much easier is an intercom system. Chatterbox motorcycle unit works for ages on just two AA batteries. Get two lightweight computer type headsets and you are all set. Happy hunting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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