spiderlegs Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 so iv got myself some new shooting permision and having a couple of weeks off work iv been making the most of it. its a dry lake bed behind some cottages (which is good fun as i can drive my frontera in and shoot out of the window) and a couple of acres of horse paddocks across the road. the only trouble is theres no cover in the paddocks to stalk them open fields and flat land.the rabbits are always right by the hedge next to thier holes, and the paddocks are borderd on two sides by a road making safe shots fairly limited. iv got around 5 in totall but must have missed around 15 due to missed shots or spooking them when stalking. so anyone got any tips of what to try? my rifle is a hantsan AT44 pcp and i seem to be able to shoot well on a range but the rifle seems inconsistent when rabbiting but might just be me. all shot are taken at no more than 40yards and with superfield dome heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant8681 Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 Lie up and wait for them to come out to you. I use somethings like a branch to gauge distance. Good luck and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swiss.tony Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 yep its simple set a zero target up at 35 yards punch 5 hole s thought the bull and your ready to go you have 2 options stalk about in cammo or lay up and ambush them when they come out both are very easy but the later 1 may be better in warm conditions or you could try lamping but you need to get better with gun if you carnt hit them you should not be shooting at live targets get some practice in on paper 1st mate or and ps check your gun is up to full hunting power ie 11.5 ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secretagentmole Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 Fit a bipod. Lay in wait and then ambush the little swines! Stick some twigs in the ground or pile some stones at known distances. Practise punching paper at various ranges, remember in your excitement what may appear to be a small rabbit close up could be a larger rabbit further away (see Father Ted series 2 Episode 1 for details)!!! Then you will have known ranges, and with practise you can hit the target/rabbit. I took one yesterday at 40 metres! I have my .22 zeroed to 30 metres and with my Hawke scope, I was able to accurately predict the flight path of the pellet and rabbit was terminated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog tired Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) As ant8681 said lie up,being down wind will give great advantage and the smallest indent in the ground will offer some cover, tuck yourself as close in to the hedge as possible and be patient. Wait for bunny to come out and dont be to eager to fire.When hes a good distance from the hole check you have a safe backdrop before taking a well aimed shot. PS. If by some chance you miss stay calm "he wont shoot back" reload and adjust your aim, like previously mentioned markers really help. Youve already said your riffle shoots well on a range so i guess when you shoot live quarry you might get a tad too exited, relax figure out the distance and there shouldnt be a problem. Edited May 25, 2012 by dog tired Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazed Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 I have a few simmilar fields. They are full of crop at the min tho :( Watch that direction of the wind as sound travels better on the wind as does your smell, so try and have the wind in your face If its not too wet try in trainers aswell so your not stomping about the field. And take your time, take a small pair of binoculars stop and have a look about see what's what. Pick your shots not just the first thing you see,learn what behaviours of your quarry are where they live eat etc. It can be hard to desern distance sometimes I find it hard on larger fields, so practice when your out and about how far it that letter box etc pace it out then you will know. Try not to get frustrated as that won't help at all. Happy hunting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaz Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 As the others have said, all good advice. But if you're missing shots when out in the field but not on the range then I would say your not following the shot through and poking your head up to see if you've downed the bunny before the pellets out of the barrel then you'll 'pull' the shot every time, stay on the target and watch bunny fall through scope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonwolf444 Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 when your on the range are you benchresting? practice standing shots or shooting from whatever position you use when your out rabbiting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biffo Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 Even a bit of breeze will shift the POI, so if your range shooting is indoors that might be an explanation why you can't replicate the accuracy outdoors. Also, if its a .22 then rangefinding is critical. After shooting a .177 for 6 months and hitting pretty much everything, I bought a .22 to experience the legendary "clout" - pellet on pellet at the indoor range at 25yds, couldn't hit a barn door in the field coz unlike targets, rabbits don't sit at perfect ranges. A range finder might help, but then they aren't cheap. Hope some of that helps ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danccooke Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 I have a similar permission with open paddocks and no cover (and electric fences to contend with too... different story) I have found that I stalk initially up the main hedgerow. I take it slow and often get to take a few down on first pass. I then walk the back end of the permission which is always sparse on the rabbit front but it's worth a look, Often pigeons starting to roost too with enormous fields behind for drop off (I have permission on that land too so falling lead isn't an issue) then I sneak back to a middle mark for the long hedgerow, giving me about a long shot left or right of 50meters and a close shot directly in front of about 15 meters. I've paced out the distances and practiced shooting the various ranges at the locations where the rabbits holes come out of the hedgerow onto the field. I know where I need to hold the cross hair for the long and the short range shots and the middle 35yards are bang on cross hair (new scope arrived today can't wait to get it fitted, zero'd and i'll have check all my zero points again but it's all part of the fun). I occasionally miss too (hopefully less with the new scope with bigger objective lens, i shoot mainly dusk into darkness) I always aim for head shots for that reason also. I would rather miss with an air shot than miss and wound. Practice on paper lots and lots. Also with a PCP I like to fire five dry shots before heading away from the car. I find it just stabilises the pressure. When it has been sat around for a night or maybe a couple of days the first couple of shots can sometimes be flyers. I'd love to give a full reasonable explanation for that but I can't it's just something I do and it seems to work. Also Breath.... once you've had your first few kills you'll become calmer each time too. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderlegs Posted May 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 yep its simple set a zero target up at 35 yards punch 5 hole s thought the bull and your ready to go you have 2 options stalk about in cammo or lay up and ambush them when they come out both are very easy but the later 1 may be better in warm conditions or you could try lamping but you need to get better with gun if you carnt hit them you should not be shooting at live targets get some practice in on paper 1st mate or and ps check your gun is up to full hunting power ie 11.5 ish couldnt agree more mate but every time im happy my rifle is zerod i go in the fields and have misses. yesterday i layed a coke bottle on its side and shot the red bottle lid from 40yards consistently so im happy i can shoot. think the rifle should be good i always charge it to 200bar and when i got it the smith said it was running at 11.7 but i have no cronograph to test it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderlegs Posted May 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 thanks for all the replies you make some very good points. its a .22 so i think my main problem is distance judging and more practice is needed. i always fire from laying down as im pretty useless at any other shots without a rest. i generally try to stalk them they just dont seem to come back out after iv fired a shot. i generally work the next field over and come back. a bipod would be ideal as would a range finder but funds arnt great at the minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danccooke Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) In which case it's clear you shooting at non living objects is fine. Quick question have you shot live quarry before? I am not suggesting you're not up for it but some people get "Stag Fever" and it can affect anyone at any level but normally those taking certain types of shot for the first time. Stupid question also. Are using the same pellet for hunting as you are for your target practice? How long do you wait for them to come back out. Sometimes mine come back out within 10-15 minutes, sometimes 40-50 minutes. If i'm lamping hopefully it is a clear night i'll roll over and watch the star for a while. maybe have a smoke (if downwind) Edited May 25, 2012 by danccooke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderlegs Posted May 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 I have a similar permission with open paddocks and no cover (and electric fences to contend with too... different story) I have found that I stalk initially up the main hedgerow. I take it slow and often get to take a few down on first pass. I then walk the back end of the permission which is always sparse on the rabbit front but it's worth a look, Often pigeons starting to roost too with enormous fields behind for drop off (I have permission on that land too so falling lead isn't an issue) then I sneak back to a middle mark for the long hedgerow, giving me about a long shot left or right of 50meters and a close shot directly in front of about 15 meters. I've paced out the distances and practiced shooting the various ranges at the locations where the rabbits holes come out of the hedgerow onto the field. I know where I need to hold the cross hair for the long and the short range shots and the middle 35yards are bang on cross hair (new scope arrived today can't wait to get it fitted, zero'd and i'll have check all my zero points again but it's all part of the fun). I occasionally miss too (hopefully less with the new scope with bigger objective lens, i shoot mainly dusk into darkness) I always aim for head shots for that reason also. I would rather miss with an air shot than miss and wound. Practice on paper lots and lots. Also with a PCP I like to fire five dry shots before heading away from the car. I find it just stabilises the pressure. When it has been sat around for a night or maybe a couple of days the first couple of shots can sometimes be flyers. I'd love to give a full reasonable explanation for that but I can't it's just something I do and it seems to work. Also Breath.... once you've had your first few kills you'll become calmer each time too. Good luck yea iv got the electric fences as well. i can never decide between sliding uder them and risk touching my back of stepping over it and risk catching my nackers! i usually slide under lol! i dont have many pigeon i bagged two magpies though, they wernt as hard as i thought to stalk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amazed Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 What weight pellets are you using ? Try a lighter one see if you carnt get a bit flatter trajectory. Not really up on 22 pellets tho not used one for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danccooke Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 I scrabble underneath fat commando style. We had a massive power cut last night, doh! that doesn't mean the battery that runs the electric fences is out. Lesson learnt always treat ALL electric fences as ALWAYS live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaz Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 I scrabble underneath fat commando style. We had a massive power cut last night, doh! that doesn't mean the battery that runs the electric fences is out. Lesson learnt always treat ALL electric fences as ALWAYS live. Oh yeah and never take a pee on one :cry1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonwolf444 Posted May 25, 2012 Report Share Posted May 25, 2012 i found that judging range was an issue when i started going for rabbits properly, i might stalk to what i thought was 40 yards but would turn out to be 50+, just go as close as you dare, all the blimin halfgowns on my permission are making it harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderlegs Posted May 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2012 now im thinking about it i think the problem is range judging and jerking the shot from being over exited. iv shot some which i thought were around 30 yards turns out to be over 40. its hard to easy to get wrong. im going to go out tomorow morning early and set out a few piles of stones as people have suggested good idea that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderlegs Posted May 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2012 In which case it's clear you shooting at non living objects is fine. Quick question have you shot live quarry before? I am not suggesting you're not up for it but some people get "Stag Fever" and it can affect anyone at any level but normally those taking certain types of shot for the first time. Stupid question also. Are using the same pellet for hunting as you are for your target practice? How long do you wait for them to come back out. Sometimes mine come back out within 10-15 minutes, sometimes 40-50 minutes. If i'm lamping hopefully it is a clear night i'll roll over and watch the star for a while. maybe have a smoke (if downwind) yea i have shot live quarry before iv shot sinse i was a wee lad with my dad and grandad, althought its been 95% with shotguns so wasnt such a problem. yea same pellets and same charge in rifle ect. i know what your saying about stag fever and maybe im jerking the rifle when hunting in an effort to see if iv hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoben fenman Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 I had the same problem as you. Loads of rabbits but no cover to get into range. The answer is simple, as others have said lay up, you dont even need camo rabbits are about as thick as the earths crust so just be patient and you can knock the blighters for six. My other main problem was noise because i could only go there at a certain time which happened to be when the owner of the horses was about. So just be happy with the little bags and view it as a challnege. So lay up quiet somewhere and relax. Take time over the shot too. I know its tricky that was a problem of mine using the rifle more like a shotty but relax into your practised position, get the right eye relief and then gently squeeze the trigger. At close range its a bit faster and thats when your training takes over but at longer raanges you just have to think about range, trajectory and position. Dont over complicate it just shoot consistently. An alternative solution is to use a rimfire, if youve got the space, money etc for one it means you can shoot further. In the mean time though focus on just staying still using your patience around 30ms from a burry. Let them get about 5ms out, there reflexes are such that they can run back to there holes when they are as dead as doornails (infact they are probably more intelligent dead! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonwolf444 Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 (edited) i stalk to what i think is very close and when i pace it out its forty yards give or take so im alright now, been having relative sucess recently - not drawn a blank in a while Edited June 2, 2012 by demonwolf444 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoben fenman Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 i stalk to what i think is very close and when i pace it out its forty yards give or take so im alright now, been having relative sucess recently - not drawn a blank in a while The thing is to learn from mistakes and successes. We werent all born good shots/hunters and we have to learn. The most humane and proper way is on targets but of course you will make mistakes hunting, i nearly allways fluff a shot, and its learning from that mistake which is what makes it worthwile. I really struggled at my shoot once they got used to the set time and the noise of the rifle. Combine that with the absolute lack of cover for approaching grazing areas and the tight alleys that often presented 2m rabbits and youve got a recipie for very small bags. Try lamping from time to time. They become lamp shy but its devastatingly effective first off and the key bonus to that is you can move often without being seen. Other than that try different times, if its horse padocks try and find out when people are there and go when they are not. Dawn and dusk shooting is also very effective, just lie up and wait because at these times rabbits seem to be more accepting and dont see everything as a potential threat. The important thing is not to look at other posts on here or in magazines about someone shooting 300 rabbits a day. Your land is different, for all we know they could have been shooting in rabbit paradise. Just draw joy from what you do shoot and if you dont get anything surely you enjoyed the scenery or something. Its not allways about getting the most in the bag its about getting the most enjoyment. However that happens for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonwolf444 Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 I dont worry about big bags, as much as i am there to do pest controll, its also testing skills, my own enjoyment, and food procurement. Going to do a bit of lamping but strictly a no go from a vehicle POV, not only because some of the fields are in proximity to housing and i wouldnt want to be rumbeling around at night disturbing them, further more some of the land is boggy/ has wells, detritus and crevises that make night time driving out of the question. However im going to do a bit on foot. all my shooting is done at dusk as during the day nothing sits for long enough and im in close proximity of foot paths, early morning shooting is amazing, first time i went i saw triple the numbers i would usually, however its wholely reliant on me not sleeping through my alarms.. ( plural ) You do learn from failiures, blanks and mistakes, i find the more often i go out, the better i get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoben fenman Posted June 2, 2012 Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 I dont worry about big bags, as much as i am there to do pest controll, its also testing skills, my own enjoyment, and food procurement. Going to do a bit of lamping but strictly a no go from a vehicle POV, not only because some of the fields are in proximity to housing and i wouldnt want to be rumbeling around at night disturbing them, further more some of the land is boggy/ has wells, detritus and crevises that make night time driving out of the question. However im going to do a bit on foot. all my shooting is done at dusk as during the day nothing sits for long enough and im in close proximity of foot paths, early morning shooting is amazing, first time i went i saw triple the numbers i would usually, however its wholely reliant on me not sleeping through my alarms.. ( plural ) You do learn from failiures, blanks and mistakes, i find the more often i go out, the better i get. Yes you will find the more you go out the better you get. If you can get up do so before it gets light and get in position and if youve got a multishot (cant remember from the original post) then stay put. The less movement the better your successes. Unless youve got foxes in the area or ******** big birds of prey your rabbits wont run of so sit tight and chances are the others wont give a damn that rogers just topped it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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