Frenchieboy Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) I picked up another small permission the other day but when I went to look at it I found that there will be problems shooting on the best part of it! It is only small, consisting of 4 fields but it is crawling with rabbits - I could have shot at least a dozen in as many minutes if I had chosen to! However, after looking carefully at the lay of the land and the close proximity of the houses and the main road I have decided that there is only really one field that I can safely shoot on without going to the extreme of using a FAC Air Rifle, which I don't really want to resort to because of the expence for just this one permission. The land is in quite a steep bank dropping down from a main road that runs all the way along the top of it with a Public Foot Path running all along the bottom of it. The far side of the road has houses on it which overlook the permission and I am told that some of these houses are inhabited by a few "antis". Antis don't usually bother me too much but I could well do without any visits from the police and to compound the problems in that respect the land owner, who is quite well known and respected in the area, doesn't want any hastle from the locals, so we straight away have yet another problem there. To add to that, if I were to shoot paralell with the road (Obviously a safe distance from it) I would be shooting straight towards a couple of houses about 300 yards away right on the skyline, and with a .22LR I would be chancing a strong possibility of ricochets which could put the householders in danger, so that is definitely a big No No! This is even more complicated by the fact that there are horses on the top fields along side the road! Therefore there is only one of the fields that is safe to shoot, (Which only had a few sheep on it and is not seen from the houses or the road) which I did and took 5 rabbits for 5 shots in just as many minutes. The landowner want the rabbits thinning right down but the only way that I can see of doing it safely and legally is to long net it and maybe ferret the main burrow which is easily accessible and hidden from the view of the houses with the antis. I have not come across such a complicated situation before so I would welcome any practical and sensible thoughts or suggestions. Having said that please do not reply by saying "S*d the antis" (An attitude which I could use) as I have to respect the land owners respected position and his standing in the community. Edit: When I mention ferreting the burrow, that is not even too practicl an option at the moment as it is crawling with quite young rabbits which suggest quite a strong possibility of a lot of "lay ups" and some hard digging! Edited August 3, 2012 by Frenchieboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 can you shoot it the other way? or use a high seat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeredup Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 non FAC air rifle ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted August 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 can you shoot it the other way? or use a high seat? Shooting fro the top downwards would have been a safe option if it had not have been for the antis. Shooting upwards from the bottom is not an option as it would be shooting straight towards the sky line and the main road and houses. The majority of these rabbits seem to prefer to feed in the top part of the fields near to the main road. A high seat would mean a lot of expence for just a couple of fields so I have ruled that out even though it would offer a partial solution. I did think of shooting from the roof of one of the stables which are on the land but that would put me in clear view of all of the houses and I have bben asked by the landowner to try to avoid any confrontations with the locals/antis! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted August 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 non FAC air rifle ? That is a good thought and an option that I had given serious consideration to, but because of the "restrictions" imposed on firing positions (Out of the way of the prying eyes of the houses and antis) it could well leave me pushing the humane shooting range of a non FAC air rifle! It might help if I spend a few minutes doing a sketch of the area and marking to only safe and sensible firing positions, which I will do straight away and scan and post it on this thread so that people can see what I am up against! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1979 Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 you could use non fac air gun..(You can borrow mine iv you so wish)as you arent too far away,,(in exchange for a rabbit or 2 wen youve done..to feed the ferrets!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 To be fair i find long nets a big hassle and unless the ground was totally suited i shouldn't bother. Non- fac air is the best option to be fair its a shame i couldn't lend the FAC rapid to you, its pathetic that the law dont allow it like shotguns, if your struggling to get hold of a 12ft lb gun though give us a shout, or i have a mate who can use them 20mins from you and he aint a permission poacher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimfireboy Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Have you tried Remington cbee hollow points. 40 ft lb and 33 grains. They work well in my anshutz. They are full length lr so they chamber well and I found them to be much more accurate than cb longs and the like. They expand well also. Might be worth a try ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeredup Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 That is a good thought and an option that I had given serious consideration to, but because of the "restrictions" imposed on firing positions (Out of the way of the prying eyes of the houses and antis) it could well leave me pushing the humane shooting range of a non FAC air rifle! It might help if I spend a few minutes doing a sketch of the area and marking to only safe and sensible firing positions, which I will do straight away and scan and post it on this thread so that people can see what I am up against! fair point just wish i could get my first permission seems that most of the land around here is "occupied" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted August 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 OK. I hope this works and is understandable as my art work can at times leave a bit to be desired. The main road runs south to north. The land is directly along side the main road. I can only shoot from positions that are not viewable from the road and houses, the main and best position is just below the small coppice which houses the main rabbit warren. The footpath at the bottom is very little used and if anyone were to come along it I would be able to see them from the safe firing position and unload my rifle before they were in any danger and before they knew that I was there. The field on the south side of the stables and tractor shed falls quite steeply and offers a safe shooting position with good backstops from the coppice down to the footpath and river - This is where I shot the half a dozen rabbit in as many minutes! The field to the north of the stables and tractor shed is pretty flat with very few safe backstops and looks directly towards a couple of houses on the skyline. There are always horses in this top field and this is the field most favoured by the rabbits. The field below that one which runs right down to the river does offer a few safe backstops but only on a small part of the land. Hopefully now you will understand what I am up against and you will see why I think that using a non FAC air rifle might be an option but would be restricted by the ranges involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topshunt Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Non fac pcp air rifle with nitesite in the middle of the night? No body will even know your there unless you tell them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted August 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Non fac pcp air rifle with nitesite in the middle of the night? No body will even know your there unless you tell them. Now thast is something that I hadn't though about. Thanks for the very practical suggestion mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisa Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Fac air rifle looks perfect for the job but as you say expensive. Do you have any NV available to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beeredup Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Non fac pcp air rifle with nitesite in the middle of the night? No body will even know your there unless you tell them. excellent idea!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted August 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Fac air rifle looks perfect for the job but as you say expensive. Do you have any NV available to you? Unfortunately I do not have NV available. It's a bit out of my price bracket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave1979 Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 its light at 430....get there b4 the doo goodders wake up.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Matt Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Is it ferretable ? As said before FAC air sounds purfect for this ! Esp twinned with a NV setup ! Is there the option to get a hand in on this from someone with the above setup and go along shooting with them in return for some shooting over there ground to ? So that 2 people have helped each other out ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libs Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Ferrets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) I would say AIR FAC or sub 12ft/lbs might be doable if you can get a variation done quickly or Hushpower shotgun? There was a DIY NV thread which could be a lot cheaper than an NS50/200 but a fair bit of faff.... Just had a quick look and a Webley patriot FAC (30ft/lbs) springer can be had for £150 rifle only and a PCP BSA R10 from about £300 a patriot of other spinger with a scope of .22LR or basic scope and DIY night vis could be had for not too much. Or do a swap/joint effort as suggested. Edited August 3, 2012 by HDAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Frenchie, If i were you this would e my pan of action. Get a sub 12ft/lb air rifle, and practice with it and get very good with it, only thing it needs to have is a silencer, and telescopic sights. I would then get yourself some night vision, and get competent using that too. then either sitting up or stalk the land in a safe manner during the dark hours. I have noted that you say night vision is a bit out of your budget, However a member on here (stubby i think) made his own version for a fraction of the price, ill try and find you a link. ATB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/204020-night-vision-copy/page__p__1746645__fromsearch__1#entry1746645 Heres the cheap/imitation NV link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchieboy Posted August 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Is it ferretable ? As said before FAC air sounds purfect for this ! Esp twinned with a NV setup ! Is there the option to get a hand in on this from someone with the above setup and go along shooting with them in return for some shooting over there ground to ? So that 2 people have helped each other out ! The main warren (which is is the small coppice just below the stables and tractor sheds) is quite ferretable but as stated earlier it could be a little awkward at this time of the year as it is crawling with quite a lot of young and small rabbits so there would be a strong possibility of many "lay ups" from the ferrets which would result in a lot of hard digging amongst tree roots. It is something that will no doubt happen towards the end of autumn and the onset of winter though! This would involve inviting someone reliable from this forum with ferrets to help me out! With regards to having someone else shooting on the land with NV on their gun I would have to speak to the land owner about that before I thought about putting out any invitation. If the land owner were willing to allow this to happen it is something that I would strongly consider as I do believe in forum members trying to help each other out whenever possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 With regards to having someone else shooting on the land with NV on their gun I would have to speak to the land owner about that before I thought about putting out any invitation. If the land owner were willing to allow this to happen it is something that I would strongly consider as I do believe in forum members trying to help each other out whenever possible! Thats a good way to go Pete, it sounds like your not ideally kitted out for this bit of ground (no night vision, ferrets FAC air or silenced shottie) But i am sure there people out there who aren't kitted up for Fox like you are. PErhaps you could return the favour sometime! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topshunt Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 Now thast is something that I hadn't though about. Thanks for the very practical suggestion mate! Not a problem. Happy hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WelshLamb Posted August 3, 2012 Report Share Posted August 3, 2012 non FAC air rifle ? My thoughts also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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