spandit Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Was out on my new permission, much of which is overgrown with 6' tall bracken. Knowing the the bunnies come out to feed on the shorter stuff, we were walking a ride at about 11pm, periodically shining the lamp up the path to see if there were any rabbits out. On one occasion I shone the lamp, which is rifle mounted, and saw a man walking towards us! He was obviously on his way back from the pub as I think it's a public footpath. Not sure he saw if we were carrying rifles as he went past but it certainly wasn't what I expected to see in the torchlight! Also learnt how poor a seemingly good backstop can be when the ground is baked hard. Hopefully next week they'll have cut a bit more as was difficult to stalk most of it. Had a great few minutes watching three fallow does grazing, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Sorry but,did you not know or check to see if footpath on your perm was public?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 and waving the rifle about isnt good practice, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Sorry but,did you not know or check to see if footpath on your perm was public?? No need to apologise I knew there was a public footpath on the permission but didn't expect someone to be walking across it in the dark without a torch. People tend to roam off the paths anyway so have to be careful everywhere. and waving the rifle about isnt good practice, Do people generally carry a separate lamp when on foot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) No need to apologise I knew there was a public footpath on the permission but didn't expect someone to be walking across it in the dark without a torch. People tend to roam off the paths anyway so have to be careful everywhere. Do people generally carry a separate lamp when on foot? Always, would you like someone pointing a rifle at you? Don't point any gun at anything unless you intend to shoot it (or at it in my case), basic muzzle awareness. I know you're fairly new to this but I think you need to really have a good think about your gun safety and maybe think a little before waving it around, especially when you know that you are shooting around public footpaths. I hope you don't think I'm having a go as I'm not, just trying to make you think about your actions. All the best and most of all, safe shooting Edited July 7, 2015 by r1steele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) Again this isn't a pop just some basic good advise,get yourself a small lightweight spotting torch T20/T50.This way you will be 100% sure before lifting the muzzle that the only thing down range is your quarry and a back stop.The method your using at the moment isn't good,for example even if you hand the bolt back or even the gun not loaded,all the person sees at the other end is a gun been pointed.If plod gets called the it's going to hit the fan. Edited July 7, 2015 by Davyo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 I hope you don't think I'm having a go Not at all, I'm glad I learnt a valuable lesson without any drama. I know it sounds obvious to those reading if but walking for miles in the dark without seeing anyone and then suddenly encountering someone wasn't what I expected. Scary thing is, even with a separate lamp, they only have so much range and he could have appeared at any time. Fortunately, it was more of a scouting mission as the ground was so hard we weren't confident of the backstop but goes to show you never stop learning. Best get on the 'bay for a separate lamp, I suppose Again this isn't a pop just some basic good advise,get yourself a small lightweight spotting torch T20/T50.This way you will be 100% sure before lifting the muzzle that the only thing down range is your quarry and a back stop.The method your using at the moment isn't good,for example even if you hand the bolt back or even the gun not loaded,all the person sees at the other end is a gun been pointed.If plod gets called the it's going to hit the fan. Sound advice, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1steele Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) Get the one of the lamps Davyo has suggested. A T20 will be more than enough for spotting at rimfire ranges (it will pick up eyeshine at more than 200yds) but if you can, get the T50 as it will give you better quarry id. They are small enough to chuck in your trouser pocket and not very expensive. Personally I wouldn't use some of the e-bay traders as some use poor/cheap components. There is someone on here reportedly builds good ones (sorry cannot remember your name) but I use Ian Sirrel (irlightbuilds on facebook) and he does build good ones. go for a red or amber led as they are the best for rabbiting. Edited July 7, 2015 by r1steele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 I've already got a T50 white, might look around for the LED only to swap over, although as you say, they're cheap enough as a unit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) There is an important tool to our advantage as shooters these days and that's Google Earth.I always print one-off of my permissions and walk the perimeter,you could use this to see where that footpath comes from and leads too.Having a good knowledge of not just you permission but more importantly what's on the opposite side of the boundary is a great advantage & can pin point any areas where extra care should be taken.For example on the edge of one of my permissions is a course fishing lake & all I see from my side is a thick long hedgerow ( not a back stop)but there will always during week days and weekends be maybe 12/30 fishermen in a small area.If I had never of Google earthed the surrounding areas I would of known it was there. It also goes down quite well with FEO's as it shows you have in a sense risk assessed before you started shooting the permissions. Just to add one of the most worring nights I had was I was out with the NV, &NV spotter so not using a lamp at about 2am one morning,2 fields away is a quiet road and driving that road was a 4x4 of some type with nobbly tyres as I could hear it,They where scanning the fields( poaching),don't know if dogs or guns,they scanned the hedgeline I was walking then their car stopped ( prob caught my eyes in the lamp).They reversed back and started scanning the hedge again ( I took my Nm800 red and waved it frantically & they drove off) thankfully they didn't fire a shot.If I hand been carrying a torch I dread to think shay may of happened. Edited July 7, 2015 by Davyo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 Thing is, I know the permission quite well, or did. In the dark and with 6' high bracken everywhere it's easy to get disorientated. It's taught me a lesson, certainly. Might have to invest in thermal... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloydi73 Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Hi Spandit, I'm new to the sport as well so please don't take offence or think I'm being sanctimonious or condescending in anyway to you...however, I have just successfully completed my DSC 1, and on the course, and I think also in Home Office guidelines, it is expressed you should never use the scope of the gun, or anything mounted (your lamp) to use for sighting, only use binoculars or hand held equipment........Anyway, like I said, I'm new too so just sharing my little wisdom I've learnt in my short 18 months....all the best....... P.S. Can't recommend DSC 1 highly enough, even if you're not gonna shoot dear, the stuff they teach you about shooting in general isexcellent....did mine through NGO..... ATB Lloydi Edited July 9, 2015 by lloydi73 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted July 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 You are quite right and I'm amending the way I'll be shooting in future. It's a salutory lesson to not get complacent, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has let his/her standards slip after a while. However, even if I had been using a hand held lamp and binoculars, he would have still given me a fright and by the time he reached us, our guns were unloaded and slung but running across two men with firearms in the middle of the night could be scary to some. Frankly, he didn't seem all that bothered and barely gave us a grunt as he walked past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davyo Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 I'm new to the sport as well so please don't take offence or think I'm being sanctimonious or condescending in anyway to you...however, I have just successfully completed my DSC 1, and on the course, and I think also in Home Office guidelines, it is expressed you should never use the scope of the gun, or anything mounted (your lamp) to use for sighting, only use binoculars or hand held equipment........Anyway, like I said, I'm new too so just sharing my little wisdom I've learnt in my short 18 months....all the best....... P.S. Can't recommend DSC 1 highly enough, even if you're not gonna shoot dear, the stuff they teach you about shooting in general isexcellent....did mine through NGO..... ATB Lloydi Congratulation on completing you DSC1,I dont think it will be long before course like this become compulsary my FEO has already hinted that its being considered, as you say its not all just about shooting Deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psycho Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) I once bought a photon night vision scope Had it on a bipod..heard something move to the left of a rabbit hole moved the. Gun 10 degrees left saw a set of rabbits eyes shining back at me. I always check shots using my spotter. If not 100% sure of identificaton and it was a bloke taking a slash in one of the fields taking a short cut through the fields,(no public right of way)the shine of the eyes was the tags on his hunter wellys I sold the photon the picture was so bad it was scary.. I have also had trespassing kids shoot near me at dusk ..some 6 foot away when in a hide and have come across half a dozen lads using 9 dogs at night (up to no good) i dont take any chances when night shooting i. Even have mini ship flares in my pocket when shooting at night night shooting carrys so much more risk than day shooting Edited July 9, 2015 by psycho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lloydi73 Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 I once bought a photon night vision scope Had it on a bipod..heard something move to the left of a rabbit hole moved the. Gun 10 degrees left saw a set of rabbits eyes shining back at me. I always check shots using my spotter. If not 100% sure of identificaton and it was a bloke taking a slash in one of the fields taking a short cut through the fields,(no public right of way)the shine of the eyes was the tags on his hunter wellys I sold the photon the picture was so bad it was scary.. I have also had trespassing kids shoot near me at dusk ..some 6 foot away when in a hide and have come across half a dozen lads using 9 dogs at night (up to no good) i dont take any chances when night shooting i. Even have mini ship flares in my pocket when shooting at night night shooting carrys so much more risk than day shooting I do a lot of night shooting, at least 3 times a week so getting used to it, but you can never be complacent!! However, a story my friend with 30 years experience was telling me, I'll keep it brief, he to was tracking a pair of eyes, they kept moving up and down, stopping every so often etc, but the height was odd and he wasn't sure, he didn't shoot and just watched. As he got closer, it was a woman carrying her cat!! OMG can you imagine if he had tried to out a bullet between the eues or worse!! Just goes to show, even the most seasoned can be fooled!!! Congratulation on completing you DSC1,I dont think it will be long before course like this become compulsary my FEO has already hinted that its being considered, as you say its not all just about shooting Deer. Thanks, it was a 4 day intense course, but glad I did it, they also teach you a lot about safety, gun handling, the law etc....was worthwhile and I would recommend it to serious shooters. Thinking about going for DSC 2 in next 2 years or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetter Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 One thing I make sure of when I am night shooting is never ever consider shooting at just eye shine. If you cant see the target clearly enough for a positive ID/ backstop its not worth it. Having night vision that punches out well beyond what you are shooting is well worth it as it gives you that piece of mind that you know definately what the target is and more importantly anything thats behind it bearing in mind that people dont always (a lot of the time!) stick to the footpaths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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