Golf course with lamp shy rabbits - nightvision

[beesley121]

Hi guys,

 

I've been given permission on a golf course. The rabbits are doing major damage but they are so lamp shy, it's hard to get within range. Thinking about going down the night vision route and just sitting and waiting for them to come out. The only issue I've got with that is that I find range finding at night really difficult.

I had one of evo's custom made night vision set ups, yes I could see the rabbits but I was constantly misjudging the distance and missing.

 

What can I do to get around this? What the best way to get these rabbits shot?

[robbiep]

The only real way is practice, practice, and practice. Learn what size an adult rabbit is in your sights at various ranges. Then, if it appears huge, it's probably closer. Tiny, odds are it's further away.

Learn your distances in daylight. Get out there sometimes at night and guesstimate how far away something is, then pace it out, and see how accurate you were.

 

With practice you can estimate ranges to within 10% at a glance, anything up to 300 meters or so away. But it requires practice and effort.

[Hendrix's rifle]

The only real way is practice, practice, and practice. Learn what size an adult rabbit is in your sights at various ranges. Then, if it appears huge, it's probably closer. Tiny, odds are it's further away.

Learn your distances in daylight. Get out there sometimes at night and guesstimate how far away something is, then pace it out, and see how accurate you were.

 

With practice you can estimate ranges to within 10% at a glance, anything up to 300 meters or so away. But it requires practice and effort.

What he said, you can however buy night vision range finders, might be worth a look?

[Zetter]

There is if like me you have trouble rangefinding at night a NV rangefinder you can get that runs to a couple of hundred quid. Also what are you after the bunnies with is it air rifle or Rimfire?

[Craig83]

pretty easy.....few things you can do.

 

1) Buy some IR cylumes, go down last light, range them out 100, 200, 300.

2) Push a number of cylumes into the ground for example for 100m put in 1, for 200m put in 2 300 - 3

3) Obviously crack the cyclumes and push them in so inly a inch or so is showing (enough so you can see them but not too much so it blinds your vision.

4) set your aiming markers on a piece of whit card, and them sit tight in your OP ready for the bunnies to come out.

5) Kill everything!

 

or you can buy one of my super expensive range finders...that is if you have a spare £570

[fruity]

The only real way is practice, practice, and practice. Learn what size an adult rabbit is in your sights at various ranges. Then, if it appears huge, it's probably closer. Tiny, odds are it's further away.

Learn your distances in daylight. Get out there sometimes at night and guesstimate how far away something is, then pace it out, and see how accurate you were.

 

With practice you can estimate ranges to within 10% at a glance, anything up to 300 meters or so away. But it requires practice and effort.

...

 

Excellent Advice ...

[Rst1990]

Had the same problem so just bought a flatter shooting calibre, aim shoot simples

[Daveo26]

We have the same problem.

Started going really early morning instead of lamping

Like before first light, it's cheaper than N/V

[Good shot?]

What rifle are you using?

Put simple range markers out before dusk that show up with IR at your ambush point,

I am currently codging up a Bresser range finder with a spare camera and small screen that will work at night for the same problem.I will use this for the .22 LR and air rifle.

Not so much a problem with the HMR.

Edited September 9, 2016 by Good shot?

[mick miller]

Sell the 22lr, forget the hmr and buy a 17hh. Forget all about 'missing them' at silly distances forever more.

 

Or, alternatively, put a mildot scope on, leave it at one fixed magnification (for now) and learn to bracket your quarry.

 

It took me years to learn this simple rule and technique, but boy is it worth it. Yes, you won't be yard perfect but you will hit things more consistently and have a much better idea of how far something is if your not constantly switching magnification and use the mildot markings to estimate range through the size in your reticle.

[mick miller]

You don't even need a rabbit, or night time to practice.

 

Cut a rabbit shape from a correx sign (thank you Estate agents) and place in the dirt. Take a surveyors tape (£15) or mk.1 distance measure (pace it out) and look to see what magnification is best for the ranges your shooting to give a sensible sight picture close and at distance.

 

Make a note of the mildots it takes up on your reticle at those distances. Is it 2 dots at 80 yards etc.?

 

Type up and laminate those notes, along with drops out holdover if you need them. Carry them with you or practice in the daytime until you've committed then to memory.

 

Thank yourself when you're hitting a fair share without the need for fannying around with a night range finder or some other electronic gizmo.

 

If you're trying to shoot them at over 100 yards at night with a hmr, stop. Get closer or leave them for another night.