beginners guide to rabbit shooting

[timmytree]

This time of year? Take the back legs off the youngsters, slash them with a sharp knife and marinade them with something oily, curry paste/tandoori or similar and BBQ them. Leave the rest for foxes.

Plenty of old people around that would love a rabbit so paunch and skin the bunnies and do your bit for the old folks. Chuck the battered old bucks and milky does.

[Mice!]

Do you know anyone with hawks? I know they don't want the birds eating lead but if you can guarantee head shots only they may want them and you should get some time watching there birds?

 

Second keeper probably has freezer room for bunnies

[Longbower]

FAC air is a lot of trouble to go to unless your going for your 'ticket' anyway. A sub 12 .177 at 35 yds is just as good with the required shot placement.

800 ft per second is nearly 270 yds in a second, so 35 yds takes less than a blink of an eye.

If you lay in wait near a warren or activity area ,wear cammo or dark clothes get tucked into a hedge or piece of machinery , something they are used to

seeing . You can even set something up so they get used to it before you start to cull them.Take something to sip, or mints . Dont forget your bug spray.

Range check,and zero your chosen weapon when 'on site' , so your sure the pellets going to go where you want it to go.

I have a ' bucket seat', so carry a knife for gutting them , hand wash,' in a washing up bottle , and swing bin liners for putting them in.

I also use a shooting stick , (resembles a fishing rod rest), So, I'm sat on a comfy seat, in cover , rifle on a V stick , downwind of the targets, sort of a 'self contained'

unit, at dusk .

You may decide to stalk , or lamp them , but on an acre of land you may find they soon learn to scarper at the slightest detection of movement or scent.

I'm to old, and fat to go climbing gates ,electric fences ,crawling under hedges etc. So I prefer to ambush them ! I'm not saying YOU should do what I do,

I'm just describing the method I use.

 

Any you don't want, Try a local bird of prey centre, Pensioners groups ,etc. For the record

I have a CZ.22LR , and a BSA R10 se .22 FAC ,but they get very little use, and on small plots of land always use the subby.

Good luck whatever route you go down , always remember an 'ethical' kill is the only acceptable kill.

[ips]

Thank you longbower, good and useful info 👍

[bruno22rf]

Agree 100% with Longbower but might I add that you maybe over complicating things with talk of FAC or LR etc - your S400 will kill at 35-40 yards all day long if you point it right (one of the finest hunting airguns ever built) besides an Acre?? not a large area. As for which is quieter I would say that firing a sub .22lr normally results in the sound of the firing pin contacting the rim of the cartridge and little else but the difference in power down range is considerable.

[ips]

Cheers Bruno

Just to clarify my one acre field is now no longer required other than setting rifles up. I now have an area of the estate which I work on (beating, dogging, loading) were I am pretty much free to shoot rabbit whenever I like. (until the poults go down anyway) but your both correct I suppose there is no real benefit in anything more than the 12ft lb.

Was planning on first expedition this evening but heavy rain and a bit of wind at the moment, hopefully it will clear up.

[bruno22rf]

Enjoy - that's the whole point .

[ips]

Thanks Bruno 👍

 

I shall be adopting longbowers method of ambushing as I too am to old and knackered for any crawling about 😁 I reccied a couple of suitable spots tucked in or rather under the hedgrows that are on the edge of the woods / pens. These will be ideal once cover crop is sewn but not how I will do it tonight.

[ips]

Forgive me for what may be considered another daft or obvious question..

 

How windy before you don't bother due to potential inaccuracy. I appreciate that it will depend on how good you are at guaging windage but as a general rule. ??

[Longbower]

Er, Distance from target , caliber , But remember what I advised? "Zero , on site" the first or second shot will tell you how far off the wind is taking

your pellet . Its more tricky if its gusting . With a sub 12 .177 , a gentle breeze is about top limit , for me anyway .

As i am not one of theses super shots , that can hit a target the size of a five pence piece , free standing in a force 5 gale at 60 mtrs .

At 50 mtrs the crosshairs on my scope would envelope the whole rabbit , if i could keep the thing still enough.

keep it simple, keep it close .

[ips]

Understood and what I thought.

Thanks again

[Snoozer]

ips you going down the NV route with the Bunnies ?

[ips]

Not at the moment snoozer, need to get some experience first I would think. Cover crop is being sewn end of this month so see how we get on 👍

[Guest]

Best time is the last hour of the day, esp if it has been raining all day but a sunny evening.

Enough of the theory. Time to put your cross hairs on those rabbits!

[ips]

Thanks mate.

Will report back soon 👍

[ips]

So its been very warm today very little wind presumably will remain warm this evening. Ideal evening for cwazy wabbit ?

Edited May 24, 2017 by ips

[chrisjpainter]

i'd say it's worth a bash! good huntin'

[Mice!]

We'll I'm in work so id say yes definitely a good idea to go shooting. Or walk the dog, mow the lawn, down the gym anything really.

 

Look forward to tonight's post, the first bunnie by ips 🐰

[ips]

First rabbit, well since I was about 17 yrs old which is quite a long time ago 😁

Had to sneak up on this one which was on the grass at the edge of were the field has been ploughed ready for cover crop. Had to take the shot prone half in a plough, not particularly comfortable but hey ho. If I am honest I wasn't particularly happy with the shot it wasn't a "stone dead shot" 😞 it was 30 yd so no hold over required, maybe I pulled the shot a little.

 

Edited May 24, 2017 by ips

[ips]

Ps

My camo face net thing purchased at weekend was a god send as midges were out, beautiful evening though if a little to warm. Ps note the camp mod, it was a test with my camo wrap ordered from amazon in readiness for the ultra 👍

[Mice!]

We'll done, wouldn't worry about the shot not being perfect, a slight twitch breeze or movement from the bunny is all it takes.

 

If you wanted to guarantee a clean kill every time you would never pull the trigger, or move up to rimfire and even then you can still wound, just practice and shoot within your limits.

Wot mod I cant see it 😉

[Zetter]

You can still miss with Rimfire as the 50 yard bunny from last night can testify . Still the nut behind the butt who can foul it up!

[ips]

Cheers mice 👍

I should be used to an "un perfect shot" being a fairly recent convert from clay to game obviously "runners" go with the territory but as you say a twitch is all it takes.

 

Ps

That camo wrap stuff is great 👍

[Snoozer]

Very nice ips, Bunny's watch out

Looks like you don't need a new toy after all..........................Or do thee??

[ips]

You can still miss with Rimfire as the 50 yard bunny from last night can testify . Still the nut behind the butt who can foul it up!

Cheers zetter,