Gonna Shoot a Wabbit Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 hi all. Dead eye duck, YTS and i were out again last night. We got to our permission for 1800hrs. The wind was in our favour in the area we had in mind, so YTS and i were dropped off to shoot the same fields (it looked like watership down in this area last week )whilst don decided on another part of the shoot. YTS and i spent 5 minutes discussing our routes for a quick half hours stalking before we settled down to ambush the bunnies when they come out at dusk to feed. Once safe routes / lines of fire agreed off we went to tour the boundaries. Alas i would like to report that we returned from our stalking weighed down with rabbits but truth be know we were bunnyless :blink: there were no adult rabbits out just tennis ball sized bunnies that we decided to leave until they were a little bigger. So with the pair of us yet to score we took a different part of the field to cover (with deep suspicion i accept YTS advice to set up in the area of his choice ) and with us some 40yds apart and covering some 150yd area we await the bunnies to commence evening chow! It is a special outing for YTS as he has his new baby out with him for the first time.......Anschutz XIV .22lr thumbhole stock, simmons 3.5-10 X 50 WTC, SAK moderator and harris bipod! the rolls royce of bunny bashing gear it is almost unnatural to see a rig of this quality in his hands (akin to seeing cats and dogs living together, oil mix with water, indeed an unkind man would repeat the phrase "all the gear but no idea" ) but i suppose when you are rolling in £££££££££££££££££ but are clueless regarding the finer points of gentlemanly sporting pursuits you need all the help you can get! ( OH YES INDEEDY I AM AS JEALOUS AS ****) That said he was first off the mark with a bunny wacked over at a grand range of 20yds but a clean kill non the less, to be followed soon after by another. My turn at last as a bunny hops out from the hedgerow and all suddenly becomes clear why YTS placed me here rabbit is 90yds away and is soon followed by a couple of his pals and as they sat there sunning themselves in the evening sunshine i swear YTS shoulders are going as he softly collapses in a fit of giggles well in for a penny in for a pound and aiming 4 inches high from 60yd zero on the rimmy a gentle squeeze on trigger and WHACK!!!!!!!! clean headshot bunny, i quickly work the bolt and knock over his mate sat next to him wondering why his back leg is twitching in the air. YTS now back amongst 'em and he knocks over another 3 at ranges from 20 - 45yds. i added another 3 to my score at ranges from 30 - 80yds. Then my best shot of the evening, a bunny has come out in the part of the field that YTS is covering only he hasn't seen it time for a little bit of sneaky stuff rabbit is 60yds in front of YTS and some way towards me, range 90yds from my position. Completely safe line of fire as i slowly shuffle into position.......YTS still not seen it HEE HEE!! i slowly draw a bead aim 4 inches high and gentlest squeeze on trigger....whack!! clean headshot WOO HOO!! YTS shakes his fist at me and calls me all the poaching doo dah's going. The light is going fast now so we gather the slain and we have 11 between us, but more importantly YTS has blooded his new rifle first time out. Dead eye duck arrives and has shot a few i will leave it to him to recount his meagre effort as i am suddenly overcome with nausea. After restorative hot bovril and blackcurrant pies we set off for an hours lamping before heading for home. Despite offering the shooting to the others they insist i man the rifle whilst YTS lamps and don carries the bag. Obviously they want the most reliable shot in charge to maximise our bunny bashing potential. I do not fail to deliver. I am soon off the mark picking a bunny off at 60yds. This set the tone for the next hour and as we head back to the car i have shot another 7 at ranges from 40 - 70yds to give us another 8 from the lamping session. An excellent evening in cracking company, don was insufferable all the way home crowing that he had shot the most rabbits and reminding us how old he is........ offering us shooting lessons and lessons in fieldcraft those of you who know don will get the idea HA HA HA!! Thanks for reading here is a pic of the slain. Rgds, GSAW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ91 Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 nice shooting mate wish my permishon was like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead-Eyed Duck Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 nice shooting mate wish my permishon was like this. Hi Russ I've been shooting for 40 odd years, with all the disappointments of losing shoots through no fault of my own and gaining others through grovelling; endless door knocking and most pleasing of all, recommendation. Your time will come, and like all things in life the easy things normally go just as quick, and the ones that you work for are the best of all. Gonna is one of the best freehand shots with a rimmy that I have ever seen, and he like me has benefited hugely through starting with air rifles - if you can stalk a rabbit on a stubble field to within 25 yards and then shoot it through the head then this is the best training ever. I have been out with guys who have made more racket than a herd of cattle and then said "****** all about tonight - the wind is in the wrong direction......". Anyway, sentimentality over, there is nothing better than eying your mates meagre bag, and then coyly saying that you've shot just a few....... and they know that fieldcraft, guncraft and being better looking does count. and they know that all the way home you will be offering lessons in shooting skills, gun handling, how to stalk - I'm sure that you have got the idea. You may be sure that I will be Ming the Merciless - until next week. Oh, by the way, I shot nearly twice as many rabbits as wot they did. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InGen Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 now thats some nice shooting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev 1 Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Great stuff.....save some for later though....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crisis500 Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Great write up i'm of for some lamping tomorrow. I have only just started and not to sure on the basic prinples. I have a maglite mount for my .177, i understand about the wind directions but not about how to use the lamp its self. Do you use a lower power setting to find the eyes, seek up, and then blind with a higher power setting? Any help would be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonna Shoot a Wabbit Posted April 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 ey up!! crisis500 re the finer points of lamping. use the lowest power setting that you can still see the bunnies eyes with. always assuming the bunnies aren't lamp shy, if so may be worth using a higher setting and try to get on the bunny a little quicker. only lamp 50 - 70yds in front to avoid spooking bunnies further afield. Always remember too much light may spook 'em but too little and you cant see 'em anyway so light 'em up if all else fails and shoot quickly. practice on the range 5 seconds and its gone. we have had lots of fun applying the 5 second rule on the range and trust me it pays off in the field. we have reduced a former 2nd in command to tantrum status with the 5 second rule Quote " i cant chuffin' do it ". however once mastered if you can get an accurate shot off in that time you tend to see a marked improvement in your bag size and hit rate. best of british, let us know how you get on. rgds. GSAW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crisis500 Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 EY EY GSAW, great advise still working on the 5 second rule, as you said though its a bit of laugh. Hopefully the weather will improve over the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshirelad Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 nice bag there bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staglioni Posted April 30, 2008 Report Share Posted April 30, 2008 nice shooting mate wish my permishon was like this. Hi Russ I've been shooting for 40 odd years, with all the disappointments of losing shoots through no fault of my own and gaining others through grovelling; endless door knocking and most pleasing of all, recommendation. Your time will come, and like all things in life the easy things normally go just as quick, and the ones that you work for are the best of all. Gonna is one of the best freehand shots with a rimmy that I have ever seen, and he like me has benefited hugely through starting with air rifles - if you can stalk a rabbit on a stubble field to within 25 yards and then shoot it through the head then this is the best training ever. I have been out with guys who have made more racket than a herd of cattle and then said "****** all about tonight - the wind is in the wrong direction......". Anyway, sentimentality over, there is nothing better than eying your mates meagre bag, and then coyly saying that you've shot just a few....... and they know that fieldcraft, guncraft and being better looking does count. and they know that all the way home you will be offering lessons in shooting skills, gun handling, how to stalk - I'm sure that you have got the idea. You may be sure that I will be Ming the Merciless - until next week. Oh, by the way, I shot nearly twice as many rabbits as wot they did. Don thats what its all about stalking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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