Fluffed a shot at fluffy :(

[Phantom 631]

Hey guy's,

 

I fluffed a shot today

 

The wife, our youngest daughter and I walked up to the cemy this evening, Lesley wanted to put fresh flowers on her families graves. I went up there in full dpm toting my gun and pack.

While the girls tended the graves I set my target up at 30 paces and sweet as a nut, I put pellet on pellet in the bullseye

 

I began a wander around the main part and quickly homed in on a bunny some 70 yards away. I crept up behind a headstone keeping low on the grass. I could just see the bunnies ears and top part of his head and his eye. He was laid just outside the big warren right at my 30 yard marker.

I took aim and just as I was about to click my tongue to get him to sit up, the wife shouted "Were going now" and my daughter shouted "Bye Dad"

Well of course bugs does one down the burrow, just as my finder had taken up the 1st stage

 

So knowing there was no chance I placed my baby on the deck and went to say goodbye.

 

When they left I collected my baby and had a wander around. The warren that goes down into the double grave, that I thought I had cleared has fresh digging's and yet another entrance.

Got to the conquer tree at the back and there were so many knibbled conquers on the ground.

Something else I noticed, tufts of fur all over the place tufts like you see in spring early summer. I am assuming due to the warm weather the bucks are still scrapping over the does?

 

Anyways, after I'd had my wander I made my way to my sniping and observation point and got myself settled. As the sun went down, I noticed a little movement in the hedgerow, I couldn't get a good view so I moved my self a foot to the left and got a glimps of the cotton tail as it disapeared back into the hedge A glint caught my eye, my silver watch was visible my glove wasn't pulled up the wrist like it should have been.

 

Settled myself down again, made sure I could see my markers and out pops a bunny

I couldn't get a good view as it was skirting in and out of the hedge, it made its way round the sandy hills outside the warrens and as it was getting dark, I was having to follow fluffy through the scope.

 

I saw my 35 yard marker in front of fluffy as he stopped and began munching on some vegitation. I didn't have a clean view so a click of the tongue was promptly made and just like a puppet, bugs sat up ears vertical. Crosshair seated nicely under his ear and 1st stage taken up, 'looking good' thinks I as a little more pressure on the trigger sends the pellet on its way

 

Bunny rolls over, no 'crack' or 'thwack' but sure as day is day and night is night, bugs dont get up again. Hang on a second, summat not quite right here, my inner voice is saying.

Got up and quickly made my way over to the bunny laid on its side. Feck! I've only fluffed the distance. Bunny must have been at least 48 yards from my position.

The pellet had dropped a good inch and half and had entered the kneck at one side and left out the other.

Bunny was (luckily) unable to move, but I could see it was still breathing, so instinctively I picked it up by the rear legs and with my right hand cupping the head behind its skull I gave a good hard pull down and twisted the head back up finishing the job I had begun when I sent the pellet on its way.

 

Just shows how dificult it is to judge distance in low light using a higher magnification than your used to. I normally use 4 to 6 when shooting, I hadn't realise I had the scope cranked up on 9x for this shot

 

So beware guy's double check 'everything' before squeezing the trigger.

That shot could have gone more wrong than it did and it had the potential to cause severe suffering!

 

 

Heres the pic

 

 

Phantom

[zini 1,939]

Another Phanton ace write up

 

I love the way you write up your articles Tony

 

Well done as well, keep at them mate

 

Si

[LOGUNSOLO177 0]

A great read mate!!!

[reggaeman 1]

good write up fella. always a pleasure to read

[festa 206]

cracking write up mate are you and zini in competition for story telling lol

 

atb gary

[reggaeman 1]

LOL LOL festa i was thinking the exact same thing. i love your sense of humour. it matches mine

[stealthy1 3,964]

Well done Phantom, another flower nibbler nobbled

[Phantom 631]

Thank you Gent's

 

I'm still not pleased with that shot though

 

Question for you that are more experianced than I at hunting:

 

I know that the higher mag decreased perspective, but would it alter the POI by a noticable amount?

 

I was out last night and not a single bunny seen in the cemy, but saw loads in the paddock with the nags.

 

And the best thing, those fresh flowers that my wife put on the graves were still there fully intact I guess I must be doing something right.

 

Phantom

[stealthy1 3,964]

The best way is to test you scope mag, zero your normal starting range, then turn up your mag and note the difference it makes, it only takes a moment to check, if you have mill dots you can work out the changes

[migmog 1]

I went out with a mate tonight and missed 2 rabbits compleatly. It was 6.40pm and dusk was well set in i just couldnt judge the distance correctly and both pellets whizzed over both the rabbits heads i thought they where further away than what they where! Range finder scopes spring to mind or a decent lazer.

No rabbit for tea tomorrow

[Deker 3,478]

Thank you Gent's

 

I'm still not pleased with that shot though

 

Question for you that are more experianced than I at hunting:

 

I know that the higher mag decreased perspective, but would it alter the POI by a noticable amount?

 

I was out last night and not a single bunny seen in the cemy, but saw loads in the paddock with the nags.

 

And the best thing, those fresh flowers that my wife put on the graves were still there fully intact I guess I must be doing something right.

 

Phantom

 

 

Higher mag should not change the POI at all. This will only happen in Faulty or VERY VERY cheap scopes!

 

Distance is always a problem and more so at night, especially with the arc of of 12ft lb pellet.

 

Practice is usually the answer, rangefinders certaintly have a use but you often have to move quick with a shot or the quarry runs off! NEVER been a fan of the lazer, personal thing, some will love them, I've always struggled to see the point!

[Sweeney-Todd 208]

Hi Phantom.

 

Brilliant write up....enjoyed the read.

 

At least you were able to find Bug's and put him away.

Cant get it right all the time, nice you have such respect for your quarry.

 

Nice report.

 

 

Bill.

[Phantom 631]

Thanks for the replies guy's,

 

I have a decent scope on my S200 (Bit heavy and old but its brill in low light) a Kassenar 3to9x56.

I reckon it was just my range estimation as the pellet hit perfectly in the centre of the crosshairs just much further down than where I anticipated.

I did as Stealthy suggested and at 6 mag pellet scuttled pellet, while being scuttled by another couple bang on the crosshair centre Changed to 9 mag and the impact point was bang on line, but pellets landed down the centre post by a quater of an inch or so. So even with that slight shift, my range finding was at fault

 

Phantom