Last weekend

[JackReid 35]

Hi all,

 

So last time I left a write-up, although I had fun, it didnt reap the bag one would be proud of (in its complete absence).

As mentioned before the permission is deadly quiet everywhere, dont get me wrong their are pigeons and corvids everywhere but not within shooting distance unless ambushed from a hide, creeped up onto from a hidden area (very hard to do, even when they are relaxed and facing away at 40+ meters) or decoyed/baited. The general sparse nature of the place at the moment means that the three above methods for some reason or another are not as easy as summer, with maybe tempreture being a factor? We all know pigeons get a bit lazy in that late evening sun, full of grain, and approaching from the shadows when they are blinded is something I am looking forward to greatly!. On the other hand you could argue the sparseness actually opens opportunities that arent usually available in the summer i.e less leaves on the trees. So last weekend I headed back form Bristol to home and went up the farm a few times. I mentioned I thought I may have a screw loose (scope rail; not head) because I had a terrible target session at 25-30 meters at the end of a shoot, a shoot that I was shooting well before I headed out. However, getting back doing some checks and hitting the targets for an hour on the saturday I realised my grip habit had got a bit sloppy and as getting more frustrated with shots flying you tend to hold on tighter and generally tense up instead of allowing the gun to fire for itself. So 20 mins on the targets and there was 15 targets with the bullseye hollowed out on the floor. Practice was taken from 20m for one or two shots looking at my horizontal (windage) zero, and then 25 meters for my main impact point then had a play with 30-35m etc. So after that I had a bit of a gander about by then it was getting late after driivng down and I was happy to know I was shooting on form again.

 

Sunday was the main day really, I headed out a bit later than I should have, maybe 11am and had a look about thinking about where I should make a hide, whether I should have lots of temporary little ones dotted over the place in which I can swap and change as I feel fit, or whether I should make a really good one over a few hours and stick to it. Getting these pigeons is a real mission of mine at the moment. So I tried a few places but none were quite right, and a couple of trees I know to be major pigeon stop overs, dont have the right surroundings to get a good hide set up using natural features, for a shot under 45 meters anyhow. I will load up the pictures of the walk about so you can see what I'm working with and write in that post.

 

Bellow you wil lsee a part of the farm, you would expect woodies to be lurking i nthe barns etc but its never really the case. That tiny wooded area on first glance would seem a good palce to get them, but its quite a hard place to make any shot out of it once inside because of branches. Take note of the power lines running over the top. Pigeons do use this area and the lines and I try creep from either the other side of the woods or on the path with the tractor on it, leading up to it, trying to spot one before it spots me, get into range and take it out, but it isnt often it brings success, they're just too jumpy at the moment.

Edited February 8, 2010 by JackReid

[JackReid 35]

Take note guys you can click on the pictures and you will get a bigger shot and see some things I've mentioned. Once again sorry for the lack of sheer action in my topics at the moment but thats the nature of the hunt sometimes!

 

This picture is a closer shot of those power lines.

[JackReid 35]

A terrain once crawling and a haven for rabbits very quiet...

[JackReid 35]

Moving my way through the acres of land, having shot the place alot I know where to be ready to react quickly etc hotsspots and what not, but shooting always catches you off guard. I came over a ridge, looked up and saw a nice pigeon at about 25m. Quickly adjusted magnification to 8 (Have been using higher mag now after seeing other peoples scope arrangement on this forum) raised my gun crosshair bang on the birds temple and crack, down it went. The bird was brain dead, it was obvious from the shot placement and just sheer impact of its head cracking. You know when you've put all the kinetic energy possible into your target and you've done your job right. I headed out slightly relieved having made a kill. So I headed out to round the other side of those woods shown i nthe earlier pictures, to see if I could catch soem woodies off guard.

Edited February 8, 2010 by JackReid

[JackReid 35]

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Edited February 8, 2010 by JackReid

[JackReid 35]

Moving to the other side of the woods then I chose this tree as a good place to get situated and to possibly built a hide, it looks parrallel down the lines, gives cover from above and has a limited view of the trees making up half the wooded area.

[JackReid 35]

I sat i nthis spot after making it a bit better as a hide for an hour or so but the pigeons where sitting together far away staying warm, and after making the hide better decided I would limit the ammount ofpints I had that night and try make it down the next morning early and get settled in then.

 

Also spotted another sign that the rabbits must be much more active once the sun goes down...

[JackReid 35]

Right, to wrap things up quickly, I went back in the morning and got in the hide looking down the lines. As you can see here its quite a good spot with potential ttargets presenting themselves from 10-50m. The hide isnt all that but not one pigeon, even the fly-by ones saw me.

 

I did have opportunities arise, but it was freezing and the bird landing were at the further point, I would guess around 50m's. With a strong blusty wind, unconsistently give blasts of wind I didnt bother as I hadnt practiced at that range, and I think witjh the early morning rough weather most people wouldnt have taken the shot unless it calmed for a moment. Eventually after an hour I couldnt feel my hands and headed back home. A good weekend with a pigeon and a promisiing new ambush point

 

Watch this space.

 

Jack

Edited February 8, 2010 by JackReid

[JackReid 35]

p.s View upto hide

Edited February 8, 2010 by JackReid

[JackReid 35]

(Error in text)

Edited February 8, 2010 by JackReid

[zini 1,939]

Good write up Jack buddy.

 

I used to have one of them HW95s.

 

There a lovely rifle and i regret ever getting rid of mine .

 

Bought it from Tony Wall at SFS

 

Its the second rifle on my to get list at the moment pal for my next DVD Spring Gun Vermin Control or something like that anyway.

 

Just priced up my next rifle today, also going to get that from SFS.

 

Picture included

 

Zini

Edited February 8, 2010 by zini

[venomviper 129]

hi ya buddy

good write up matey and fantastic pictures too and you did look pretty cold in the picture matey but all the same you still got a bag and a nice looking bird i must say buddy. and si they are a great looking gun them hw97kt's i want one now too lol and yeah you cant go to wrong with the hw95's as they are a good gun.

regards

shay

Edited February 8, 2010 by venomviper

[zini 1,939]

I knew the urge would get to you buddy LOL.

 

Si

[JackReid 35]

Good write up Jack buddy.

 

I used to have one of them HW95s.

 

There a lovely rifle and i regret ever getting rid of mine .

 

Bought it from Tony Wall at SFS

 

Its the second rifle on my to get list at the moment pal for my next DVD Spring Gun Vermin Control or something like that anyway.

 

Just priced up my next rifle today, also going to get that from SFS.

 

Picture included

 

Zini

 

Yeh its a beauty that. As mentioned in the post with my Royal Marine friend we went out intending to get him one of them , with the thumb stock was around 430-470 on a few sites cant remember quite correctly. However we hoped they may have one at the shop that would obviously be a standard stock but he didnt mind really just wanted to get his hands back on an air-gun. They didnt have it as it had gone that morning and hunted for a AA tx 200 but again they had sold it that week also. HW95k is a top gun, those pictures have given the stock a bit of a tacky finish from the lighting that day, but its a lovley looking gun and shoots dead accurate all the time (as you know, you've had one). Obviously the benefit of the underlever is the less stress on the barrel, which although with the quality build of Weihrauchs probably wont make a difference for awhile, I'm sure it will hold itself as a better shooter in 5 years time because of it. I would have to shoot both the 97 and the TX200 to make the choice really, I think that once I'm out of the red in my account and have money to spend on another rifle I will want an udnerlever, but hey, thats a long way off and this gun is spot on at the moment eheh. From listening to a few of you guys who have a few more years under you belts I'm going to do what I do with my guitars and instigate a no-sell policy on my equipment I think, I want to give this HW95K to my son one day (again, quite a way off I feel/hope!).

 

hi ya buddy

good write up matey and fantastic pictures too and you did look pretty cold in the picture matey but all the same you still got a bag and a nice looking bird i must say buddy. and si they are a great looking gun them hw97kt's i want one now too lol and yeah you cant go to wrong with the hw95's as they are a good gun.

regards

shay

 

Cheers mate, had to really compress them to get them under 500kb, quite interested in how davy managed to get pics quite so large and under 500kb on his moonlight valley topic, will get round to asking him at some point. What is your TX200'c calibre Venom? Am I right in thinking I saw that you had two!? Hahahaha

 

Jack

Edited February 8, 2010 by JackReid

[Sweeney-Todd 208]

Hiya Jack.

 

Good post and nice pictures mate.

 

Do you normaly wear gloves, hat, and face veil when your out and about Jack?

Might help with the stalking mate, cover up all that bright skin less them pigeons see of you the better

 

Its a bit quiet here too mate, as you said, roll on the Summer a ??

 

 

ATB.

 

 

Bill.