Highlights of last weekend

[JackReid 35]

Howdy all,

 

As everyone I'm sure is fully aware the weather has turned and we are on our way into peak rabbit shooting!

 

Permissions all other the country will seem to be spawning rabbits they never knew they had so many of!

 

I've been excavating in Berkely about 40 minutes from Bristol all this week in the sun, which at times has been great and not so good at other times!

 

Last weekend I was home and got my first chance to check out how the rabbit presence was doing on the permission.

 

The week before (maybe 2 weeks?! ) when I witnessed the car crash when leaving the permission noticed lots of large rabbits up at a spot I havent shot in for a long time. It was one of the first warrens I used to shoot at with my hunting buddy Hugo (who just got his Royal Marine green berret the other day, passout parade on friday ). .

 

I forgot my camera this time and its lucky I did as it was a real shocker. I stalked up to this warren as they're were already about 4 rabbits out. On that note, I actually usually prefer to approach a warren with no sign of life as I'd like them to come out not knowing anyone was lurking about outside - in opposition to going down after seeing me and then me having to wait ages.

 

However eventually I got on all fours, and started crawling towards them. This is where it went wrong. I completley lost my perception of depth/range when looking at it in retrospect. I went to the ground at about 40 meters and must havcrawled to about 25 but was i nthe mindstate that I was still at 30-35 meters! Looking down the scope and through the grass I just had totally lost any sense of how close I was.

Just under 2 mildots hold over and sent the shot flying over the bunnies head. The shot made all the rabits jump their heads up and look around, and then got back to eating ( I thought to myself how lucky I was and that my gun over the years is definatley quieter as they would have gone in the past). So I very carefully and quietly brought the HW95K to my side where I lay cocked it quietly, loaded a pellet and then repositioned the barrel upright holding the butt of the gun into my thigh/groin to muffle the sound. Once again, I took aim and missed.. The again,, and missed. What the :censored: !?!?

 

I was so angry with myself as I think I could have potentially taken 3 rabbits out one after the other with my Superdomes sailing into the group silently appearing to not scare them. Maybe its because these bunnies have never been 'hunted' by me and pellets dropping their buddies is not something they have seen before.

 

When I got up and paced the distance I realised how close I actually was and had lost my perception of where I was during the crawl to the warren. Lesson learnt.

 

I went home knowing I would come back the following day.

 

Picture beneath is just a picture of us clearing up the site at Berkely from last year as wind blown soils and weeds have grown over the site.

[JackReid 35]

The next day I went for a target session practising from 20-35 and was happy with it.

 

I then thought back to the night before and remembered that at this spot there was a good potential I could make a kill and then get a follow up shot ready to take down any bunnies who didnt leg it. Something Multi-shot precharged shooters are accustomed to.

 

To be able to make this follow up shot I needed to reload quietly, but more importantly with as little movement visible to the rabbits as possible, so constructed with 2 poles and a camo net from the boot of my car a very simple 'hide' that would enable me to role on my side/back and do this without being seen by the rabbit. Very simple but a good strategy if your facing onto a rabbit warren and only need cover infront of yourself to hide the reloading of your spring gun. Note that the wooden post i nthe picture signals 25 meters, the beginning nettles 26 meters, and a patch just beyond where they like to stand was 30. Click photo for full size

 

I set this up in the day and came back in the evening. Love this picture!!

Edited May 23, 2010 by JackReid

[JackReid 35]

So I came back i nthe evening, got behind my net and waited. Didnt take long, the weather was perfect apart from a breeze but had been warm all day and the warren was very active.

 

As this all happened a week ago I cant remember the details so will just summarise. I somehow missed by first rabbit which was at about 27 meters. I was really pissed off at this. I just cant udnerstand how I was missing, it went over the bunnies head I'm sure of it. Maybe I overheld just a bit too much. However it was good it went over and wasnt too low or horizontally incorrect wounding the bunny as a failed headshot I would say is the shot you want to avoid the most, getting a shot through ones face would be pretty hellish.

 

So I got up highly aggrivated and walked along the same hedgeline to get to the other corner of the field and then follow it down and try catch some grazing rabbits off guard while I came down the slope.

 

I moved quietly down the hedgerow and could hear rabbits in the hedge running away, it was almost as if there were too many rabbits around and you couldnt get anywhere without sending them down the holes. I knew where I would catch some rabbits out, although at this warren they tend to be very alert as are regularly under attack from me, the fox or birds of prey.

 

I stuck tight to the hedge and could see a few heads sticking up, they were listening for me, alert they stood there for a few minutes and I just stayed still unti lthey dropped their heads down again. Finally I got to about 35 meters and went to lie prone.

 

... Couldnt see them at all if I lay prone trying to look down the crest of the hill. So I got into the sat position, and could just see ones head. I estimated 35 meters, yet it was at a rather steep slant and thought that just under 1 milldot hold over (30 meters) would do the trick. Sent the pellet flying and crack, down the bunny went.

 

Picture here is the rough area I stalked too and made the shot.

[JackReid 35]

Upon inspection the bunny was smaller than anticipated, however was the only visible one from my sat position and the dips the others were in.

 

With this I headed back to the camo net, got into position and not long , later a rabbit came out, gave him time to settle and too kthe shot at around 30 meters.

 

Again, I missed. I was very annoyed, couldnt get my head round why I was missing these prone shots as there my best !!!

[JackReid 35]

After this miss I headed back the way I had just come and made the small kill. This is quite handy being able to pop between a static position then move to a stalking style of hunt where the rabbits have refreshed.

 

I basically made exactly the same shot again on a largewr rabbit. As both shots were a tiny bit low (Point of impact in relation to killzone) (the small bunny pic and this one) it seems that although the slant they were taken is quite steep, a 35 meter shot POI had become probably about 32meters with the slant and I had been aiming as if it were 30 meter. I'm sure you udnerstand all this newer peeps, if not look at zinis explaination of inclines etc as it applies downhil las well as up!!

Edited May 23, 2010 by JackReid

[JackReid 35]

I may add that both these rabbits went down in textbook fashion, you can see the blood from the ear that it decimated the lower brain.. I'm just highlighting the reason why the shotplacement wasnt exactly where I wanted and my workings out - this is the way we learn from eachother/ I have learnt from others. The pellet hit this one with such force as it was heading downhill it made the loadest crack I've heard in along time from rabbit shooting and did a double flipin the direction the pellet took it!

Edited May 23, 2010 by JackReid

[JackReid 35]

Next day i headed back for one more go at the rabbits, this time a day time shoot as I was driving back to Bristol that night. The warren i have been massivley unlucky on doesnt seem to show any activity in the day so I will leave that for tthis weekend coming where I'm hopefully going to make up for all those misses andlift the curse from that damned warren!

 

Cant remember the lead up details of this one but was a stalk where I had to sit down when I got to my destination, seem to remember it being 30 meters. With RWS superdones (14.3/5?gr)a 30 meter shot requires me to basically use the first mildot down, however it is the upper portion of it, so like the upper semi circle of the mildot if that makes any sense??

 

Either way, it met its spot and slayed the bunny.

 

Cant wait to get out in it this coming weekend as I'm back for summer.

 

That warren is in big trouble!

 

Jack

Edited May 23, 2010 by JackReid

[garfield 23]

have you checked your not "canting" the rifle? i know i sometimes have to check the rifle is straight otherwise your flight path changes otherwise could only suggest using the sitting FT position instead of prone

[venomviper 129]

hi ya jack

great write up buddy and pictures matey and fantastic shooting there too buddy

 

shay

[zini 1,939]

Well done Jack buddy

 

Great photos,

 

Great write up

 

And great shooting buddy.

 

They look like very clean head shots pal.

 

Si

[JackReid 35]

have you checked your not "canting" the rifle? i know i sometimes have to check the rifle is straight otherwise your flight path changes otherwise could only suggest using the sitting FT position instead of prone

 

I'm pretty sure I'm not canting it mate but I see where your coming from.

 

Its just frustrating as I cloverleaf pellets at 25 meters which is my zero point quite easily and somehow missed alot in the same spot! Eeven on the same shoot I made some much better shots! I put it down to bad luck and will eliminate any errors next time.

 

Jack

[Phantom 631]

Lovely read that Jack

 

Some good shooting as well as some not so good (the misses that is).

 

Very well done

 

Oh that red head in the 1st pic with the shades on her head looks nice, so does the Brunett over on the left

 

Oh and that young kit, that looks wide eyed with awe or should that be 'aw WTF was that?'

 

Phantom

[farmerkev09 105]

hi jack

 

great write up matey

 

and some bumpa shooting

 

happy hunting

 

farmer

[stealthy1 3,964]

Well done J.R

[Sweeney-Todd 208]

Hi JR.

 

Congratulations to HUGO on earning his "Green Beret", they dont come cheap!!

 

Excellent post mate.

Sorry to hear you had a few prob's.

Good shooting mostly though mate.

Roll on next time.

Nice picture of the dig too.

 

ATB.

 

 

 

Bill.