Not all stories

[JackReid 35]

Hello all,

 

I have been fairly busy recently trying to load the bank account again working a majority of the week, and ontop of this spent a week in Cornwall fishing with a mate to fairly good success.

 

Firstly I will mention I have mainly only been able to get out in afternoon shooting slots as I've usually been working the evening shifts at work and they can get quite late ruling out the morning slots!

 

Most people make a point that afternoon shoots aren't very productive, and in terms of rabbits thats quite often the case. My main problem with afternoon shoots is the heat. I like to have a couple of layers to pad out the shoulder in able to shoot my HW95K properly with the follow through required to be a good shot with a spring rifle.

 

Upon this pile of shite, which stands in between a large barley field and a normal grass field that cows often graze in, there are alot of crows hanging around here.

My last post showed a crow I caught off guard and with the farmers praise started hanging any I have shot up on the borderline of this field with the crops. There can be a few hundred here at one time and soon as they seen someone they take to the air and just go somewhere else. Its not that they are purely just here but it is a regular haunt of theirs.

 

I know the way to tackle this spot is to build a good hide on the other side of the path a few days before and get in it in the early morning but I havent had the chance to do so yet.

 

So the other day I decided hot or not I would go up the farm. Quick 10 shots into a target and I was ready and went for a wander. Once again, in the heat of afternoon I caught a crow off guard which is unheard of in other months, he/she was old and probably monged out in the sun. I am beginning to enjoy drifting around the farmyard seeking opportunities on feathered game and its quite a fun way of hunting. This crow I took a bit of a risk on, it was easily 60 meters and had its back to me so I dropped to the ground, I knew that 50 meters isnt far past by 2nd mildot down so I gave this 3 mildots over on his head so that it went over if I missed. The shot cracked him i nthe back slaying him. Yes it was a long shot and a good one but was a bit of a risk and will be calculating my mildots out to these ranges just incase for the future so that I KNOW what I'm doing rather than guessing.

However another crow was down and I left him outside the farmers house to string up where he thought best!

 

 

-------------------------------

 

So moving on, yesterday I went out for a bit of the same and a great day it was. A little bit less sunny which was nice but the wind was up.

I headed to the farmyard and constantly was catching birds off guard or staying still and quiet knelt down in a concealed spot here and there, no pressurte hunting.

I would watch a pigeon flying in, see him disapear behind a bank and with my experience of this permission have a fairly good diea of where he landed, so would approach this spot and try catch him off guard, its all about seeing and catching your quarry before it see's you. I missed a couple of pigeons here and there and had a few chances where 1 second more and I would have had a crow in hand.

 

Couple of pics of the area I mean.

 

 

 

I decided to check the spot where you can often get a rabbit in the day despite the weather. I looked through my scope accross the fields at leats 750 metres to this other bank and could see one, I noted to myself where he was on the hill, and decided to take a longer walk wide round (quater-half a mile or so) and approach him from behind so I was coming down the hill behind him as there would be no chance from walkign up the hill in plain sight,

 

After my walk I was i nthe zone for the kill, slowly walking close to the hedge looking for the bunny I had spotted 10 minutes before at a huge range. Damn...he didnt seem to be there.. oh well I thought. Then 2 seconds later a startled bunny (likely the same one) ran through the stingers and OUT into the field a few meters from the hedge. I had remained very slow when walking and stil lwhen I stopped and although he was startled he didnt know for sure a person was there. As he raised himself onto his back legs to look closer I guessed hi mto be just under 25 meters. I am rubbish at standing shots so wasnt confident as such, but raised the gun, gave it next to no hold under as my zero is 25 meters, made every attempt to make it a good shot and pulled the trigger. Crack, down goes the bunny with a shot hitting the outer limits of the killzone nearest the ear, which despite not being perfect drops them really nicely.

 

 

 

Sweet I thought, picked up the bunny and mvoed back to the farmyard. Decided to go beyond the yard and put out the opened up bunny in a nice spot where crows like to walk about, with a natural hide i nthe hedgeline before. As I approached the spot along the hedgeline one side of the hedge is shit loads of crops (not sure what type right now) and the other once again a grazing field. Pigeons are going mad for this stuff but once a few spot you 50 fly off and everything knows your there.

 

Same thing happened this time a few went off but as I went up the hedge I saw one about meters up stuffing its face. I used the overgrown crops to block the birds line of sight to me and slowly, half crouched, moved still with bunny i nhand towards it, expecting it to fly off but worth a go nevertheless.

 

I got to about 45 meters and thought this is my only chance I'm pushing it now, dropped to the ground, sent the AA field on its flight but had underestimated the range and the pellet entered at the top of the wing, through the body and out the otherside, not far from the shoulder/neck area and the bird went down, probably hit the spine. Not textbook but one less pigeon, need a bit more practice on the 40+ ranges as I prefer to use fieldcraft and shoot under 40+ max where possible.

 

By this point I was happy at least I had a mixed bag and was having fun, so thought lets round it off and get one of these crows. I took the rabbit and put it up 30 meters from the natural hide, and also put the pigeon out nearby to reasure a crow that it was safe to land and they're wasnt any predators about as such. This may have helped or hindered attempts I'm not sure.

 

The bait.

 

The hide.

 

The View.

 

I spent about an hour or so in here. I think the time of afternoon didnt help and they're were less around all over the farm in general i nthe time I was there.

I had the camera set up on video constantly recording hoping to catch the much desired crow kill. But Only one crow landed, not interested i nthe juicy rabbit and was wlaking quickly at around 35 meters. I couldnt take the shot and waited for him to stop moving so much but he never did and I missed the chance. Better luck next time Aye?

 

End of afternoon shot. A real pleasure to shoot today.

 

----------------

 

To finish off, I went out today and disaster struck. I was amazed at how many crows were about, I almsot popped one but was spotted and they all flew away. Hayfever was bad and it was hot.

 

I re-cocked my freshly tuned HW95K and heard a crack. The cocking arm/lever??? Dont know the term for it has snapped. Obviously not something to do with the tune, but a part that has been worn out fully over the last 3 years.

 

Please have a look at this link (allow time for me to create it) in the tech seciton and tell me what to do thanks guys.

 

http://www.thehuntin...-cocking-lever/

 

Bit gutted as I have a world class tuned springer back in my hands one minute then a part breaks and I'm gonna have to get it sorted. Don't let any of this change your minds about the build quality of these Weihrauchs and 95ks in particular. This is my sole air rifle and I have use it constantly for well over three years, maybe 50 tins of all types of pellets (upto 25,000 shots!!) with only problem being the death of a spring and now this. Weirdly enough I had a moment in a dream slightly relating to this breaking???

 

Luckily I have access to a HW97KT whenever I want so it wont stop me shooting whilst having it fixed.

 

All the best

 

Jack

Edited July 3, 2010 by JackReid

[gurtwurz 792]

unlucky jack mate... if it makes you feel better, my r10's awaiting the funds to be sorted and the evo's shaking mounts loose something rotten so i know how you feel mate!! at least you got some first and did a great write up and piccys too tho buddy... spa mate

 

all the best, wurz

[venomviper 129]

hi ya jack

that land dont look that far from me

and sorry to hear about the gun and you aint had it back that long either have ya well i wish you all the luck buddy in getting it done and if you have to come over here your more than welcome to pop in to say hi matey

 

and great write up and pictures though plus good shooting as well jack

 

shay

[Phantom 631]

Crack, down goes the bunny with a shot hitting the outer limits of the killzone nearest the ear, which despite not being perfect drops them really nicely.

 

 

Jack

 

What you giving it Jack, "not being perfect?"

 

Actually placing the shot there and destroying the cerebellum is the most sure fire way of making sure they go down

 

I think we shoot towards the centre of the line between eye and lug, simply because it gives a margin for error and it will decimate the brain.

But I'd lay money on the fact that when you shot the bunny there, it went down without a twitch? and it probably just 'Rolled Over' rather than performing a final jump?

A shot to be PROUD of that is and the whole story is well written, thoroughly enjoyable and very deserving of an SP, which is duly given

 

Phantom

[JackReid 35]

Crack, down goes the bunny with a shot hitting the outer limits of the killzone nearest the ear, which despite not being perfect drops them really nicely.

 

 

Jack

 

What you giving it Jack, "not being perfect?"

 

Actually placing the shot there and destroying the cerebellum is the most sure fire way of making sure they go down

 

I think we shoot towards the centre of the line between eye and lug, simply because it gives a margin for error and it will decimate the brain.

But I'd lay money on the fact that when you shot the bunny there, it went down without a twitch? and it probably just 'Rolled Over' rather than performing a final jump?

A shot to be PROUD of that is and the whole story is well written, thoroughly enjoyable and very deserving of an SP, which is duly given

 

Phantom

 

 

Dead right there mate it just rolled over!!

 

Cheers for the response to guys that have!!!

 

Jack

[J Darcy 5,871]

Well mate. You would do well to open that bunny up and tether him down within 30 yards of that cover. I have bagged a lot of corvids by using that method. And at this time of year with the young crows about you should have a good bag.... Just let them get used to a feed first..

[JackReid 35]

Well mate. You would do well to open that bunny up and tether him down within 30 yards of that cover. I have bagged a lot of corvids by using that method. And at this time of year with the young crows about you should have a good bag.... Just let them get used to a feed first..

 

Hello mate, particularly effective at a rough time of day e.g early morning? Or do your corvids go for it whenever?

 

Like I said the only one who came by wasnt even interested! Must of been on a diet or something!

 

Jack

[stealthy1 3,964]

Good shooting jack, but I wonder what spieces the red slug is thats crawling through the grass abovet the bunnies ear

[Phantom 631]

Good shooting jack, but I wonder what spieces the red slug is thats crawling through the grass abovet the bunnies ear

 

 

Simples

 

The Slug you mention is the " limax mortius Oryctolagus cuniculus "

 

or in english "Dead bunny lugole slug"

 

Phantom

[Ron Weasley 83]

Great pictures, and a great write up.

 

SPA.