air gun hunting

[colliegreyhound123 0]

i am a beginer at hunting with air rifles any tips please . while hunting do you find a nice place and shoot from there or walk around is there any items you need to hunt with air rifles ?

what is the max range ?

what is the right time ?

what is the right way?

[ulverston moocher 60]

just practice and get a feel for ya gun to start with 30yds is ample and with experiance the ranges will increase some people can shoot competently at 40-50yds as for the right time that is upto you you will get a kill at any time but you are more likely to see stuff at dawn and dusk or late night with the lamp there is no right or wrong way as long as you are being safe with gun and you are bieng humane with good clean kills wich can only come from practice and as for stalking(walking around shooting) or sniping(sitting in ambush) that is entirly upto personal preference bud but I wouldnt attemp to shoot anything living untill you can competently shoot targets at 30yds and group the pellets to at least a ten pence size diametre.

[pianoman 3,587]

Sound reply ulverston moocher

Hi and welcome colliegreyhound123 It cannot be stressd strongly enough that you must attain a level of competent marksmanship with your rifle before you should go out to hunt. You are going out to kill a living animal, regardless of it being a rat, squirrel or rabbit, woodpidgeon, Magpie or rook. And there are laws that determine when and where you may AND MAY NOT shoot them, even if they are classed as vermin.

 

So a responsible, humane approach is paramount, not just for your own moral conscience, but those principles of the sport we all enjoy and wish to to see continue. That means a precise shot through the head of your intended quarry in every case where you have the right to shoot mate. Body shots, wounding or crippling an animal are the ultimate sin, absolutely not on, END OF, unless you really know exactly where heart and lungs are, and your rifle can hit hard at range.

 

The average kill-zone on the head of all these creatures is within a 2-pence piece sized circle, or even less in some instances.

 

If your air rifle isn't capable of grouping 10 aimed shots within a 2 pence piece at 25 yards, you need a better rifle or a better pellet for it. If you are not capable, you need training and that means lots of practice shooting reliably tight groups within that 2p disc and smaller, before you start hunting. A decent air rifle and scope with a pellet that performs to the maximum accuracy of the barrel is half the equation. The other half is you. Skill with your rifle and sound fieldcraft are where you begin to learn from and the process never ends, there's always something new.

 

Given all the above in hand, you need to learn concealment and fieldcraft. I shoot from both a comfortably set-up static spot along dry ditches and hedgerows where I know there will be Rabbits coming out to feed on my shooting ground, within my best shooting range, and no further. Or I stalk the woodland where I know there has been sqirrel activity or woodpidgeons roosting, or rabbits moving about from warren to warren. I always keep the wind towards me, keeping my scent behind my back and not blowing out ahead where I will be sniffed coming! It becomes instinctive commonsense once you get into hunting in a big way.

 

Fortunately you have come to a great place for advice beginning with this thread! All the chaps here are great lads with masses of know how, and not one of them will leave your questions unanswered, so ask away and all you need to know will be freely and honestly given.

 

Welcome to the fold!

 

Simon

Edited October 28, 2010 by pianoman

[Ron Weasley 83]

Sound reply ulverston moocher

Hi and welcome colliegreyhound123 It cannot be stressd strongly enough that you must attain a level of competent marksmanship with your rifle before you should go out to hunt. You are going out to kill a living animal, regardless of it being a rat, squirrel or rabbit, woodpidgeon, Magpie or rook. And there are laws that determine when and where you may AND MAY NOT shoot them, even if they are classed as vermin.

 

So a responsible, humane approach is paramount, not just for your own moral conscience, but those principles of the sport we all enjoy and wish to to see continue. That means a precise shot through the head of your intended quarry in every case where you have the right to shoot mate. Body shots, wounding or crippling an animal are the ultimate sin, absolutely not on, END OF, unless you really know exactly where heart and lungs are, and your rifle can hit hard at range.

 

The average kill-zone on the head of all these creatures is within a 2-pence piece sized circle, or even less in some instances.

 

If your air rifle isn't capable of grouping 10 aimed shots within a 2 pence piece at 25 yards, you need a better rifle or a better pellet for it. If you are not capable, you need training and that means lots of practice shooting reliably tight groups within that 2p disc and smaller, before you start hunting. A decent air rifle and scope with a pellet that performs to the maximum accuracy of the barrel is half the equation. The other half is you. Skill with your rifle and sound fieldcraft are where you begin to learn from and the process never ends, there's always something new.

 

Given all the above in hand, you need to learn concealment and fieldcraft. I shoot from both a comfortably set-up static spot along dry ditches and hedgerows where I know there will be Rabbits coming out to feed on my shooting ground, within my best shooting range, and no further. Or I stalk the woodland where I know there has been sqirrel activity or woodpidgeons roosting, or rabbits moving about from warren to warren. I always keep the wind towards me, keeping my scent behind my back and not blowing out ahead where I will be sniffed coming! It becomes instinctive commonsense once you get into hunting in a big way.

 

Fortunately you have come to a great place for advice beginning with this thread! All the chaps here are great lads with masses of know how, and not one of them will leave your questions unanswered, so ask away and all you need to know will be freely and honestly given.

 

Welcome to the fold!

 

Simon

 

Nothing to add to that! Another great post mate, deserving of an SP, which has been duly awarded.

[hunter1989 91]

hi matey and welcomes

 

as stated above night shooting is harder to estimate ranges.what your better of doing is getting a little bit of permission then setting up a few targets just as its getting dark and practice that way.

 

before you even attempt to do vermin control research and practice.I'm still learning now as davyt63 nos when I'm up my permission doing a night shoot i always practice on a few targets so i can estimate my ranges better and place humane kills.

 

as for the right time,every permission different.sometimes vermin may come out some days not.your best to walk round your permission when you require some without a rifle and find a spot to sit and watch to see when they are most active also do this at night and in different weather condition i can assure you it does pay of

 

 

as for the right way,practice matey and research,allot of people on here will guide you in the right direction

 

i hope this helped you out matey

 

any more help pm me

 

atb Steve