Got me a nice black pelt

[Phantom 631]

Hey guy's and doll's

 

Having had a small "Window of opportunity" in the crap weather of late, I decided I really must give my baby and my trigger finger some excersize.

So out I popped taking my poncho to lay on, my zero card & backstop and some pellets.

While walking across one field, I was texting Davy and having a giggle with him when the mist began rolling down from the hill. Damn it! Oh well almost on permission so may as well continue.

Out of that field and across the road I wanted to call in the paddock and see if there was anything around other than the nags.

As I approached the gate I became aware of a dog and its owner comming towards me, big mutt on one of those expanding leads.

Oh bugger, its probably gonna have either a go at myself or its gonna want a fuss and leave doggie scent on my gear.

The owner crossed the road but the dog kept comming

At the gate I noticed a dark shape, I couldn't believe it, less than a few feet away from me was one of the black bunnies that I've been watching grow up from being palm sized kits

It hadn't run, surit mush have heard me or smelled me then it turned its head and I could see why it hadn't run from me or the oncomming dog.

MYXIE :wallbash:

It looked so skinny for its size and I stamped my foot down hard to make it move. It just sat there

So what to do? Let the rather large dog savage it?

Not on my watch! I picked her up and was amazed by the weight and frailty of this full grown Doe. Feather light and i could veel every vertabrae in her back. I had no choice, she was obvioulsly too ill to fnd for herelf and I wasn't going to let the dog get her, so I put her out of her misery.

It made me so sad knowing that there was now possibly only two more of these bunnies left on my permissions and whats worse is that myxie has now been found at the farthest points of my land so its probably going to do some very severe damage to the populus.

 

Anyway I put the doe in the bag and carried on to the next part and set up my zero for 28 yards. The 1st three pellets all landed in the little black sticker on the paper so I was happy with that, put on my balaclava and took a wander,.

 

Nothing for about half an hour then out of the blue (well the dark) I spot a single glowing red jewel just outside the PBR of my zero, so a touch of hold over (aiming at the top of the fur in its head) I let my Micromissile fly CRACK and over bunny went a half harted wave of the back leg and down it went.

Collecting my prize I picked it up and continued around the graveyard. Again nothing for a while when all of a sudden sat not more than 30 yards is another bunny. I have no idea where this one came from, but I'm glad it came out to play.

Another standing position as I was backlit and couldnt make it to the next headstone without bein spotted. Slow and steady up came my baby to be cradelled nicely in my shoulder and off went another 16grain slug followed by a little upwards jump and a landing on its rump.

 

The mist had began to get thicker again so I decided to call it a night with enough for the little monsters to chew on for the next couple of nights.

 

Black Bunny. Pelt is now frozen for preserving

 

 

Look at the state of this:

 

First Shot produced this:

 

Second shot produced this.

 

Grout Shot

 

 

Phantom

[owen vining 5]

Hi Phantom,

 

Nice shooting buddy

 

Owen

[Catcher 1 639]

Nice one bud.Had my eye on e few last year.But some little prick shot them and left them on the side of the road. Fur was far to damaged.

[davyt63 1,845]

hi tony

nice shooting buddy & write up buddy

shame really as i new you was after a black pelt to tan.

 

nice pic too

 

regards

 

davy

[snipercp 0]

good shooting phantom and a good interesting write up aswell.

 

ATB snipercp

[RAMCAM 4]

Hi Phantom

 

Good shooting mate and thanks for the great write up and pics.

[rossi_j 99]

Hey phantom great shooting and write up, spa awarded now I kno how to do it (thanks to your pinned thread).

Me and steve have seen a lone black bunny on our new permission if we get it will be on its way up to you in a little polestyrene freezer box .

.atb. .ste.

 

P.s I take it the pelt is the skin and fur? What do you want it for? I kno, I kno, I should probably kno what the pelt is but I dont

[Sweeney-Todd 208]

Hiya Tony.

 

Smashing write up mate, enjoyed the read

 

Shame your Black 'un had the dreaded myx, well done for ending its suffering.

Nice shot placement there too curz

 

 

SP good post and shooting.

 

ATB.

 

 

Bill.

[Phantom 631]

Thank you gentlemen,

 

I am pretty gutted that this particular one had Myxie. She would have produced a good amount of black kits for next year..

 

Has anyone else noticed that bunnies with Myxie have swolen tails?

 

Catcher:

Pelts need either freezing or working on/drying within a short time, or the enzymes within it begin to break it down and rot it pretty quickly I read somewhere that it was supposed to be six hours max, but the one that I have succesfully done in the shed was one that I shot the previous night and although I skinned the animal that night, I didn't begin scraping the fat and membrane off until the following day. Tell you what though they dont half stretch when you work them.

 

Davy:

I've decided to still have a go with its preservation its in the freezer along with all the others. Only need a hundred or so more and I can mix up those chemicals

 

Rossi_j

Thanks for the offer but if there's just the one buddy; I'd leave it for a while, you may have some more next year

Yeah the Pelt is the skin and fur from the animal.

I've had a chemical kit for the preservation/tanning of fur for a while, but don't want to mix it all up until I have enough to make it worthwhile. The kits are expensive.

I'm thinking of a pair of mittens and a hat for winter shooting and maybe even a fur blanket.

I know some people object to wearing fur, but humans have been doing it for thousands of years and if I am going to kill an animal, I'd like to use it all or as much as possible

 

Thanks again guy's

 

Phantom

[dillan 19]

If Id known you were saving them Phantom Id have saved you some, Ive had a few while out ferreting this year

Dillan

[hullhunter 219]

good write up as usual mate.shame about the black one. i didnt know that black rabbits have black kits. i all ways thought that they were a throw back.

have you had your ferrets out yet?

[rossi_j 99]

Good on you phantom im all for fur if its a waste product and not the only reason for shooting the animal ,

To be honest mate with my stalking skills and the flat open space it resides in that black un stands a v.good chance of being around for a while yet

.atb. .ste.

 

Cant wait to see the mittens

[Phantom 631]

If Id known you were saving them Phantom Id have saved you some, Ive had a few while out ferreting this year

Dillan

 

Thanks Dillan;

Typical aint it

Wonder what rat skin jumper would be like :11:

 

good write up as usual mate.shame about the black one. i didnt know that black rabbits have black kits. i all ways thought that they were a throw back.

have you had your ferrets out yet?

 

Hi Chris,

 

Nah not yet, I dare not use em on the paddock now the owner has his nags on it, Mrs G said I could use em on bunny land, but there are too many holes to cover with the few nets I have. I'd love to give em a work out, but I'd also be scared to loose them (don't own a coller and finder) I'm pretty attached to them more as pets really As soon as I open the hutch they make a beeline for my face to give me a lick they love a good cuddle!

Aphrodite, would make a good worker, but Zeus, well I think he'd rather just roll over and have his belly tickled

 

Regards colour; From what I've read its down to selective breeding (much like dogs, cats and racing pigeons)

I know that years ago where "Broad Acre Park" is, there used to be a farm and the owner bread all kinds of bunnies.

When he sold up, all of a sudden there were lots of coloured bunnies appearing in the field behind.

Now in that field there are some fawn, brown and black bunnies that I have seen. Then the black ones appeared across the road and then last year I saw one on my permission. This year I have seen four Hopefully there will be some more next year

 

Phantom

[dillan 19]

We`ll have to sort that out for you then Phantom, I have all the gear, 100 purse nets, long nets, ferrets, locators, spade and slasher. Off on a massive ratting session in leicester next week with terriers so put it in your diary for the following week. As for blacks, you will notice that they are a bit more thick skinned and fur more silkier, pet rabbits released or escaped will cohabit and breed with wild rabbits. The black Gene is a dominent colour and will be carried onto the future generations.

Dillan

[pianoman 3,587]

Great read Phantom, but, I get very sad for the rabbits stricken with mixy. Stalking and shooting the healthy for the pot are fair sport enough.

 

But to see an animal in lingering suffering, in the slowest, cruellest way of poisoning, is just bloody well not sporting to me.

 

It's a true act of mercy shooting these poor things. When I was a very young lad, going out shooting with my dad, mixy was still virtually unknown in the late 1960s and the fields in summer would teem with 50, 60 or more rabbits every time we'd go out. Dad shot with a .22 bolt action rimfire with open sights and he'd bag a dozen for the pot and no more. That was how we did things then. Plenty of sport for another night out or dawn foray. Now, you're lucky to see a third of that number in any one month.

 

SPA for your writing Phantom. Really like your style.

 

ATB

 

Simon