lampingboy 226 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 well i know your going to read this and think wtf ? is this kid real lmao but anyways here i go. i know hunting is something that you can only learn overtime and get better by experience, but are there any general tips you can give me ,most of my hunting will be at night with my air arms s410 carbine .22 and hopefully soon to have a deben lamp . its just most times ive been out in the past , i fail to spot anything let alone get something in the bag and im sure you will udnerstand it can be a bit disheartening. so if you guys are willing to share any of your top secret tips or things that help you get game in your bag i will be seriously appreciative big thanks Quote Link to post
Alan Clark 7 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I think I'll start off with one of the military 'lists' of 5 S's Shape - disruptive camouflage patterns help break up you shape / outline, even a pair of green trousers and an old DPM jacket is better than nothing, anything to make you a little harder to distinguish from the trees / bushes. Shine - avoid carrying anything that will reflect too well, a rapid flash of light can / will spook most prey. Shadow - If the sun or moon is strong and casting good shadows try to stay in those shadows so you don't cast any new moving ones which show the bunnies something isn't right. Silhouette - Carries on from Shadow, avoid ridges etc where your shape will stand out against the sky, even at night if it is cloudy and you are near a town you will be a dark moving object in the sky to a rabbit. Sound - Be as quiet as possible, any un-natural sound usually send bugs running for cover. Beyond that, take account of the wind, if you get to a field and it is blowing left to right, start by moving around the right hand perimeter, that way anything on the left hand edge doesn't smell you. Take a walk round during the day and look for sign from any rabbits, by that I mean burrows, grass nibbled really short, runs (look like really small footpaths), their favourite watch point (loads of droppings on a small patch of exposed soil). If you find some or all of those, you at least know there are rabbit about, you could have one of the places in the country where rabbit haven't done that well. If there are rabbit, then you have to figure out when they are active, bugs doesn't have a set time across the country. Some places you will see loads in the middle of the day but none at night. In other places it is the complete opposite. In general they seem to be most active around sunrise and sunset. I have even noticed both extremes on my permission, and that is 46 acres of grazing land. If the weather is really bad, I wouldn't bother going out. Also if it is really quiet then it is probably not worth it as the rabbits will hear you moving around and vanish. 1 Quote Link to post
rabbit.slayer.no.1 3 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 If the weather is really bad, I wouldn't bother going out. Also if it is really quiet then it is probably not worth it as the rabbits will hear you moving around and vanish. very good point . if its raining they dont really like coming out also if the ground is very frosty they hear you crunching all the way from ur car . which i found out the other week. my only bit of advise is walk slow look and lisson. Quote Link to post
pianoman 3,587 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) All good points to note Alan Sound carries particularly well at night as most of the world has clocked off for the day and background "White" noise like winds, traffic rumble, farm vehicles has eased off and rabbits are particularly wary of their enemies moving in the dark. You really need to study the fields of your permission before you start any hunting over them. Plan it like a military recce, with you binos from distance. Make a map of the fields, noting rise and fall in the ground, sloping ground, furze, woodland and hedgerow. Where does the winds and breezes commonly blow from over it? Note where you see rabbits entering and exiting from and the times of day. They do move to a sort of rough timetable over their territory you'll find, and you can predict a little more than haphazzardly waiting in hope. I have a potato field on my shoot which I call "The 2:30 Rabbit". At around half past two in the afternoon in summer, there are always a couple of rabbits bobbing about here, where there's not a soul of one found anywhere else at that hour. I don't know exactly why (could be Fox predation in this area) but, there they are! The wind is a fickle friend, that blows and eddies your scent over long distances. Always keep it towards you, and your scent blowing behind you. Make sure your hunting clothes smell of nothing but loamy earth and weather. Leave them out overnight and get them dampened by rain after you missus has washed them in detergents! If you are going to have to hunt a field with the wind carrying from your back, you can use your scent to flush rabbits; if you arrive early and quietly into cover and they don't know where you are, they will run about 25 yards out into the field to get a bearing on where you are and rely on their amazing speed to get away and report your position back to Rabbit HQ!. Shoot for the one nearest your position as they are very wound up and wary; and their reflexes are amazingly fast. Fast enough to hear you rifle fire and dodge the pellet. And your position is given away accoustically as, they are brilliant at sound direction detection. You won't be seeing any more for a while at that location. Time fo a stealthy relocate! All the best of luck Lampingboy!. Simon Edited January 18, 2011 by pianoman Quote Link to post
jerry1 0 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) Hi mate just starting off myself and i think you have to rember a few things 1 Make sure you only take a shot when you feel confident that it going to be a clean kiLL RESPECT YOUR KILL 2 Dont rush things there will be lots of other chances to get out 3 Wear cammo or somthig green to break up the lines / blend in 4 Dont use deodrent freshly washed clothes smell will travel for miles . 5 READ ALL THE INFO FROM THE MAIN MEN AND WOMEN ON SITE THERES YEARS OF EXPERNCE ON HERE 6 ENJOY ! Edited January 18, 2011 by jerry1 Quote Link to post
StevoSmith 147 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I was also told something on this site that when you shoot a bunny just leave it otherwise your position will be comprimised......i have not done this however when i get a permission with lots of rabbits i will try it.....others have alot more experiance than me thats just my 2 pence worth that i learnt from this site Quote Link to post
hunter1989 91 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 I was also told something on this site that when you shoot a bunny just leave it otherwise your position will be comprimised......i have not done this however when i get a permission with lots of rabbits i will try it.....others have alot more experiance than me thats just my 2 pence worth that i learnt from this site stevoooooooooooooo hopefully you can try this friday buddy regards to the question what simon and jerry has said top advise as always atb steve Quote Link to post
pianoman 3,587 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Quite right Steve. Leave the dead where they are till you are moving on to another location on the shoot. I take 1-foot lengths of cut string, bind the hind legs together in a looped knot and hang the rabbit in a tree out of the way of Foxes and crows to be collected on the way back. Quote Link to post
StevoSmith 147 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Dont think i can make it this fri Steve as mate has to work now on sat....bit gutted mate but i will try to ask someone else. Quote Link to post
Sweeney-Todd 208 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Hi Lampingboy. Some great advise above. Might be a good idea to relax and take your time too, dont put yourself under pressure to do well, enjoy, and let it come naturaly. Spend a couple of days just walking your permission, and get to know the ground well,take your camera instead of the rifle. look for possible hazzards aswell as rabbit activity etc, even plan routes, and stick to them. If your out on your own at night, take a mobile phone with you, and check battery levels. Let the landowner know you will be about, and tell someone where your going, and when you expect to be back. Dress for the conditions, and double check your kit before you leave for the grounds. Happy Hunting, look forward to your posts mate. ATB. Bill. Quote Link to post
lampingboy 226 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) first off , thanks for all the very great replys! okay after reading through i think i have a list of what ive done wrong so far haha . 1: the last time i was into shooting was about 2007 when i was 12/13 so as you can probably guess , ive grown a bit now , so no cammo atm . last night i just wore work trousers which are grey , and an old grey cardigan . so cammo is deffinately on the list! 2: i wasnt shooting on my permission last night as its about a half hour or more walk away and being 15 i cant just go there when i want , i need to arange a lift and things ,but i will deffinately get on the case of asking the farmer for permission again. the land i was shooting on is next to my house , i live on the mountain sort of thing lmao very hard to explain but theres a few unused fields and alot of scrub land along with a large wood that i can hunt in . 3: we stuck to the fences so when we did see a bunny , we wernt really in a decent range to shoot and i think we would have really upped are chances ,having gun lamps. 4: i kind of get carried away and tend to rush into things when i get excited lmao, not the best way to go about things i know haha. i will plan a long trip tonight and take my time no rushing and no expectations but the practice whats listed above,and any game in the bag is just a massive bonus 5: what technique do you use with the lamp , its a difficult question to explain ,but do you just flash it on,if you see a rabbit hold it on it aim,fire or do you flash it etc ? also im very confident of not getting lost in the woods etc lol ive grown up here and kind of know every route ,just need to learn where the bunnys are hiding haha were going to try a few different fields tonight aswell so ill let you know how we get on as always any tips are more than welcome Edited January 18, 2011 by lampingboy Quote Link to post
pianoman 3,587 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Main thing to begin with mate is, DO NOT go flashing your lamp or swinging it about in all directions or you might as well stick a bloody great arrow over your head saying YOOHOO! If you are stalking or static lamping from an ambush point, switch it on and scan the field at your known comfortable shooting range gently, slowly, steadilly. Get yourself some decent cammo mate. Keep yourself warm and dry. And try to keep your enthusiasm high but, get a hold on your natural urges to go like a bull at a gate and do things in as relaxed and quietly smooth manner as you can. The land's been there for millions of years and the rabbits for thousands. They ain't going anywhere mate. Use an old sniper's "Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast" approach. Simon Quote Link to post
lampingboy 226 Posted January 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 (edited) thank you simon! my main goal is to stick at it and not be dis-heartened. now i have a shooting partner (''tomrichards'' i got him to sign up last night) i think i have more chance of sticking at it i thank you for all your help and will try to put it into practice as much as i can! i will let you know how we get on tonight , my main dilema at the moment is ,neither me nor tom have gun lamps only lamps we have is my main lamp that i use for the dogs, which then means i cant take my gun ...so it will just be me with the lamp and tom shooting. so my main aim is to get a lamp and go from there .anyways as i said thank you for your help . Edited January 18, 2011 by lampingboy Quote Link to post
StevoSmith 147 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 Take it in turns mate.....one lamp the other shoot and vice vercer....good luck Quote Link to post
killa-combo 142 Posted January 18, 2011 Report Share Posted January 18, 2011 get some vidios watched on youtube, you will learn bits and bobs off there too Quote Link to post
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