Whats the most unusual / nicest wild rabbit you've shot?

[Whizzie 38]

These were the first 2 of the 4 Rabbits i took last night. Both rabbits are from a number currently causing havoc in the landowners organic garden on one of my permissions. I took the one on the left right at the end of last light @ a lased 43yds. Initially, because of its colouring & having its back to me, i thought it must be a domestic cat. Its beautifully coloured & having a much thicker, soft fur than its partners in crime: Obviously related to a pet rabbit which has escaped / been released to breed with the wild population.

 

Wild black rabbits are pretty common round here, but this is the first one i ve seen like this. Anyone else got any images of different wild rabbits from their hunting experiences?

[Phantom 631]

I've had a Fawne, almost ginger kit from one of my perms. I've also seen a few black and white ones around.

One was black on the head and white halfway down then black again. Nothing as banded as those two though.

 

Tony

[Mawders 595]

I have seen a few jet black ones on my permission but we don't shoot them as the farmer likes seeing them ones about. Don't think I could shoot one anyway even if he said I could as they always remind me of my pet rabbit I had when I was a little kid. Ha ha

[thursodog 353]

Used to shoot quite a few black ones on a perm in the Shetlands when i worked there a couple of years ago.

Not seen any colourful ones like above.

 

Atb Chris.

[Whizzie 38]

Cheers lads, I sat & watched it for a what seemed like an age, sure it was a cat, i thought id got some competition for the evening. I was watching it through the laser rangefinder not the scope, until it hopped, Because of darkness falling I couldnt lase it & see the distance in the RF recticle, because the read outs black, so I had to lase it, then look at a white sign to check the range. When it hopped I switched to the rifle scope & then i was convinced this must be a pet rabbit, until i saw its head side on. A flash of the lamp with the scope @ 12 mag, was enough to confirm it was a cross bred wild, & over he went.

 

There are few black wild rabbits about here, I had a chat the landowner last night & discussed the damage to the garden etc, the landowners good lady said theres a nice one thats been appearing on their lawn for a few weeks, so i'll post a pic when i've harvested it.

[The one 8,482]

We had a few fancy coloured ones at my work turns out folk where dumping them ,but the landscape foreman still wanted them shot same as normal ones

[risingfriend 1,042]

i have had a few black ones and the strangest i seen was a black coated with a lighter undercoat so to speak similar to the band on the bottom rabbit but all over.

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

thats cool.. never seen one like that just all same color , black, white, slightly ginger and the 'normal color' ones.

great shot placement aswell

[tomburras 2,730]

Not shot but ferreted iv seen all different colours mainly black ones but once had a half white and half ginger one. we allways let the odd coloured ones go dont have the heart to despatch them as they look like someones pet lol.

[pianoman 3,587]

Here's a hunting story for you.

 

About ten years ago I was out static hunting, alone with my HW80 on a beautiful, balmy summer's evening at sundown in a really lovely part of my permission. I'd had a decent bag and the light in the sky was still like day at about 20:30-ish...when, out from the woodland edge about 40 metres away appeared this particular rabbit....

 

A big, really big male buck, full grown and very mature looking. I never saw him arrive, He just appeared sitting where there had been nothing a moment before.

 

And he had the most expressively handsome face. Not gnarly and bug-eyed as a lot are but, for all the world, he looked like an elder statesman for his clan. He just sat at the edge of the wood and looked out across his kingdom, without a fear in the world.....and I had him, bang on the money, in my scope. One slip of the trigger and he would be in the bag with the others...

 

And then he turned his gaze towards me.

 

He couldn't have possibly seen or heard me, the breeze, still as it was, was in my face keeping my scent away from his nose and I was well concealed. But he knew someone was out there, who'd been happily killing his kind. His instincts must have told him he was in the gravest of danger....but, he stood his ground and just sat there with a look that was almost challenging me to shoot him. He didn't flich or turn his gaze away from me for a second.

 

He was looking straight back at me as I looked at him in the scope. For almost half an hour we watched eachother. He never dropped to feed or anything but just sat quiet and motionlessly still.

 

And as I watched him and saw what a beautiful condition he was in, and his proud, challenging expression.... I found I just couldn't shoot him. It would have been a sin to shoot and kill such a noble creature. The most beautiful specimine of his breed I ever saw.

 

So. I watched him for a while more, till he finally, slowly, loped off back into the woods and gone forever.

 

I never saw him again. But, I like to think, that by sparing his life, he went on to breed well and keep me in sport, in that beautiful little bit of my hunting ground, for years after.

 

I'll never forget that wonderful encounter. Ever.

 

 

Pianoman

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

HA! Cocky old b@stard!! even though wind was in your face etc.. you think he would have seen the glint from your scope? Could be the only reason he knew of your presence...? Or maybe his survival instinct..hence his old age lol

[martin 332]

[Rake aboot 4,936]

[fats 317]

one my son shot52 meters he got that at he was buzzing

[Whizzie 38]

Brilliant lads, thanks. So glad i joined this site!