Stroll Out With The '77

[Elliott 436]

Thought I'd have walk out with the Dave Hall tuned HW77K tonight. Arrived on my local permission and drove past three rabbits on the front lawn..

 

Into the field and after around 10 mins spotted my first rabbit, it's head just poking above the long grass. I lazed it at yards and started to slowly close the distance to 50 yards. With my back against the fence and sat in the FT sitting position. I placed the second mil dot on its head and squeezed the trigger.. disaster. I saw the rabbit topple but the shot had dropped low and hit just below the chest. A quck run over and I followed up with a second shot.

 

When this happens I really question whether hunting is for me, I felt awful and to be honest it spoilt my night - perhaps its just me getting softer as I get older. To top it off the rabbit was too small to eat so it was a real waste and a shame.

 

A quick zero check and everything seemed on song, perhaps it was a bad pellet. My position was stable and I felt calm and steady.

 

Confidence restored I continued to follow the hedgeline around the field before coming accross my second rabbit for the night. Lazed at 70 yards I stalked closer, to 35 yards and took up the FT sitting position once again due to the long grass. Giving one mil dot hold over I squeezed the trigger and sent the AA Field on its way. It connected perfectly with a crack to the skull and the rabbit quietly rolled over. A big one it was too, fully grown and pregnant.

 

30 mins later and I was in the adjacent field. This field slopes down and has a slight rise in the middle. If you keep your profile low the rise can help hide your approach and on this occassion I'd spotted a rabbit at the bottom of the field around 90 yards away. I closed down 20 yards and belly crawled the rest until I got to within a lazed 50 yards, reaching the top of the rise. Any closer and I would have been spotted. I decided to take the shot prone and using the rangefinder to rest my leading hand. I steaded the cross hair, gave two mil dots hold over and CRACK. Perfect hit and over she rolled. A nice 3/4 grown rabbit.

 

 

Deciding to leave it at three I left feeling rather deflated. Perhaps I'll give shooting quarry a miss for a while and take up HFT. Does anyone else feel like this after a shoot or am I just being a soft arse?

 

ATB lads

Edited June 1, 2013 by Elliott

[AR177 588]

Good shooting mate, even the best shots get it wrong from time to time but you sorted it out, don't get disheartened by it

 

I had an attack of guilt last week, pulled off an amazing 65m head shot, kneeling unsupported and the rabbit was behind a chain link fence.. when i got up to the rabbit it was only a young kit no bigger than my hand and I had litterally blown its brains clean out that tarnished the shot a little bit and i got a bit mushy.. I thought it was a bit of a better sized rabbit

 

(got the pic if you want to see)

 

But i had a job to do so got to suck it up

 

ATB

 

Adam

Edited June 1, 2013 by AR177

[youcanthide...BANG 1,051]

comes part and parcel with the sport bud, there cant be a shooter out there who hasnt done it so dont worry about it. at the end of the day you did your best to dipatch it humanely, only time ive ever felt bad was when i shot a pigeon only for it to fly off to not be found. i think because i see my hawk latched on to a rabbits head whilst its squeeling its head of i dont feel as bad as i used to when it happens as ive seen worse. but still it does put me off shooting quarry for a while

[Elliott 436]

Cheers lads; its been a very long time since something like that has happened when I've been out

 

Needless to say the land over was over the moon that he has three fewer rabbits. Their numbers have started to build just over the last two weeks!

Edited June 1, 2013 by Elliott

[villaman 9,982]

Had it happen to me tonight and that was of a bi-pod at 30 yards with a.177 ,felt bad about it but shot another one soon after and that restored my confidence back

[Mawders 595]

Hey Elliott,

 

Your only human mate, I to have had that happen, every time I've felt like shit, felt like chucking the rifle in the hedge and taking up a different hobby or sport! It's even made me not shoot at easy targets and just go back to the car and call it a day!

 

Happens to everyone, there are so many variables to air gun shooting even when your on form something can happen out of your control! Take that equation into spring piston shooting where you have recoil to deal with and its no wonder from time to time things can go slightly wrong.

 

Main thing is you got back on the horse and carried on shooting!

 

ATB

 

Phil.

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

it happens to everyone mate don't let it get to you too much.

 

maybe im just cold and heartless when it happens to me but it doesn't really bother me that much. as long as you finish them off properly straight away then theres no harm done.

 

nobody likes to see an injured animal but at least you didn't let it suffer for too long and sorted it out quickly.

 

keep up the good shooting Elliot mate

 

SKoT