Out This Morning

[Mister Gain 1,764]

Decided to change approach to the orchard permission. Instead of doing the afternoon, I opted to get up at 0300 and try fist light onwards for a couple of hours.

Bear in mind that the fruit trees foliage comes down to about 2-3 ft from the ground and extends to 8-10ft upwards, and the dilemma is that the rabbits see your legs moving before you ever get to see them, and when you do it's their white a*ses dissappearing down burrows. You are normally lucky to get within air rifle range and I have found that plotting up at a warren is the more productive option 'IF' they decide to come out to play. It's been lamping quite well for rimmy and CF, but I don't hold an FAC.

 

Anyways, started out just as it got light about 0440, and got the first one at 0455. Spotted a young 'un and the .22 AA Field went straight through its head from 30 yards. It did the usual series of somersaults that most kits do (why is that?). I moved forward to pick it up and it was gone.. plenty of claret on the nearby tuft of grass, so I knew it wasn't going far. I spent a good 5 minutes prodding and poking through the nettles and brambles and saw it lying at the bottom of the drainage ditch. Foolishly I decided to retrieve it.. I got stung, scratched, and slid to the bottom of the ditch at a rapid rate of knots, and ended up on my ar*e entombed in disagreeable foliage which appeared to be attacking me. Trying to get back out was another story, but I got there in the end, must have looked like a pig wallowing in sh*t, slipping and sliding.

 

Crept stealthily around the corner nettle patch and about 25 yards away was bunny number 2. He sat up high like he knew I was there, he was right.. nice smack in the side of his head... more somersaults, and I watched it dissappear down the ditch.. I wasn't going through that rigmarol again, and as I walked towards it my left foot went down an overgrown rabbit hole and I turned my ankle so I thought 'it can bl00dy stay there'..

Had another similar one over by the road hedgerow, but that one must have done 20 back-flips and dissappeared up it's own a*se, cos I couldn't find it. Again loads of claret on the grass.

 

The rest of the bunnies died properly without all that showing off Had one longish shot at 53 yards but all the rest were 35-40ish.

 

I dispatched 9, but as you can see by the photo, only retieved 7.

 

Thoroughly enjoyable morning. Conclusion, old fat blokes and nettle covered drainage ditches are not compatable.. steer clear.

 

 

 

[Andy_c 210]

Very very nice shooting nice work atb

Andy

[The one 8,511]

Nice going mate its the same here lost a few due to the cover

[stealthy1 3,964]

Always a mystery when you lose one, maybe the dive in to a ghillie suit and die

[Mister Gain 1,764]

Had an occasion last year where the first 3 I got were mixied, so they were left for charlie.. next was a tiny kit, again left for charlie. Wondered if I was going to get anything for the pot and as I approached the ditch corner there was a plumtious, healthy bunny just waiting for a lead sleeping pill. I carefully went prone, just to make sure, and put one behind the eye at about 25 yards. Knocked it stone dead, no twitches. After a few seconds I got up and went over to claim my prize.. all of a sudden it started kicking and dissappeared into the ditch... couldn't find that one either. 5 kills, none to take home some days there just aint no rabbits

[BIG TOM 835]

Nice write up and good shooting pal Atb Tom

[Lewdan 17]

Decided to change approach to the orchard permission. Instead of doing the afternoon, I opted to get up at 0300 and try fist light onwards for a couple of hours.

Bear in mind that the fruit trees foliage comes down to about 2-3 ft from the ground and extends to 8-10ft upwards, and the dilemma is that the rabbits see your legs moving before you ever get to see them, and when you do it's their white a*ses dissappearing down burrows. You are normally lucky to get within air rifle range and I have found that plotting up at a warren is the more productive option 'IF' they decide to come out to play. It's been lamping quite well for rimmy and CF, but I don't hold an FAC.

 

Anyways, started out just as it got light about 0440, and got the first one at 0455. Spotted a young 'un and the .22 AA Field went straight through its head from 30 yards. It did the usual series of somersaults that most kits do (why is that?). I moved forward to pick it up and it was gone.. plenty of claret on the nearby tuft of grass, so I knew it wasn't going far. I spent a good 5 minutes prodding and poking through the nettles and brambles and saw it lying at the bottom of the drainage ditch. Foolishly I decided to retrieve it.. I got stung, scratched, and slid to the bottom of the ditch at a rapid rate of knots, and ended up on my ar*e entombed in disagreeable foliage which appeared to be attacking me. Trying to get back out was another story, but I got there in the end, must have looked like a pig wallowing in sh*t, slipping and sliding.

 

Crept stealthily around the corner nettle patch and about 25 yards away was bunny number 2. He sat up high like he knew I was there, he was right.. nice smack in the side of his head... more somersaults, and I watched it dissappear down the ditch.. I wasn't going through that rigmarol again, and as I walked towards it my left foot went down an overgrown rabbit hole and I turned my ankle so I thought 'it can bl00dy stay there'..

Had another similar one over by the road hedgerow, but that one must have done 20 back-flips and dissappeared up it's own a*se, cos I couldn't find it. Again loads of claret on the grass.

 

The rest of the bunnies died properly without all that showing off Had one longish shot at 53 yards but all the rest were 35-40ish.

 

I dispatched 9, but as you can see by the photo, only retieved 7.

 

Thoroughly enjoyable morning. Conclusion, old fat blokes and nettle covered drainage ditches are not compatable.. steer clear.

 

 

 

Know what you mean fella, I am the same age ( bus pass next year ) and its a lot easier to go down that to get up but we still enjoy it !!!

LD