Hardly Worth A Write Up... :(

[Daz39 962]

  On 13/09/2013 at 09:38, kpr1969 said:

very envious, I'd do anything for an opportunity like you have there mate.

Enjoy, you are very privileged

 

Mate I know. Talk about landing on your feet. I could never have dreampt about meeting a couple of guys who would spend so much time and effort ON ME. This is their passion too, their hobby, yet they allow me on their permission, they give up their hunting time to teach and train me.

 

The last trip out, Bigmac did something that typifies his attitude and helpfulness. I was having a bad night, didn't see squat, so he took his red lamp off his gun (I only have green/amber filters on mine) and he walked with me. He left his rifle in the car and just acted 100% as a spotter and coach. For almost 2 hours he taught, didn't take a shot himself, just found the rabbit, stalked to the right distance, told me to go prone and let me take the shots. He gave up the quarry for me to learn.

 

MIND, every miss is returned with a "I'd have taken that one out easy" hahaha. THAT you have to take on the chin.

 

I'm very lucky, on the flip side, IF you ever do find someone like these two, take EVERY opportunity you get, I have not turned down an invite yet. When you go out, THEY decide when it is home time, not you. I have done 8-9 & 10 hour stints through the night, after a full days work. You don't get the chance often, so I take every second these two are willing to give and I put as much effort in as I can and I think they see that and appreciate that I am not there to just muck around.

 

Good luck, and I hope others on here, maybe in your area, will see what Bigmac and Vislauk are doing and perhaps offer some time for you. Fingers crossed.

 

Make sure you feed them well too Did I mention Mac loves his all butter flapjacks? haha

[Daz39 962]

  On 13/09/2013 at 09:55, bigmac 97kt said:

 

I tell it as it is that's the way my dad and uncles showed me you have only been around with Sean(vislauk)once wait until he starts with you ,you will want to cry by the time he is finished with you. I praise you when you do it right but pull you down when you don't its no good being nice to you all the time as you will not learn very much that's the way i am so all you new bees be WARNED if i take eny one els im no push over and ill pull you down before you can blink daz you shood of had more rabbits than me the other night YOU SHUD OF BEEN TOP DOG atvbmac :thumbs:

 

 

haha, do I ever complain? or tell you, you are wrong? You have it just right fella, don't change anything. Can't wait for an @rse kicking of Sean...haha

 

One of these nights mate, I'm coming home with more than you...just stop shooting them before you even park the car this time haha

[bigmac 97kt 13,822]

Once again you were there before me and i got the rabbit out of the car window before you :tongue2: O by the way its hard being TOP DOG ALL OF THE TIME :toast: atvbmac :thumbs:

[Daz39 962]

I think you spelt that wrong, it's not TOP DOG, it's TOP C.O.C.K. hahaha

 

I know, I know, that'll be me spending the night hunting round the mortuary now....

[Craig Fosse 286]

No worries mate, I for one am extremely jealous of you to have such great helpers, I did when I was starting out for about 3 months then I moved to jersey and the hunting scene is very anti social over here so I learn by myself, with sometimes very often trips without anything.... But I continue to learn everyday from this site and the people on it.

[bigmac 97kt 13,822]

  On 13/09/2013 at 12:03, Craig Fosse said:

No worries mate, I for one am extremely jealous of you to have such great helpers, I did when I was starting out for about 3 months then I moved to jersey and the hunting scene is very anti social over here so I learn by myself, with sometimes very often trips without anything.... But I continue to learn everyday from this site and the people on it.

The more your out the more you learn Craig and some times the best way is by making your own mistakes that way you never do the same mistake twice atvbmac :thumbs:

[Craig Fosse 286]

A phase I have learnt by over and over again, I have been hunting religiously for just under 3 years and I still call myself a novice, rarely shoot from anything other than the prone, unless nature helps me out with a branch or something to support on, at the end of the day we are shooting something that is living and deserves to be dispatched cleanly and I just don't trust myself in different shooting positions, the accuracy some people have to hit a rabbit at 50 yards standing or kneeling truly is marksmanship,

Edited September 13, 2013 by Craig Fosse

[Daz39 962]

  On 13/09/2013 at 13:20, Craig Fosse said:

A phase I have learnt by over and over again, I have been hunting religiously for just under 3 years and I still call myself a novice, rarely shoot from anything other than the prone, unless nature helps me out with a branch or something to support on, at the end of the day we are shooting something that is living and deserves to be dispatched cleanly and I just don't trust myself in different shooting positions, the accuracy some people have to hit a rabbit at 50 yards standing or kneeling truly is marksmanship,

 

I know the feeling, I always think, "I am going to get 1 shot at this, going prone is my best, most stable and safest option".

[Craig Fosse 286]

With a shotgun, fine by me I walk around and blast away in any position but with an air rifle I just feel safer

[bigmac 97kt 13,822]

  On 13/09/2013 at 14:38, Craig Fosse said:

With a shotgun, fine by me I walk around and blast away in any position but with an air rifle I just feel safer

Practice,practice and practice some more as practice makes perfect atvbmac :thumbs:

[Daz39 962]

  On 13/09/2013 at 15:20, bigmac 97kt said:

 

  On 13/09/2013 at 14:38, Craig Fosse said:

With a shotgun, fine by me I walk around and blast away in any position but with an air rifle I just feel safer

Practice,practice and practice some more as practice makes perfect atvbmac :thumbs:

 

 

To the very long list of "bits I need to buy when I have more cash" I think I will add one of those knock down rabbit targets to stick in the back garden. I can practice standing and kneeling shots at that...give me the confidence for in the field.

[Andy_c 210]

Or just use 20mm circles at the end of a day targets a target

[pianoman 3,587]

Daz, welcome to the sport mate. This is just how it is. Sometimes you just can't do a bloody thing right. Even the most experienced lads have nights and mornings when it all goes to hell in a handcart.

 

Given that all we are trying to do, is get as close to a rabbit within range of a sub-12 ft/lb air rifle's shot as we can, it makes you wonder how it's done by others and the learning never ends!

 

One thing I can pass on to you is, if you get to about 40-45 yards of a rabbit and if you cannot guarantee your shot will be successful, stay silent and still and let it carry on doing whatever it's doing.

 

That's the best method I know of being absolutely quiet and baiting more into range and improving your bag. With Rabbits you are up against one of the most wary, switched-on animals there is. He can smell you upwind a mile off and hear you even further away. He loves stiff winds and breezes because winds carry scent very well over long distances and the sound of movement like an amplifier His eyesight's not so hot but, if he can detect movement, that's all he needs to see and he's off! It doesn't matter how much you spend on cammo. It counts for nothing if you are making any sounds or unaware of the swirl of the breezes.

 

You MUST CONVINCE your quarry that all's well and you and danger are not there.

That means, you must be as still and silent as a dead thing. You need to be comfortable to lay prone or sit or kneel for long periods and you must not even make a sound when you breathe. And you MUST stifle and hold down your natural excitement when you see a rabbit pop out in front of you. This causes your pulse and heart to race and your wrist and hands to shudder. And that makes a controlled, calmly aimed shot all the more difficult to achieve.

 

Hunting field craft is an art and we are all different in how we approach it. But you must hold silence, stealth and calm, unhurried movements and concealment uppermost in your skills bag. The next is the continual practice and improvement of your shooting marksmanship. And that means being able to estimate accurate ranges without fidgetting for a rangefinder. never used one in my life and never will.

 

Put this one down to experience and soldier on old son!

 

Best wishes.

Simon

[Daz39 962]

Cracking advice, cheers, will give it all a go tomorrow gents!