A Very Mixed Bag

[RemyBolt 420]

Back down to my favourite permission to take out this forcefield Jedi Ninja Rabbit.

 

When walking down the path to House 7 (it's really a barn but they call them houses! Crazy, hu?), I had the thought rushing through my mind, "The chickens are out, but I can't see anyone further down the path. Perfect! I'm the first one down to number 7, so Mr Bunny will be sat on the left hand side, as usual." While about 50 meters down the 100 meter track, I saw one of the farmers walking up from house (it's a f**king barn!!! Don't call it a house!!!) 9. Son of a.........Mr Bunny will not be there now! CRAP!!!

 

Sure enough, no rabbits anywhere near house 7 or 9. Tragic disappointment. I had a feeling the whole morning was going to go like this. At that moment I hated myself for hitting that snooze button. 10 minutes early could have made all the difference.

 

Deciding what to do next was an issue. Once the rabbits from this area disappear, they don't seem to come back for ages. Time and again I have spent an hour or 2 waiting, and nothing. I was so close to just going home. But stubborn attitude prevailed, and I opted to sit back and wait by a tree that usually bags me a rook (why they keep landing in this tree is beyond me. It must be like a rook version of Russian-Roulette). While at that tree, the thought of the massive field next to me and it's distinct lack of cows...namely none of them...encouraged me to get over the wire and scope the area out.

 

While glassing the area with my scope (bad form I know, but I wasn't expecting to need binocs or any other optics) I saw 2 rabbits across the far end of the field, just outside of the hedges. BRILLIANT!!! Now I just need to work out how to sneak up on them from across a football field size route, with zero cover! There is a tiny hill that allowed me to get half way there with relative ease. The rest of the stalk was SLOW! The ground was as muddy as Glastonbury Festival, and smelt just as bad. Stupid cow fields. There was no way I was going to crawl up in this stalk. Time to impersonate a tree as much as possible.

 

In total, from half way across the field to the rabbits, took at least 30 minutes. A small clump of dock-leaves, was my target site. From there I estimated the distance to be 35 meters. Within range for a clean kill shot.

 

The first rabbit had ran off, which was not a problem, the one I wanted still remained. As I got to within 40ish meters, the rabbit's tail bobbed in the air. This is the warning sign that it was about to run off. NOT GOOD!!! I freeze. slowly dipping my head down and shrugged my shoulders as high as possible. I was very clearly a tree that the rabbit had not noticed. So the white warning goes back down, and back to munching grass. I breath a sigh of relief. I hadn't even realised I was holding my breath, the tension was that much. It was like being in the cinema and the lead character goes underwater and everyone holds their breath. Well, it would seem that the cinema sigh, when the hero breaks out of the water and takes that breath, was a lot quieter than my sign. My sign of relief must have sounded like a klaxon to this rabbit. The kind they used in WW2 to warn of bombing raids! It bolted as fast as could be into the high grass. There goes 45 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.

 

On the way back, I saw a squirrel just sat there in a tree, looking all arrogant. I decided it was probably this squirrel's time to meet his maker. That is, if his maker was a .177 Bisley Pest Control pellet. Clean shot, drops straight down. A small twitch sprung him off a rock and into a fast moving stream. STUPID SQUIRREL!!! I can't take a cool, dead squirrel with my gun lording over it, photo if it gets swept away by a stream. I hated that squirrel more than when he was being all arrogant acting safe up the tree.

 

When driving home, I got to the edge of the permission and saw a magpie land in a tree by house 4 (house 4 is the best for ratting, and the corner of house 4 was where the rabbit from earlier was. I'm parking at 4 next time and bagging me a rabbit). I pull over, turn the engine off, take the keys out, and slowly open the door. The windows were already open, so I was happy about that.

 

With the magpie just sat up there in the tree, I sit myself on the edge of the door sill, and use my open window to stabilise the rifle. I go through the normal shooting routine. Stock right against the shoulder, stabilise on post/tree/open-window-frame, line up the shot, click the safety, pull the trigger half way, double check EVERYTHING, then gently squeeze. The pellet flew true, and struck the magpie clean in the head. It dropped like a feathery stone, straight into the hedge below.

 

SON OF A ..................

 

I did manage to retrieve it though. Only to find that I did not have my camera or phone on me. Still no cool photo of my vanquished quarry and my gun lording over it. I genuinely considered driving back home to get my camera and then driving back to get the photo, but I couldn't justify the time, petrol use, or explaining to my wife why I was going to be another hour late (20 minutes home, 20 minutes back to take the photo, and 20 minutes back home again).

 

Next time, when I pick up my rifle, I'm grabbing my camera too!

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

Should have took the magpie home and took a pic lol

[RemyBolt 420]

Should have took the magpie home and took a pic lol

Haha, the thought did cross my mind, but my wife is a vegetarian, so I can't bring back any kills :-(

[logan esq 99]

Excellent read mate. Good shooting.

 

ATB.

[j j m 6,540]

good read well done mate

[The one 8,483]

Good read mate