Zero Effort Rabbit Stalk + Awful Luck Continues

[RemyBolt 420]

5am, and I'm slumping out of the bed, like a wet fish that's been left in the fun for too long.

 

I get down to my "Saturday Morning" permission ready to bag me a bunny for the pot. I have promised the farmer a rabbit for the pot, and with being new to rabbiting with an air rifle (I'll pop rats with the best of them, but have picked up lazy habits from too much ratting haha), I am heavily disadvantaged.

 

While driving down the long winding country lanes, as the birds wake up and start to flutter, I settle on a plan of action. The corner of the tree section at the side of House 4 (it's not a house! It's a damn barn!!!) sits beautifully along a straight section of fencing that the rabbits seem to feel is actually a force-field. Once they are on the field side of the fence, they're hyper alert, behind the fence....impossible to retrieve, which has endowed the feeling of it being their safe zone. Smug little buggers!

 

So I figure to get down to the cut line seperating the cow field from the tree section and House 4's bordline fencing. The idea was that the barbed wire would be able to keep the cows back, while the line I was facing would allow me to get smooth lines along the fence route where the bunnies will pop out. Easy pickings!

 

I pull up, park up, gear up, and set off to my spot.

 

With the time of day being what it is, I am not 100% thinking straight, like walking around in fog with my head not properly screw on. Which proved to not be the most productive mental state to start a hunting session. So I waltz along in my own little world, only to look up and realise that I'd scared off 6 rabbits that would have been in position for me to take a shot at, if I had taken my time and stalked up to my position. It would seem that having your head in a different world from where you are currently existing....not the most productive approach to take.

 

When I finally arrive at my spot, waterproofs happily under my lightweight guillie style overalls, happily prepared to lay out and get ready, I take up my position. Somehow I manage to not attract the attention of a single cow! Which has provided me with a good advantage. It means that rabbits are unable to hide out and use the cows as cover, or as a backdrop. It simply means I can much more easily take the shot and not have to worry about what's behind the rabbit. We don't want any pellets exiting the rabbit and hitting a cow.

 

So there I am, first thing Saturday morning, lay prone in the grass, call camoed up and hidden, silent, with adjusted parallax, ready to pop me a rabbit. Now the waiting game start. I gently lay my head on the stock of the gun, and start listening to the sounds of the world around me.

 

There I lay, the sounds of birds flying around me, judging their distance, species, and intent, according to the sounds that I can hear. To increase the level of focus, I close my eyes and really concentrate on what's going on around me. Absorbed in the darkness of nature, I wait.

 

Some time later, I will never know how long, I find myself waking up! Clearly I must have fallen asleep. As embarrassing as it may seem. This technique is one I will cetainly be deploying again, for which I will explain why later on. Awaking from my slumber, I slowly raise my head to the beautiful scenery, perfectly completed by a couple of rabbits running around out at the 40ish meter mark.

 

Because of the distance, I was not happy to take the shot. Instead, I simply lay there and watched one rabbit try to eat, while the other ran around and proceeded to make a complete nusence of himself. It was as if he was autitioning for the lead role in a battery commercial, and was using this opportunity to show off his unending energy levels. For the sake of the other rabbit whom clearly just wanted to sit down an chew a little grass, I was very temtped to pull the trigger. However, obviously it was impossible to make the shot, as Mr Duracell 2014 was still practicing for his career in battery advertising. Instead I just lay and watched them enjoying the freedom that additional 12 meters provided.

 

Time started to tick by and I found myself waking up again, seemingly annoyed with another gentleman and thinking "Well if he knew more about Radon Microscopes he wouldn't be speaking the way he was. Idiot!" Very clearly I had fallen asleep again and was in the grips of the dream still. Angered by this man's clear lack of understanding about Radon Microscopes (are they even real or simply a figment of my imagination? Answers in the comments below please), I head a thumping sound nearby. It was as close to the sound of sticks snapping, without the decisive crack sound. Slowly I lift my head, thinking there was a pigeon in the tree above me. While slowly turning, with my head raising up to the level of the horizon, I see a rabbit, 8 meters from the end of my rifle. Just behind him I see Mr Duracell still bouncing along, and Mrs Grass-Eater just chewing away.

 

Because I was recently awake, I decide to wait, and take my time with this rabbit. I was not in a rush, or in any clear state in which to operate any kind of projectile device. So I set a minimum time limit of 5 minutes, in which I cannot take the shot. The idea was to allow the adrenaline to subside, and to acclimatise to the situation, so that I can be calm and ready to take the shot. I think about controlling my breathing, focusing on going through the actions, the gently trigger pull, the feel of the trigger, keeping the cross hairs as still as possible, and taking my time to make it as clear a shot as possible.

 

I become hyper aware of all the things around me. I feel the rise and fall of my chest as I slow my breathing, deciding to pull the trigger at the peak of a breath, with lungs completely filled. The parallax was readjusted and crosshairs on the small section between the rabbit's eye and his ear.

 

The moment was calm, I was poised, the rush experienced with such an opportunity for such a close shot had subsided. I am 100% ready to make this as clean and smooth as possible.

 

There I am, looking down the scope, suddenly stuck with the thought about hold over and hold under. Adjustments are made for the holdover that was required. I am ready to shoot.

 

Just as I start the initial pull on the trigger, until it gets to the half way pull, my bad luck raises it's ugly head. The whole farm has a powercut and the alarms on every Chicken House start to blare the songs of misfortunte overhead.

 

As it turns out, Mr Pot (Mr put me in the Pot) out at 8 meters didn't like this sound, and he bolted for the rabbit hole before I could complete the trigger pull.

 

The alarms continued for 2 and a half hours, keeping all the rabbits at bay. Which was shortly preceeded by a heavy lashing that saw me sat in the car on the forum writing about hunting in the rain and any additional gear I would need.

 

Today's bag = ZERO.

 

Lessons learned.....MANY.

 

Had a wonderful time out, learned the skill of Zero Effort Stalking (AKA falling asleep), and came out smiling from the whole thing.

 

Truth is, I'm even more determined to get out again and pop some larger numbers!

 

Thanks for reading.

[Daz87 76]

Thanks for sharing mate, was an entertaining read.

 

ATB

 

Daryl

[RemyBolt 420]

Next time I'm bagging me a bunny or 2!

 

Similar strategy, but I'm going to try luring them out by making a sound like a carrot.

Edited June 9, 2014 by RemyBolt

[Daz87 76]

Next time I'm bagging me a bunny or 2!

 

Similar strategy, but I'm going to try luring them out by making a sound like a carrot.

Let me know how you get on...

[RemyBolt 420]

Forget the early mornings!

Go for the evening stakeout, get a bit of camo net and a chair, 35 yards from the usual feeding/playing area.

Try and site it so you can reach it without scaring everything in sight.

The added bonus is you can have a lie in and a leg over.

Apparently I need to spend more time with the wife, so that's why I have such early mornings. Also, evenings is Ratting time!!!

[BIG TOM 835]

Very good read mate just shows not shooting anything is just as fun haha

Thanks for sharing

Ps i bet you would scare some bugger to death lying in the grass full camo and snoring like a train haha

[j j m 6,536]

good read mate,good luck next time mate

[The one 8,467]

Aye nice read mate thats happened to us all at one time or other

[RemyBolt 420]

Get ready for another massively worded shooting story tomorrow. Zero is still good at 27 meters. New RWS pellets ready to rock and roll. Gun oiled, and I'm ready to start the fun.

 

If the weather's good, I'll try the zero effort snooze-stalk technique again. It worked fine last time, just failed to execute at the final hurdle. Not this time though. This time I will lift aloft the fruit of much hard labour. The outcome of many hours hard work...sleeping on the job, like a lazy dog on a sun drenched porch, lay back watching someone steal the masters milk from beside me! That is my hunting style. That is how I will fill my bag (thank goodness it's a small bag) that is how I will revolutionise UK Hunting!