Rabbit control with a added bonus

[young1982 1]

Over the last couple of months I've been giving my mate a hand shooting rabbits on a local golf course, he's runs a pest control business specializing in rabbit control and most of our work has been away so it was really good to get something close to home. We've been visiting the golf course every friday night as we both have full time jobs and it doesn't matter what time we get back as we have the weekend to recover, over the months we've been getting good bags of rabbits our best we got two weeks ago a fine number of 44 which is epic for this area.

 

Friday just gone saw the lowest bag to date ....... 8 (o how I wept), we'd just sorted out a butcher who would buy the rabbits off us for the grand sum of one pound a piece and all we could manage was 8. Anyways..... we've been joined by friend of my mate who is getting into rifles for the first time, he's had shotguns in the past but when he started a family he couldn't find the time to go shooting anymore now his kids are older he's getting back into it. He's a left handed shooter which is good as me and my mate are both right handed and as we drive round the course in a 4x4 we can all shoot comfortably out the windows with both sides being covered.

 

After the pish poor performance no friday, and me off to America this week we decided to give it another go last night (as the wind had picked up), I'd been shopping over the weekend and got some pieces of equipment which I think would better our chances and make things more comfortable:

1)some 15mm pipe lagging to go over the windows

2)some red acetate to go over the head lights (both of which I would recommend to anyone).

 

Both worked a treat however the rabbits are getting a bit flighty so things have been getting harder, we'd been driving around for about 30mins and had a few rabbits in the bag when our new wingman spotted a fox about 50 yards away out on the fairway. It seemed oblivious to us heading towards it as it slowly trotted into the grass and trees that made up the rough, we headed to where we'd last seen it last and there it was sat about 40-45 yards away in some grass between two trees. The boys in the front could see it plain as day, but from where I was sitting all I could make out was the silhouette of a ear. After about 2 to 3 mins of " IT'S THERE"........" I CAN'T SEE IT"........."IT'S THERE"......... my mate asked for the rifle, as I lent over to give it to him the fox came into sight. Needless to say the rifle never left my hands I lined up the crosshair between it's eyes and click.................dropped on the spot, my first ever fox (a dog).

 

 

10 mins later and still buzzing from my first fox we came over the brow of a hill to find another just sat out in the open, this one around 60 yards out.... I line the crosshair of my shitty AGS 3-9 x 30 on it's chest then click................. the .22 found it's target and after a somersault an olympic gymnast would be proud it hit the ground dead. How chuffed was I my first and second fox in one night

 

 

I know some people might think that I shouldn't of taken the shots and that a .22 is inadequate, but I felt we were close enough to ensure clean kills and that I'm competent to do so.

[vincy 3]

nice one where can i get some red acetate from

[SportingShooter 0]

Well done mate,

 

Exciting isn't it, the first time you have a shootable fox in your crosshairs. And then to have two.

 

The .22 is not the ideal weapon as you say but the little gun will certainly do its job when put in the right place, as you say and now know.

 

 

What set up have you got there?

 

I enjoyed the read very much too, its as if I was sitting behind the rifle about to pull the trigger.

 

Regards

SS

[young1982 1]

nice one where can i get some red acetate from

 

I got mine in A4 sheets from an art shop in Carmarthen, also get yourself some sticky back velcro.

Cut the acetate larger than your headlight to give you room to attach one half of the velco to it, the other half of the velcro you stick to your 4x4/car or whatever you drive thus making them removeable. You can adjust the brightness by adding or removing sheets, they also sold it in blue and yellow.

[young1982 1]

Well done mate,

 

Exciting isn't it, the first time you have a shootable fox in your crosshairs. And then to have two.

 

The .22 is not the ideal weapon as you say but the little gun will certainly do its job when put in the right place, as you say and now know.

 

 

What set up have you got there?

 

I enjoyed the read very much too, its as if I was sitting behind the rifle about to pull the trigger.

 

Regards

SS

 

I've been shooting at targets attached to a piece of jara (railway sleeper) at 60 yards in my garden, the depth of the holes it left really surprised me. I think people including myself underestimate the power of this small round. I won't make a habbit of shooting foxes with in thats what I got the .17hmr for.

 

my rifle is a 16 inch CZ 452 Silhouette fitted with a sak mod and a ags 3-9x40 scope

[Mr_Logic 5]

Good going, first fox is a great feeling, I was buzzing for a day after mine!

 

.22LR isn't the best tool for the job, but it's adequate out to 100 yards or so, key is head shot with any of these calibres. If you put it in the right place, they fall over, simple as.

 

I do prefer a centrefire, but I've had plenty of Hornet shots not work (softpoint, bloody things) and 22LR seems to expand reliably on them. Funny old world, but never let anyone tell you that the 22LR isn't humane. It's only inhumane if you can't shoot straight, and if you can't hit the fox you need practice, regardless of calibre.

[trappa 518]

Nice story and i love the mean and moody stare at the camera, very "im the man"!!!

[markbivvy 6]

some firearms department wont give fox as a condition for .22 RF.

your does i take it.

[Mr_Logic 5]

Doesn't really matter. While the police treat foxes differently to vermin, I don't think you'd find a court in the land that would convict someone of any offence if they shoot a fox with a rimfire that's down for vermin.

 

Certainly my firearms department are happy for me to shoot foxes with a rimfire, and rabbits with my 223, the conditions aren't on my ticket; I asked them and they had no problem.

[youngshot 0]

I’m not trying to be cocky or anything, its just am new to rifles (but interested). So my question is, is a .22 (rimfire) adequate for lamping foxes? and if so, up to what sort of range are they adequate?

[Mr_Logic 5]

No, a .22 is not adequate as a foxing tool, it has its uses occasionally but is not good enough for everyday use. 22 magnum is (150 yards absolute tops) but realistically a 22 centrefire is best.

 

22LR will do a fox to 100 yards, but requires incredibly accurate shot placement and as such opportunities for humane shots are rarer. A 22 centrefire with the correct type of bullet will mean anywhere in the chest or head = humane kill, where a 22 is a heart shot or a head shot for instant kill.

[dicehorn 38]

I’m not trying to be cocky or anything, its just am new to rifles (but interested). So my question is, is a .22 (rimfire) adequate for lamping foxes? and if so, up to what sort of range are they adequate?

 

My 2p worth - frankly despite what Mr Logic says, its not about how lethal the .22 is. I feel the max distance for fox is 60 yards - reason? - most people zero a .22 in at between 40 to 60 yards and if say zeroed at 50 yards, the hold over to 60 yds is about 1 inch, however, that 100 yards fox when zeroed at say 50 yds is a totally different ball game and because of the terrain it could actually be standing more like 120 yds away. Unless you know within the inch where the holdover is, you run the risk of clipping a fox and providing yet more ammunition to the antis and the fox hunters

 

If foxes are to be a regular feature on your menu, then an HMR or better still a C/F should be the order of the day

[youngshot 0]

thanks dicehorn and mr_logic

[Mr_Logic 5]

I’m not trying to be cocky or anything, its just am new to rifles (but interested). So my question is, is a .22 (rimfire) adequate for lamping foxes? and if so, up to what sort of range are they adequate?

 

My 2p worth - frankly despite what Mr Logic says, its not about how lethal the .22 is. I feel the max distance for fox is 60 yards - reason? - most people zero a .22 in at between 40 to 60 yards and if say zeroed at 50 yards, the hold over to 60 yds is about 1 inch, however, that 100 yards fox when zeroed at say 50 yds is a totally different ball game and because of the terrain it could actually be standing more like 120 yds away. Unless you know within the inch where the holdover is, you run the risk of clipping a fox and providing yet more ammunition to the antis and the fox hunters

 

If foxes are to be a regular feature on your menu, then an HMR or better still a C/F should be the order of the day

I can see your point, and I guess for the most part I agree, but I can head shoot rabbits that far out with a .22 so foxy provides a nice large target for me - I'm happy enough with my rig in the right conditions that far out. But as I hinted at, each shot is really on its merits - far more so than with centrefire. Centrefire gives you plenty of power so the fox doesn't have to present right or anything, you just need line of sight to the vitals.

[jamie g 17]

i have shot rabbits at 90 to 100 yards with my 22lr so a head shot on a fox should seam easy as its a bigger target.

 

but i still wouldnt take one at 100 yards 55 to 60 yards would be the limit for me with 22lr.

 

with hmr i would go to 90 to 100 yards if i no i could pull the shot off. i had one at 55 yards a month or so back with hmr i waited till it turned its head to the side abit then aim for the bit between the eye and the ear. it went down like a sack of shit not one twich and it had gone right though him

 

like mr logic said shot placement is everything i no for a fact a hmr would kill a fox at 150 yards with a head shot but what you got to think is you have to be on the ball with a perfect shot placement and at that range there is other things to think of like the fox could move a split second as you pull the trigger which could lead to it hitting is skull instead of his brain.

 

and the longer the little hmr bullet is in the air the more it could get affected by wind to. thats why centrefire is the one to have if you want to do alot of foxing. head or body shot will smash him to pieces. it does way more damage so even if you did hit him abit to the right or left of where you was aimming at it is going to drop him.

 

but if your out rabbiting and come across one with rimfire and you no you can get in range and safely drop him go for it

just make sure you hit him in the head and get him side on if you can and aim for the bit between his ear and eye