A BIT OF A MIX

Well its been a bit of a mix shooting since i last posted.
The old man picked up his 22.250 so it was a zero session in the morning to see how it performed,awsome is the only word to describe this calibre,it took 4 shots to get zero so we decided to have a quick drive round part of the farm just to see if the old man could hit something with it.
As i had my rapid .20 with me i took it out the bag just incase a closer shot presented itself.
We didnt have to wait long when i spotted a rabbit 40 yards along a fenceline so i obliged and sent a pellet on its way and rolled him over no probs,picked him up and drove round towards a wood where a nice safe backstop could give me old man a shot if there was a rabbit or fox lurking about.Well as usual nothing about so we decided to park up in a favourite spot and wait for a bit,we didnt have to wait long when a rabbit popped out from some brambles some 140 yards away,the old man got out the car and with a solid rest on the car door took his shot.
All that was going through my mind at the time was please dont miss , just hit it and be happy,he didn`t dissapoint all i saw was a rabbit spin off the groung like a ragdoll being thrown about.We drove up to where the rabbit was and just couldn`t believe the mess it made, i wont go into to much detail but there was bits all over the place and in a little divet lay curled up a half skinned rabbit.I  took a pic just to show how devastating this round is , look out mr fox from now on.

After the hype of the 22.250 had settled we decided that it was time for the shotguns to come out as it wasn`t worth just going round blowing rabbits to bits at a cost of £1.10 a round.There is 3 small woods on this farm so we decided to go on a squirrel hunt,the first wood was a waste of time ,nothing in here that produced a shot so it was over to a more productive corner of the second wood.This wood has squirrel written all over it,chestnut trees bordered with conifers ,you just know theres some in here.Within a minute of walking in we had shot 2 squirrels and a lucky,well unlucky rabbit fell to me dad,he was beaming as it was another rabbit running with his shotty.Time for a break before we set off into the other end of the wood.

Well nothing showed in the next 30 min until we reached another set of chestnut trees,i saw one run up the tree and took him out , what happened next was awsome something i dont think will happen again for a long time.When i took the shot on the first squirrel you would think the tree came alive ,there were squirrels running in every direction from this tree,me old man didnt know where to shoot,it was manic,shots going off everywhere.What seemed to last ages was probarbly all over in 30 seconds and counting 10 shells between us we had took 6 squirrels out of that tree,the look on me dads face was a picture he was laffin his head off ,he couldnt believe what had just happened  so quick.

The third wood is mostly chestnut with odd conifer and although we did see some we only got a chance at one and my dad took him out.We did stay on in the wood for a chance at some pigeons but nothing really produced itself apart from two at the very end .

My next forray was a walk around my local farm with the rapid,i was bored to tears so just had to get out for an hour at least,there wasn`t any rabbits about so i decided to get in a small conifer wood and wait for any pigeons coming into roost.
While i was getting  myself settled i was scanning about the trees and noticed a squirrel feeding right at the top of a tree , he was about 60 yards from me but i can wait i thought no probs just come my way if you like when you have stopped feeding,no chance he stayed there for ages,its not worth breaking cover with these squirrels as they just bolt at the slightest sound or movement so stay put i did.
One hour later he was still there and his brother and his sister and his cousin all around me taking the perverbials out of me,all about 60 yards and no clear shot insight,to say i was getting frustrated is an understatement but patience is a virtue and i have patience.
Another 20 minutes had passed when finally one came within range,i took my time on him and took him out nice and clean ,straight down with no kicking ,as i recycled the bolt the first one i had been watching came straight over to me ,the shot had scared him and he was motoring,he passed straight over my head and ran another 30 yards passed ,but he made that fatal mistake ,he stopped to see what  or who had made the noise,i kindly showed him and he followed his buddy.The light was starting to fade now when all of a sudded a flock of about 100 pigeons just dropped all around me,they were everywhere ,i was scanning the tree tops and couldnt believe it ,i couldn`t see one pigeon they were so tight in the conifers it was impossible to make one out.I lifted the scope and tried to find one with that ,i found countless pigeons  but no clear shot was found,i just couldn`t believe my luck,oh well i thought, so i broke cover and all hell broke loose they had spotted me and took off like a scene from the birds but fortunately for me some had landed in clearer trees on there way out the wood so two quick shots and i had two woodys in the bag aswell.

As it was getting pretty hard to see i decided to call it a day and started to walk back to the motor when a rabbit hoped out 35 yards in front of me,it froze looking at me but i had raised the gun in a flash and took the shot.I had hit it in the neck but i put it down to me rushing,its not what i normally do but it had presented itself that quick instinct just took over,it was dead all the same .

Well thats it for now and will be back as soon as i have something to report,i think another trip to the local wood with the rapid again will do for this weekend as the white stuff is coming and the pigeons should be there keeping warm..

RAINING CROWS

Well its still raining and is it ever going to end.Me and me old man managed to get out for 3 hours this week,we found a window between showers on the met office so decided to go for it.With my little jeep out of action at the moment it was load up the old mans car,not a pretty site dumping a load of dirty decoying gear in a nice cream interior but hey who cares i dont have to clean it lol.
well we arrived at the farm and parked up as close as possible to the field we was going to have a go at, then got the gear out for the short walk to the hedgeline that we decided to set up on.There wasnt alot going on first thing so we decided on 6 decoys well spread out and then just add what we shot then take the deeks out once there was enough killed.

Well all sorted and a cuppa in hand and you guessed it crows coming in ,me old man dropped his cuppa and picked his shotty up,i kept low as i had no face cover on and tried to watch the shot,no problem for him it was nailed and a good start for him.Next was my turn,a jackdaw had sailed in from my left like an exocett missile totally instinctive the gun went up and he hit the deck 60 yards to my right ,what a first shot and proved to be my best shot of the day,

Things were slow for the next hour for some reason but hour 2 we got a steady run of crows and jackdaws coming straight into the pattern,no messing aroud as with some ,just nice easy shots over the deeks.
The third hour was going as the first so me old man decided to go for a walk around some small woods we have on the farm , within 5 mins i heard 2 shots go off ,so he was having some sport.Twenty mins in for me i hadn`t even seen a crow never mind shoot one then i heard him shoot again,i think i had taken the wrong decision in staying with the deeks but hey who cares i am out the house and sitting in a cold freezing windy hide freezing my perverbials off,then i get my chance a nice right and left jackdaws,all that time waiting then i get two at once,i managed another 3 before the old man got back and his report was  one squirrel and a jay.

Well that was it then the rain started again so we packed up quick and made for home,it was well worth the time and effort to get out for a bit and we got some good sport for it.

PIGEON SHOOTING

Due to prior commitments my shooting in the last 2 weeks has gone to zilch..I will be doing my best to get out pigeon or crow shooting this weekend if the weather holds out for me,so as i have nothing to updat my blogg with so i thought i would give you some interesting hints and tips to maybee help you bag a few..

Pigeon Shooting

Pigeon shooting is a hugely popular shooting activity that is appealing to all types of shooting people and presents challenging shooting combined with the need for careful field craft. The end result is a table bird with fantastic flavour very low in fat, great eating.

The wood pigeon is a huge agricultural pest to crops such as wheat and oil seed rape, and shooters offer a method of free pest control for farmers. Wood pigeons can be shot all year round and offer fantastic sport.

There are three common methods by which people shoot wood pigeons.

Decoying

This is the most common form of shooting pigeons and is often the most exciting. The key to success is using observation in advance of setting up to identify a spot that is attractive to the birds. Once such a spot is identified the usual approach is for the shooter to set up in or near cover close by and place pigeon decoys out in the crop to attract the pigeons in close to the gun. The shooter is normally concealed within a 'hide' which can be made from camouflage netting,natural materials or straw bales. The key for a hide is to blend in with the natural setting as best as possible and to be large enough to allow unrestricted and safe movement with the gun.

In recent years many types of decoy have appeared on the market, shells (half a plastic pigeon) or full bodied, flock coated, fabric, UV painted etc. Each of these have their advantages - shell decoys are easier to stack together and therefore take up less room in your kit bag, full bodied add that extra bit of realism to your decoys from all angles, flocking reduces shine, UV paint increases their visibility to the pigeon. As with wild animals though, one day all the tricks in the book will work one day and not the next.

Other developments have also given the shooter the chance to use Pigeon Magnets, Flappers and Bouncers. The pigeon magnet is a device which holds either two dead pigeons or two flying decoys on arms which rotate around and simulate pigeons landing in your decoy pattern. The Flapper, decoy or dead bird in a cradle that moves the wings, gives your pattern added movement and is a great visual aid in attracting pigeons to your pattern. Bouncer is simply away to mount a winged decoy or dead bird of the ground on a sprung rod. The key aim of all these items if equipment is to add movement to your decoys and thus increase the realism.

The most important concept of decoying pigeons is the positioning of the decoys to for a natural looking pattern. Pigeons feed as flock birds, and it is important to consider this when arranging your decoy pattern. When arranging your pattern you need to make sure that there is an area for incoming birds to aim to land in. Try to arrange the decoys so they are roughly facing into the wind, as this is often seen in wild birds, but do not do it so they look like soldiers lined up for a parade, have a few offset decoys.

This is known as the basic horseshoe pattern. It creates an area for the incoming pigeons to aim for. As pigeon decoying is not an exact science, what works on one day may not work the next, vary the pattern to see what works best for you but always allow for a landing zone within the pattern. For example you can often elongate one of the arm of the horseshoe so that is looks more like an L shape, this can often stop problems such as pigeons diverting away from where you want them to land.

Roost Shooting

This method of pigeon shooting involves setting up in woodland where pigeons are known to go home to roost. The birds are then shot when they are coming into the roost in the wood. This obviously takes place at dusk and can offer very exciting, yet testing shooting. As it takes place just before it turns dark, taking a dog to retrieve shot birds is extremely useful. Roost shooting traditionally is at it’s best in winter months, Feb to March being the most active months. The sudden dusk at this time of year helps condense the shooting into very active periods.

Flightlining

This method of pigeon shooting involves carrying out reconnaissance to find out common flightlines that pigeons are using. These flightlines can often be along certain hedgerows, rivers, telephone lines or tracks and the shooting that can be achieved by setting up under a flightline can be excellent. This is most commonly done without decoys and the shooter is often hid in hedgerows or cover under the flightline.

Basic Equipment and Advice

A shotgun is favourable, although air rifles are often used for decoying and roost shooting, the use of shotguns is a much more common practice as it gives the shooter the option of shooting on the wing.

For decoying it is best to start with approx 12 decoys, you can create a big enough pattern which you can add to or replace with dead birds. Arranging dead birds in your pattern can be done in different ways, there are cradles on the market which birds can be sat in or forked supports to hold the neck of the bird up whilst it is placed straight on the floor. It is also a good idea to freeze some entire birds from a previous outing to use as decoys, dead birds are by far the best decoy you can use for obvious reasons.

If you can afford it it is also a good idea to invest in a flapper, bouncer or a pigeon magnet. These are invaluable in attracting birds to your pattern and can often turn around otherwise slow days. Bouncers are the cheapest and you can save money on a magnet if you build your own, all that is needed is an old wiper motor from a car, a battery and some metal work.

Hide poles and camouflage netting are the makings of a decent hide to begin with but it is also advantageous to add local vegetative material to the netting to further blend it in, if cutting material check with the landowner that they are happy for you to do so first.



A well made hide blends in with it's surrounds:

Clothing, there are all kinds of camouflage clothing on the market today, Realtree being by far the most popular. But you need not spend a huge amount of money on specialist clothing, dull natural colours will be fine and the secret is keeping movement to a minimum whilst in the hide. However one item is a must and that is some way to shield your face. Veils and peaked hats are ideal as if you face is left un covered it will shine like a beacon to any bids approaching.

One thing that you cannot go without is a comfortable seat. When out pigeon shooting you may be in the hide for hours on end and having a comfortable seat is a must. Many pigeon shooters choose to use a fishing stool or a shooting stick. There are also purpose made decoying seats that are based upon a barrel with a padded seat added. These also double as a means of transporting some of your equipment

Final piece of advice is to respect the land you are on. Do not damage crops by trampling over them to place decoys or when retrieving shot birds, instead try to use the tram lines created by the tractor. Do not take any chances with the gun, or fire at game or vermin you do not have permission to shoot.

Many thanks to the shooting community for use of the tips and pictures.

http://www.shootingcommunity.co.uk/forum/index.php

DRILLED CROWS

Well its been a while since i got out for a couple of hours propper shooting.Since my last posting i have had a couple of squirrels to remove from a large garden that were demolishing all the feeders that were put out for the birds.It was an easy job as the owner had seen them on many occasions and as squirrels are like clockwork it was a sit and wait and shoot on the hour and luckilly for us they was on time.The owners had seen two regulars and we thought if we got one it would be a good thing but we was suprised that when me old man took the first one within seconds the second squirrel was chuntering like mad at his mate twitching on the floor, so i obliged and sent him the same way as his mate.Just as we was ready to go back to the house a jay came in for some free nuts off the floor but the old man was sharp on this one and took a nice 40yard stander.The owner was very pleased with what we had done in such a short time they invited us back and will be recomended for future work with freinds of theres.

Today we had a call from a farmer who had drilled some maize,he had seen his field black with crows so on the phone to me old man and it was load up and go.If a farmer rings then its do whatever you can to help them out as its them that can soon put an end to some good sport if you dont keep up the work.I have seen on many occasion where lads have had good land and they are once a month shooters if the weather suits them that is,loose the lot and i have been happy to take over and do a job thats kept me going back for 20 years on some grounds.

Well as i was saying ,we drove upto the fields that were black with crows and inkeeping with farmer traditions 1 crow was 20,as 1 rabbit tail bobbing is 40 and over run,we have all seen and heard it at sometime so to see 20 on the field was at least a good start.We drove round to a suitable hedge that would cover us a bit and not show the hide so much and also gave us a bit of cover from above.Setting out 10 crow decoys in a spread out pattern 30 yards from the hide i also opted for some pigeon decoys in between them,i feel if you have both there is more confidence in the crows to come in closer and take a look.The old man had sorted the hide and got the guns out ready so off i went and parked the bus up.

On my way back to the hide i saw a crow coming in low 300 yards away it was great to stand back and watch it come all that way ,not even bothering with danger till me old man stood up at the last second and nailed it stone dead..That was my cue to walk faster and get in the hide before anymore showed up and give him another shot,no way it was my turn.We didnt have to wait long 3 jackdaws were coming at us pretty high but one decided to swoop lower hovering just over the deeks, i didnt want to blow the deeks to bits so i waited and took a higher one out and was just going to take the one that was lower but it went left so i left it for me old man to take out,we have an understanding when both of us are in the hide together no one passes half way if we have more than one bird coming.If its a single or double you take turns thats it,safety is paramount with any sort of gun so stick to it .Well i can talk about this shot and that shot but as you will see from the pick we didnt do to bad for what crows we seen at the start and im sure when more sprouts up it will be black with them,but we will be waiting aswell..

For the last hour we decided to have a go with the hmr on the rabbits around the wood,this year mixy has hit hard so it wasn`t a slaughter hour we just had a go at the 100+ ones that came out,we did manage 3 and a squirrel that was turned a little inside out,i couldnt believe it when we walked upto it..well thats it for another day and lets hope next weekend proves as good if not better..

GOOSY GANDER

Well last week was a quiet one,i had managed to get out with the old man to zero his new hmr ,what a tool this is going to be.We had it shooting half inch groups at 70 yards without trying ,so we thought we would just give it a go on a few bunnies for the last hour.
Rabbit number 1 was a good shot taken at 98 yards hit in the neck ,well what was left of it and it did put a smile on the old codgers face,well that was untill he hit one at 120 yards then i didnt hear the last of it,clint eastwood springs to mind the way he was going on.We did manage to have a couple of long range squirrels aswell before the light faded to much.
While we were walking back we noticed a few geese dropping on a field on the farm next door to mine so we thought we would do a morning and evening watch and see if we could get on a flight line and drop some..the next evening didnt produce any in numbers but in the morning on first light there was loads flocking in on a newly planted field ,well out of reach for us but when they took off it was another matter.The main groups took off away from us but at least 100 of them circled around and came straight over us,some high but a few within range for a 12g.That was it we planned for a hide set up in the hedge about half way along the field and one sitting in the corner behind a sandstone wall that was hiding them from us in the other field.
Next morning after a 5.30 alarm call i got the gear packed up and went to pick the old man up.We arrived at 6 am and started to set up the hide straight away,it was now just a sit and wait and pray something would come .It didnt take too long and the light was just good to see about half a mile away a group of about 100 geese were coming up the valley.my heart was in my mouth listening to the sound of 100 geese honking their lungs out,god only knew what me old man was thinking but i could see them he could only hear them get closer and closer.
NO WAY you wouldnt belive it they turned from us about 60 yards out to my left  to far for the 12g and me old man was 100 yards to my right,gutted was an understatement but there was more we just had to sit and wait.The next hour produced over 500 geese and not one came within range of either of us,they all turned well before us to get to the field that they were all resting on,you could have just gave up, it was so frustrating to watch so many but not get a shot off, i can appreciate what the wildfowler must go through to get these huge birds the didication they put into it you can only admire.
Well we sat and listened for over what seemed hours to the honking from all the geese behind the wall and finally they decided to take off to their feeding grounds.I watched about 200 take off away from us but a group of about 10 circled right and came straigh towards me,they seemed to be climbing but as i stood to take the shot i was just smiling knowing i could easy reach them.Bang, i took one out from the lead 3 first shot but i was so exited i just couldnt take the second shot ,i just watched it fall and thump the ground like a sledge hammer hitting solid concrete.I looked towards the old man and gave him the signal 1.0 ,as i was looking towards him all hell broke loose ,300 geese took off together alarmed by my shot and they were going in all directions.I shouted to me old man that he had 2 coming straight at him over the wall and to get ready.
It seemed like an age watching for him as they came but eventually he got sight of them and bang he missed he turned and bang he took one dropping like a stone,as he took his second shot 20 more must have spooked because they turned 180 degrees and came straight for me.Bang Bang, i took my first right and left goose what a buzz , i was jumping like a kid who had seen santa with hundreds of pressents for him,me old man came out of his hide to pick his goose up punching the air so i looked about and seen the remains of the geese taking flight well away from us.It was great to see me old man walking up the field with his goose in hand what a treat for him to get one on his first time out on them.

Well that was it for the morning and we dicided to call it a day ,we just marveled in the moment of seeing so many geese and managing to get some shots off.We will be keeping a close eye out for them this week and hopefully they might be back.We will see.

WELSH RABBIT

Due to other comitments its been a while since i was out last.

I was recently invited to do a rabbit control job in welshpool on a few grounds that my cousin shoots.We had decided on a lamp session on a golf course and then shoot a couple of farms the next morning.After loading the car up we embarked on the 1 1/2 hour trip up the A5 to the welshpool golf club getting there just before dark.

On reaching the course we saw the odd rabbit out feeding,a good sign i thought to my myself,so off to the club house we went to get sorted and get the buggy ready.

It was dark by the time we had got lamps fitted and guns charged up so off we went to slaughter the green wreckers.

First shine round produced a nice 30yard sitter,i took him out and what a start i thought as we drove to the next green.The next shine showed 3 on the fairway about 80 yards away , within seconds they had bolted for cover,this was not a good sign.

The next 3 fairways produced the same thing , shine and scarper, it didn`t matter if it was red or white light they just wouldnt sit.

The 5th fairway did produce some action nigel took one out on the fairway and as a couple ran they stopped close to the edge of some bushes and i took one out as the other hopped to safety.

This problem lasted for hours and it was apparent that the course was getting poached big time,out of probarbly 200 rabbits that we spotted we only managed 24 shots resulting in 22 rabbits.It was probarbly one of the hardest and most frustrating nights work i have ever done to get a few rabbits in the bag.

The next morning saw a nice sunny day on the cards,warm sun at 7am is just what the doctor ordered and we hoped would bring a few rabbits out to bask in all their glory.We pulled up at the farm and got the kit ready and decided on a split up approach to cover as much ground as possible in double the time.

No sooner had we split up and nigel had bagged his first, i seen it tumble down a little bank stone dead.Great start again i thought but i wasn`t getting my hopes up this time,i had walked along a steep bank into some trees and within 2 mins i had my first shot, a nice squirrel was busy feeding and hadn`t noticed me sighting him up,one stop was all i needed and well ,the rest is history a nice head shot sent him tumbling down the bank into a small stream at the bottom of the steep bank.Now after my last trip where i went for a swim after falling down a bank into the river i wasnt going to risk a second swim so i left him.

On i marched along the thin track and within 40 seconds of shooting the squirrel a rabbit ran across me 25 yards away,it stopped just up the bank near a hole so quickly the rapid went up and i stoned him,after that shot it just went manic, i seen 2 more run about 20 yards behind him up towards some nettles so i walked another 10 yards and found a nice rest in a tree trunk and looked towards the nettles through my scope.

Scanning the nettles i saw the 2 that had ran so i took aim at the clearest in view,an estimate of 40 yards was in my mind so i gave him the first mil dot and let fire.Crack was the sound so i reloaded quickly and checked for the second ,no probs on him ,he was just behind the first one i shot so i took the same aim point and repeated the same thing,crack number 2.As i checked to see if i could see him dead i noticed some movement at the side of the nettles,at first i thought it was the second rabbit ,had i missed ,so i took aim again and made sure this time,just when i thought that was it i seen another hop through the nettles,i could see his head behind a nettle leaf so i took a guess where his eye would be and shot through the leaf,i heard a good crack and the hole in the leaf was just where i had aimed so off i climbed to take a look at what i had.

On reaching the nettles i was suprised to find a small warren ,i found the first and second rabbit right where i had thought i had shot them,the third one was lay over a hole at the side so where was the fourth ,i thought i had missed through the nettle but there was blood over a hole so i had a look down and i could see its tail,i pulled him out and it was a nice clean shot just below its eye,what a great 2 mins that was 5 rabbits and a squirrel, could it get any better only time would tell.

After picking the rabbits up and taking them back to where we split i noticed nigel lying infront of a warren on a bank,i scanned the warren and already i could see 2 dead ones so a good start for him also.

After another walk through the wood i took another squirrel and a rabbit in more or less the same place as the last but this time i picked up the rabbit and carried on to the edge of the path that leads onto the field,after a quick look round nothing was showing so it was back to nigel to count up and back to the farm for refreshments.

Nigel had took 4 more off the warren and what a start 11 rabbits and 2 squirrels in the first hour lets just hope the rest of the day was going to produce.
After a good hour of refreshments we decided on the same split and cover ground trick,i found a nice warren on top of a bank behind the farm and nigel took off along the bottom hedgerow.It didn`t take long before i got the first for me in the bag , a nice clean headshot on the top hole of the warren,in the next 2 hours i was there i managed 11 rabbits from the warren, so i decided on a walk back to the farm and drop off what i had shot before moving to another warren that i had spotted rabbits infront further down the field.While i was at the car nigel had been busy as i found 10 in a bag under the car,things were looking good.Over the few hours more that we had stayed the sun got hotter and the rabbits didnt seem to come out as much but after a good walk round we had managed over 60 rabbits to finish the trip,what a shame the lamping session didn`t live up to expectations.

Maybee next time.......

A GOOD WEEK ALL ROUND

At last some weather we hunters have all been waiting for.The week started when me and the old man took a drive to some stubble fields to see what was about,we seen a small group of pigeon and crows feeding together so we decided to chuck some deeks out and see what happened for a couple of hours.

I started off the pattern in a horse shoe with 4 crows added behind them in a group.

It wasn`t long before we hit our first pigeon crossing right to left me old man took it like a season pro,a big smile beamed across his face.In the next half hour we took a couple more between us but it was slow.

I decided to change the patter to a L shape setup as i wasn`t confident with the way the horse shoe was bringing them in and it had instant results.A crow had come straight across the field to take a look at the deeks and we noticed some white on it,me old man took aim and dropped it stone dead,i went to retrieve it as it was upside down and took it back to the hide.We were both suprised by it as when i opened its wings up it was like a hybrid magpiexcrow.

After that the shooting just got better we took as many crows as pigeon and ended the afternoon with a pretty good bag considering it was just turn up and shoot.

On friday i took a trip up lancaster with a few guys from the RAPID 7 OWNERS CLUB.The ground belongs to the Duke of Westminster and one of the lads nephew is a gamekeeper on there so we get invited a few times a year to knock some rabbits off.We had reports of some serious mixy on the ground but theres always healthy ones to go at so we wasn`t to down about it.We got there about 1.30pm and started shooting about 3 once we had got settled in the cottage that we stay in.

The first run was a trip to the hills that we do alot of damage on,i sat on the boot of the motor and shot off the bipod as we went up the track,everything that was shot on the way up had mixy not a good start but at least we had ended the suffering for those poor fellas.Once uptop we split up and had a walk around to see what was healthy and where the worst mixy areas were.The two main warrens were healthy but strangely the ones that live in the tall marsh grass were really bad with mixy.

After tea we decided on the lamp session we would stick close to the cottage and see what it was like,we split up again and the sight was amazing.Hundreds of eyes staring at you in every field was an understatement, its rabbit heaven.I stayed out for a couple of hours and met up with the lads after and it was the same old story ,shot 30 picked up 5-10 good ones ,the rest mixy,what a shame for this ground.Good job there is thousands of acres to go at.

In the morning we had a walk round again untill dinner time came to early and me and dave had to come home leaving the other two for another 24hrs bashing.

The count for the first day was 90 healthy ones and at least double killed with mixy so there was plenty of shots taken.After a phone call from allan the next day it was the same report ,shoot ten pick one or two healthy ones up,hopefully it will be better next month when we do battle again..

IT JUST AINT HAPPENING

Well what a couple of weeks of hot weather we are NOT having.I took a weeks hols up north for a family visit hoping for some nice weather , not a chance ,rain , rain and more rain.Well at least it was good to catch up after a few years to many.

Well it was my time to repay a favour when i got back and had to take a freind out who had done me a few good favours helping with a flat i had to do up.I had borrowed him one of my spare rifles as his rabbit stopper was not upto the job in my eyes and took him to the local patch where i was sure he would get a few.

On the first walk round we split up and had a go sniping,we waited for a good hour but nothing showed for him,i took 2 with the rapid.
The wind had picked up now and so decided for a slow walk round,splitting up again we took each side of a good field to walk round.I managed to take a good shot between some nettles for a healthy buck.When we met up me mate had 3 shots but unfortunately missed them,he is a novice so he had his excuses.

Walking around the next fields together we managed to spot a few but the wind was proving a little to much for me mate and a few more misses was the result.On the way back to the motor as the light was fading we spotted one out in the paddock 30 yards away, resting on a post gareth took the shot and how lucky he was to be in a sheltered spot,he nailed it stone dead.
Chuffed was an understatement, i was glad for him to finaly get one and the smile on his face said it all.

One last thing that made me think plumbers cant count was ,we spotted a half grown about 20 yards away ,no chance of a miss here i thought.Gareth took the shot it just stood there looking at him laffin.I picked the rapid up to take a shot and it ran off before i could get it .When we got back to the car after a little banter he had realised that he had took ten shots and the mag had been empty on the half grown shot.What a plonker rodney.

RODNEY TAKING A POSE

Well apart from a misserable day out with the shotty with me old man the weather has not calmed down to do some real damage,maybee this weekend might be better .Wee will see.

A CRACKING WEEK

Well what a good week its been.My brother had come down from scotland for a holiday and he had been plaguing me to take him out with the shotty,so as the birds had arrived in the wood i thought i would kill two birds with one stone,(take him out and go on fox patrol around the pens).

The sun was beaming when we got to the woods.As we walked to the main pen a squirrel spotted us and made a run for it,bad mistake , a few no6s was on there way and took him out no probs.Good start i thought.

Checking the traps didnt bring any foxes so decided to go a walk to a good spot where we usually see one.As we got to the pithole i noticed a few hares playing about on the back side in the field,i was so engrosed watching them i didnt notice a fox crossing the field trying to sneak up on the hares.Luckilly me brother spotted it and called me over to show where she was.

I dropped like a stone sliding along the fenceline like a slug on steroids hopeing it wasnt to far away when i got to the corner of the fence.

looking over the nettles i couldnt see a thing,"what a bummer", i thought it had gone but no it was about 60 yards in a little dip.Out came to no6s and in went the alphamax no way was it gonna get away if i got a shot off.

I looked up again and gave a little squeek it stopped but was to engrossed in the hares to look back,i gave a louder squeek then there was no hesitation it came in like an exocet missile straight into a path of lead,well worth the trip and brother was beaming.

As me old man has been comming out alot lately he has decided to go fac and shotty, so early sat mornin we had a trip down south to pick him up a shotty.As he dont have his ticket yet it went on mine ,to see the look on his face when i took it home with me was a sight , im sure he seen on my face many times as a kid when i couldnt have an ice cream.

Sunday afternoon was his first go with a shotty what a natural ,he hit everything he put the gun upto , he even managed 3 pigeons and a jay flying 2 rabbits running ,oh i forgot he missed one rabbit that was sitting 20 yards away.lol.well we cant get them all even with a shotty( cough cough).I managed 2 more jays a crow and for the second time in the last 3 years i managed 3 rabbits with one shot,totally unexpected ,thought it was only one till we walked up and found 2 more about 2 feet behind it in the long grass what a result.Well with all the bragging he was doing next day we decided to go check on some barley fields and decoy a few.

Now this was a different story what a cock up he was missing everything at first , back to reality for him .I had to laff a bit but once he got into his stride he did knock a few over and i had a few to just give the small bag a lift..One thing i have learnt though is you cant leave the shotty in the cabinet too long or you will end up as bad as me old man till you get a couple of shots off and get back into the swing of things.

Well thats it for this week apart from an invite from my cousin to help out on a local golf club sorting the rabbits out.To cut a long story short we had a ride round on the golf buggy and had 15 in an hour on the main problem greens and gave it neck as its his bit of shooting and didnt want them all wiping out in a night , cant blame him but i was itching to get more.

well thats it till next time ..happy hunting.

HIDE AND SEEK BUNNIES

STALKING....

Well what a summer this is turning out to be NOT.The ground i was on this week is usually a good sniping ground but with the way the rain has come the ground is just to wet to lie down on.This time i opted to go for a walk around just to show face again,we have got to keep the farmers happy or the ground will just be passed on to someone els.I started on the paddocks where there is the odd rabbit to pick off, with it being early still the horse owners are about and the rabbits are usually a bit reluctant to show till it quietens down.

The first paddock showed two full growns eating between a few nettle patches,i took the closest one as i know these will run when they hear the whack of the pellet hitting home so theres no point going longer to try and get the other to stay out for a second shot.First shot of the day and one nice clean kill.Took a walk around the rest and nothing was showing at all.

Second stage was a walk around the big field,its now getting well over grown in some places with alot of ragwort and dock so they have got alot of hideing places.The only way to shoot this type of ground is to walk in slow motion,and i mean slow as i was to find out.After walking half of the field which in my mind was the slowest i thought needed, i had seen atleast 10 rabbits run in behind me,obviously laffin at me as i hadnt spotted them,everytime i turned round one was waving goodbye, they was a dead ringer for a pile of horse poo when i seen them in the field,no way was they a rabbit.Time for a quick cuppa and a rethink on how i was missing these rabbits it wasnt going to do me any favours going back empty handed and the farmer seeing all these rabbits the day before.





Now refreshed and thinking of my master plan to nail these poo rabbits i headed back on my round of the big field.This time i opted for a snail pace and stop every 10 yards and have a good couple of minutes scanning every clump of weeds and every horse poo.It didnt take long before i spotted one hiding between a clump of ragwort,only 20 yards from me i scoped him up and nailed him.I carried this same routine all the way along the hedgeline looking into the clusters of weeds and finding one every 20-30 yards.5-0 to me after that walk round and no runners ,who`s the daddy now then i was thinking.

Time was getting on now so i opted for another walk around the paddocks,rabbits dotted all over the place only problem is now they know the cammo dressed man is going to kill them so its alot harder as there is not many places to sneak up on them.Half hour had passed and luckily i had managed to shoot a few more, missing 2 sitters in the process.Decided to gather up and back to the car for a quick drink again before i tackled the big field again for the last walk round.While i was having a cuppa the farmer asked me to sort a couple of collard doves out as he had a few to many so i sat near a pylon they like and sure enough within 2 mins i had the couple he wanted gone.

Back to the rabbits now and a repeat of last round, walk 10 scan 2 ,walk 10 scan 2 i was like a machine and the rabbits didnt stand a chance,apart from 3 that i didnt see with my dolls eyes on,but we cant get them all can we. Well it turned out to be a good evening in the end and luckilly the rain started just as i was pulling out of the farm yard,so hopefully it might just calm down for a couple of days so i can get out again.

BACK IN FULL SWING

With the weather taking a bit of a setback this week i decided to have a walk round one of my shoots thats not to far away from cover if it decided to pour down on me.I went and picked the old man up after a little arm bending ,he is a fine weather shooter and set off on the 10 min jurney to the shoot.We hadn`t shot this for about a month so the farmer was a little pleased when we turned up.The shoot is mainly horse padocks with a nice 2 acre field with some very big prize cows on it and a few big rabbits to boot.

It wasn`t long before we got into things,the first paddock produced two nice shots close together,me old man was to slow so i nailed both.

Next paddock me old man spotted one hiding in the nettles and cleanly dispatched that one.

As we walked to the next paddock i saw a nice sized rabbit squatting in open ground 25-30 yards away.What an easy shot i thought, i was waiting for me old man to take a shot but he thought it was a pile of horse muck i was looking at so hadnt raised the rifle.I took the shot and like a first class pillock i missed,typical i thought,next time i wont be to relaxed and think i will hit it with me eyes closed.

Soon after the heavens opened so we rushed to a barn and decided to have a quick drink and a bite to eat.When i asked the old man if he wanted a drink he replied "i have me own cheers" and when he pulled the bottle from his bag i had to laff.I think he been watchin chris yates and bob james from a Passion For Angling,a nice bottle of white wine.Oh well i though,it might improve his shooting,i stuck to me blackcurrant drink.

After the rain and thunder stopped we were back out on the rabbit trail,i went one way and the old man went another.We was only half hour and had another 6 between us so that was productive as we was just taking a steady walk round.The best way to shoot this ground we have found is sniping but as it was so wet we had to walk but it seemed to be working today and just as it was going good the heavens opened up again,back to the barn again.

It was gettin a bit late now so we thought hell to it and had one more walk about together and to see me old man pull off some cracking shots was great as he is still pretty new to the air riffle side of shooting ,we did manage a few more and put a smile on the farmers face when he seen the end results.

Well thats it till sunday , i will probably be on my own or may even go and get me mate with his 22.250 and sort some foxes out.Will let you know how we get on.

BACK TO NORMALITY

After a week away down south wales its depressing to be back to the normal grind every day brings.It was a beautiful place where we was staying, Saundersfoot,right near the harbour looking onto the beach every morning.Me and the brother in law had to make the early walk to do a spot of fishing every morning, oh, and every evening tide on the harbour wall.

The thing that makes this place so welcoming is the locals,they had us in stitches every time we met up on the harbour,it was just like fishing a local pond with the same amount of banter that is thrown accross the water at anyone who needs the mickey taken out of them, when things are slow,just to keep you sane and not bored to tears.

We did manage to kick the locals into touch this time on the amount of fish caught through out the week,especially when the mackerel showed up.This is the place i could go to live ,and what makes it even more appealing..RABBITS bloody loads of them every where we went.

So thats enough of depressing myself even more now im back.

I had a call from a mate who wanted some squirrels for his young hawk,so went and picked me mate up to have a walk around me local woods that i beat on.I took the 12g as i was still knackered from me week away and me mate took his rapid.The main reason for the rapid was the squirrels need as less shot as possible for hawk meat as a lead pellet is all thats needed to kill a young hawk,so that makes the air rifle perfect for this job as its easier to find the .22 pellet.

I was just making the numbers up and taking anything that happened to fly over within reach of the no 6 shot i was shooting.

Well i will keep this one short n sweet.I managed to nail a crow and a jay on me walk about and me buddy ( phill ) managed two nice squirrels for the hawk.

It was a slow welcome back to shooting after fishing all week,and just what i needed to wind down..

A COUPLE OF HOURS WITH ME OLD MAN SNIPING..

After a phone call from my dad i reluctantly (cough cough) agreed to go check a ground that we hadnt shot for a while as the farmer had mentioned a couple of rabbits runnin about.

On reaching a favourite spot we noticed 5 out feeding,so i walked across the field in a way that the rabbits seen me but made them think i was walking away just to run them in.

As usual i put me dad where i knew was a good spot and i went round the corner of the spinney to ambush any that came out that side.

As usual we was only set up 5 mins when i heard a crack 1.0 to me old man,10 mins later i was sweating me perverbials off under the desert sun when i heard another crack 2.0 to the old git.

As the roasting got worse i noticed a rabbit close to the hedge i was shooting into,took aim crack,missed,sh.t how did that happen i cracked its ears.

Now im real pi..ed off sweating like a pig on a roast for half hour ,missing the only shot i had present itself i decided a scope check.What a pillock the golden rule CHECK YOUR BLOODY ZERO i hadn`t.Oh well next time he wont be so lucky...

On to the next spot. I was under a hawthorn bush 35 yards fron a small warren that i seen 2 run in,set up nice and comfy and waiting in the shade, while me old man got a good sun soaking this time.

While i was taking some amature pics with the camera on my phone through the scope,i noticed a nice brown furry colour sat on the hole i was looking at,up goes the scope cross on his nut crack.Hoo bloody ray made up for the last mistake.Managed to get a pic of it through the scope as it lay dead over the hole.

That was enough for me then ,was too bloody hot and had to get back home before the mrs got in..lol..

From the pictures you will see how low the grass is and how easy it was to still nail a couple that would otherwise had lived for another day if we was just walking about.

If you look close enough you might see me old man on the right of the first pic in the grass against a fence..click on pic to enlarge it ,you will see no fancy stuff just lie down and keep still.

SOME TIPS ON GETTING CLOSE TO SHOOT RABBITS

RABBITS........... SNIPING....

The thing that i hear most and i feel quite tickled by it is the amount of , i got to use this new stuff thats come out to hide my scent(it stinks) , i never wash my clothes(he must stink worse) , i crawled on my hands and knees for 20 mins (guess what it ran off before he got a shot off).I could go on and make the list endless but forget about hiding your scent the most important thing is camofluage 1st and last thats the only rule you need to keep in your mind..
It is quite obvious that you cant go running round a wood or field just because your wearing camo and think you will get a shot , just wear the right gear walk very slowly and you will get shots without fail..Today theres more camoflauge patterns than you could imagine i use many different types but whatever i wear i will make sure it blends in with the surroundings.
One of the easiest ways to shoot rabbits is to watch where they come into the field or where the warrens are and sit and wait for them.You dont need to be smart here this is foolproof.I lie out in the field 30 yards from the hedge with a bipod fitted to my rifle.I wear a head net and cap and gloves to compliment what camo im wearing just to hide any flesh.I have found it doesnt matter what way the wind is blowing , wether its straight at a warren or hedge they are coming out of they will still come out,i have proved this on many occasion.the only reason i lie out in the field is it optimises your chances as you can see all along the hedge line or warren and not blocking access for others to come out if you was against a hedge.If you have a rangefinder you can use this to your advantage before you start shooting,pick your furthes aim point that you are confident with and work off the readings once they start coming out.Dont shoot over your capabilities as 9times out of 10 you miss and let others know there is danger when he runs off back to his holes.If it has a large head of rabbits on the ground where your shootin dont pick up every rabbit you shoot straight away,you can shoot many even when theres dead ones lying everywhere the still come out , whait till you have finished in that spot then pick up and move to another , then repeat it all over again.
Thats the bottom line on this subject and will get you plenty of kills if you carry out what i have mentioned , just keep still then when they come out bang..easy as that..hope it helps and good sniping..