Boredom Leads to Weight Gain!

So having spent all my 'day passes' that the wife grants me recently I was imprisoned inside Mawders Manor bored and desperate for some airgun action!

With one kid at nursery, the other just fallen asleep and Mrs Mawders doing some housework I set about mooching, only not in the field but in my man cave otherwise known as the kitchen!

With that in mind I remembered that I had taken stock just recently of a tin of .22 Falcon Accuracy Plus pellets. The Tinternet a wash with raving reviews about these pellets and how accurate they were in most rifles I knew I just had to try a tin. Being a spring piston shooter I was also intrigued to see how they would perform in my rifle as they are one of the lightest pellets on the market and being as a springer loves the lighter pellets and PCP's preferring the heavier pellets I have high hopes for these jelly beans.



The field testing will have to wait for another day unfortunately but I'll start with pellet weights.

Pellet Weights? Really?

Now I have always prided myself on being the type of shooter that picks his trusty springer, grabs a handful of his favourite pellets, empties them in his pocket and walks out the door to begin his adventure. I have lost count of all the threads on forums and articles stating anyone that wants to get the best out of their shooting needs to weigh, separate, wash and lube their pellets. I have heard good and bad points from both sides but never done it myself till today.

Armed with my mates junkie scales and two brands of pellets I went about weighing each pellet individually on the junky scales. For the purposes of the test I grabbed a handful from each tin and counted out approximately 70 pellets and started putting them to the test.

Now the main reason for doing this is to actually see if what some people are saying about inaccurate pellet weights to whats listed on the tin is true. I have heard some horror stories about some pellets being weighed and being a whole grain to the two grains heavier or lighter than those stated on the tin. This in turn doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that if you have a well calibrated rifle and scope and rely on pellet weights to keep chairgun figures optimised then having a pellet that doesn't quite weigh what your telling chairgun wont do what chairgun says it will. This in turn can cause your shot to fall low/high of the target and for those people that compete at the highest level this could be catastrophic.

Luckily I haven't reached those dizzy heights yet and very much just like a nice mooch now and again for some food for the table or the thrill of the hunt. However a recent hunting trip got me questioning this pellet weighing debate as a few shots presented themselves and I missed on both occasions. Now I put this down to adrenaline, hold technique could have been off slightly or numerous other variables that plaque the pop gun community.

Falcon Accuracy Plus

So first up were the Falcon Accuracy Plus weighing 13.43 grains according to the tin!

 

Now I would like to stress that I didnt weigh the whole tin but my first impressions were awesome. The long line in the middle are the pellets weighing 13.4 grains. Which is as close as I could get the scales to the advertised 13.43 weight. Each line either side is .1 of a grain so for instance to the right is 13.5 grains.

I can only assume having not weighed all the pellets that the theme would continue nicely. There were however no nasty surprises of pellets being a whole grain lighter or heavier and for that it could just reflect on the quality of the pellets and their manufacturer which I believe is now Air Arms.

Air Arms Field Diablo

Next to be tested were the AA Fields in 5.52 head size and weighing in at an advertised 16 grains.



Again, nothing scientific was done to select the pellets for testing, it was pretty much what was left in the tin actually. The longest line in the picture shows the pellets that weighed exactly what was reported on the tin of 16 grains. The lines to the left and right again show pellets in order of .1 of a grain size so taking the far right line shows pellets weighing 16.1 grains.

As with both brands of pellets, the picture and tests show that for these two brands alone on this occasion there was no big shocks in terms of extra light or heavy pellets causing massive accuracy issues. I am no expert but I am sure that .1 of a grain surely cant make that much difference to the point of impact on the target car or vermin.

Both pellets are considered to be the more quality assured pellet and are both sat at the top of the airgun pellet price list so its pleasing to see that there are no major concerns with what I tested. I would have liked to have had a brand of 'plinking' pellets or not as well known pellets to compare weights but unfortunately didnt. Maybe those results would have been far more shocking!

I got to the end of my test with the intention of separating the 13.4 and 13.3 pellets out of the Falcon Accuracy Plus and using these for hunting and target shooting at the range as I considered they would be consistent but in the end I just poured them all back into the same tin and put the lid on.

A Wasted Test

Maybe, who knows, I was bored, I needed to test a theory that us airgunners are being lied to on pellet weights and I had a spare few hours. I realised that if my strings of pellets ranged from 13.1 to 13.5 grains with the majority being 13.4 grains then that was acceptable for me. Had I of seen variations of a whole grain or two then I certainly would have left those separated for plinking purposes only.

I would love to hear anyone else's experiences of pellet weighing and coming across shocking results and the opinions of those that still think my weights are unacceptable or acceptable.

Conclusion

I'll remain that shooter that grabs a handful of pellets and empties them into his pocket whilst picking up the trusty springer for a mooch round the permission. Maybe in the new year when I try my hand at HFT I'll be persuaded otherwise but for now I'll leave the weighing or forgetting to weigh to the manufacturers.

Change of Circumstances!

A good friend of mine kept reminding me over the later half of the summer months that my blog was in need of some attention and that I had to get something on the site.

I couldn't help but agree but at the same time couldn't really think of anything report worthy to grace the blog as after all the summer we experienced was probably one of the worst weather wise I have experienced for as long as I care to remember. It seemed as thought the summer came and went in a matter of weeks and what we were left with was the on set of the great floods Noah experienced. I must admit this left me feeling rather let down and resentful towards the gods. Coupled with a really busy period for me work wise and a ban on any form of time off due to the London Olympics there wasn't a great deal of time left for shooting.

I'm glad to report that this changed recently and so did my shooting style.

The rabbits that once proved my quarry of choice over the warmer months are all but gone on my local permission. The landscape still shows signs of their existence coupled with piles of droppings and visible runs but their feeding times and social hours have somewhat changed due to the change in seasons and as always on this permission it would appear they are now enjoying the landscape at night. During the warmer months the rabbits seemed to go about their business at all times of the day as long as there was sunshine to warm their bones.

quite the opposite to rabbits however I have decided that due to the seasonal change and the colder weather night time hunting would be no go for now as come the evening my nice warm bed is often calling me. So a change in quarry to hunt was in order and one that I could also put food on the table with.

The Woodpigeon

Some background on the species,

The woodpigeon, Columba palumbus, has been native to Great Britain for centuries, its cousin in mainland Europe is migratory but we have the only sedentary population of the species that exists.  We probably have as many as 15-20 million birds in the UK. 

The population is healthy, the bird breeds at least twice, and in good warm summers three times, a year and they lay two eggs at a time.  It has been guesstimated that we shoot around a third of this increasing population and more than 200,000 people hunt the woodpigeon in the UK every year.

The woodpigeon is easy to recognise; a delicate grey overall with white wing bars and, in the adults, a white neck band.  The underside of the body is a rich mixture of colours from pink to mauve.  A bright yellow eye, a wingspan of just over two feet and an extraordinary capacity for aerobatics. Our bird weighs around 20 ounces and is capable of more than 50 miles an hour in level flight.

These birds taste lovely cooked and make for a very interesting meal. There are many ways that you can cook them including plucking and preparing the whole bird and roasting it in the oven or doing what I prefer to do and actually de-breasting the bird using only the fine breast meat. This also serves two purposes, not only does it provide a nice meal for you and he family but also the remains of the bird can be left in the field hidden from view so not to alarm members of the public. Go back the next day and I can almost guarantee that the remains will no longer be there, Mr Fox and his family probably being the main suspects to have enjoyed a winter midnight snack.

Now for anyone wanting to enjoy the sport of pigeon shooting there are a lot of things one should know about the bird and what to look for. I can break this up into several categories to help make the experience enjoyable for those that wish to pursue Columba Palumbus! Before I start though I must state that you should only be shooting pigeons if you are going to eat the bird or use a food source for another animal or person or if the bird is causing damage to property or damage to crops. You should never take the life of another living animal on this planet unless you are confident it meets the criteria of the above situations and care should be taken at all times to ensure that a clean humane kill is bestowed on the pigeon to stop any suffering on the animal. Nothing is more distressing than having to chase quarry across the field watching it suffer. Sometimes a change in circumstances just as the shot is taken amount to a foul shot and this can not be helped but its important to at all times to ensure you respect your quarry.

Patience

When hunting woodpigeon there are several ways you can go about it and will vary depending on your type of permission you have to shoot on. 

The Farmyard
If your permission is a farm and you have access to the barns and working areas of the farms you might often find woodpigeon around the buildings perched on top of barn roofs, silage containers and perched on top of telegraph poles. They will also sit in the small trees surrounding the farm yard if there are some. If your permission sounds like the above then best practice would be to stalk quietly and slowly around the farm buildings. You should also stalk where possible around the buildings in the direction that favours you. What I mean by this is that if you are right handed and shoulder the rifle into your right shoulder then you should walk around buildings in the anti clockwise direction. If you are left handed then you would move around buildings in the opposite direction. The reason for this is because as you round the corner of the building you need to be rifle first so that if you spot a target you can shoulder the rifle whilst staying as close to the wall of the building as you can and even use it as support to take a more stable shot especially when shooting at an upwards angle. If you try this method the next time you go shooting you will see that less of your body will be showing to the target and should provide better results.

Open Fields
If your permission is open fields surrounded by borders of trees and fences then your shooting style will be much different from that around the farmyard. You will not have the opportunity to use buildings and farm machinery to block the view your target has and get closer. The more practical approach in these circumstances would be to hug the border of the field and move very slowly constantly watching the tree along the border line. Woodpigeons have excellent eyesight and are wily creatures. Nine times out of ten they will see you along time before you identify them and will beat a hasty retreat to safety. This method of pigeon shooting is probably the most difficult of all and requires excellent field craft and lots of patience however there is a more effective way to deal with these situations using hides and decoys. I will cover this section in my next blog update as this is how I have effectively dealt with our friend the Columba Palumbus!

Woodland Permission
For those fortunate to be able to shoot in a woodland permission then this can sometimes be the most effective way to shoot woodpigeons and provides hours of fun and entertainment along with the opputunity to shoot other members of the UK  vermin register such as crows, magpies and squirrels. The trick here is to move again slowly through the woodland and find a tree that the provides evidence of where the woodpigeon likes to roost or and. The tell tale signs here will be lots of droppings on the trunk of the tree or around the base of the tree indicating that the tree is well used for resting after a busy morning or afternoons feeding. You can also do this a few days before your shoot, simply visit the area and do a reccy of the woodland. This will mean when the day comes to shoot you know exactly where you need to head to and get set up waiting for the first pigeons of the day. Whilst waiting for them to land whilst its still you can even spend some time practising your ranges by shooting dead twigs up in the tree learning what hold over or hold under you will need when looking through your rifles scope. Remember to find yourself somewhere where you can see the tree in question and arrange a comfy seating area in the shadows or behind some natural cover to break up your outline. Full camo clothing is also essential along with a face cover and hat. You have to remember that the woodpigeons eyesight is one of the keenest of the bird kingdom and they will spot shiny skin in the sun light or the flash of metallic objects.

Closing Comments
Remember that to hunt this species you must be patient. Now and again you may find yourself fortunate to have that lucky moment where you ambush a sleepy pigeon or one lands near you against all the odds and you manage to get that shot off but for the best part it will be hard work and take a lot of time to be successful. I wouldn't urge you to go shooting planning to use your target quarry as the nights dinner either as you may end up going home hungry, they really can be that difficult to successfully hunt.

Woodpigeons can be shot all throughout the year and with this in mind provide for excellent sport. No matter what time of the year you decide to shoot them though make sure you take with you supplies to make your trip comfortable.  In the colder months make sure you put extra layers of clothing on as sat in a windy wet patch of woodland feeling the elements and no opportunity to get up and walk about can become depressing to say the least. Always take a pack lunch with you and a flask of the hot stuff to keep hydrated. The good thing about pigeon shooting is it can be sociable, taking along your shooting partner and having a good old chin wag whilst waiting for the Columba Palumbus to land! 

My next blog update will show how I successfully shoot the woodpigeons on my permission using hides, decoys and patience. 

Until next time, all the best

Mawders

      

HW95K Mooch

Tuesday 17th July 2012

Weather, cloudy but warm, time, 17:00 hours.

I decided to try and get a green flag from Mrs Mawders to go for a mooch at one of my permissions. She agreed so I placed the newly acquired HW95K in the boot of the car and drove the 10 or so miles to airgun heaven.

I arrived at the perm and went about checking the zero in the barn. The range was 30 yards. So after using PCP's to date and getting lazy with my hold technique a return to springer heaven has meant that I need to loose my habits and start learning all over again. I kept telling myself, "dont hold it to tight, stop gripping it like that". After a few minutes I was pleased to see that the zero was still bang on and after 30 or so shots getting back into the swing of things I then went about producing 5p piece eshots through a piece of ply wood. every time I fired a marker shot and then sat with my mouth open when I was banging further pellets through the same hole. A really satisfying feeling as anyone that has done this will know. Whats more I was using a springer!!!! yeah that type of rifle that cant hit a barn door at 20 yards if not held correctly. But this time I was in the zone. Then towards the end of the zeroing shot I got complacent and the springer kicked me in the backside and woke me up. Its so easy to not give the rifle the correct hold and BAM, shots flying everywhere. But this is whats great about the simple springer, you win some you lose some.

I will say though that the accuracy on this rifle is nothing short of amazing provided I do my part.



So, I thought I would have a quick mooch around the fields. I crossed the gate into the field and could immediately see rabbits everywhere but no where near me, the closest I guestimated at 200 yards. The mooch was on, I stalked up the field and aimed for the nearest rabbit, I walked crouched down for what felt like an eternity and managed to get within 40 yards, "hmm" I thought. Do I take the shot or do I wait to see if bugsy comes closer. Well Bugsy made his mind up first and flippantly hopped away to safety completely unaware of my presence.

"grrr", by this time the local cows and 2 Bulls on the field had taken a shine to my ninja like appearance and decided to come over, I was hanging around. The big bull is exactly that and ive seen him tossing other cows around when the get to close so I decided to walk slowly towards the barbed wire fence and hop through into the next field to stalk further up towards the hedgerow. Knowing the cows would leave me alone if I walked on the other side of the barbed wire fence.

I got approximately 60 yards towards the hedges and spotted two rabbits out munching the grass. "perfect" I could use the long grass and barbed wire fence in my field to block their view as I mooched towards them on my belly dragging myself and the HW95K towards my prize.

I reached a small shrub and could see the rabbits still feeding in the field to my left but needed to get closer so put my head down, hood up on my Jack Pyke smock and belly crawled further forward.

This is my view looking back, you can see the small shrub about 10 yards away that I first stopped at but continued on my way.



This next picture shows the view from my position. The rabbits sat munching at what I thought was about 30 yards away.





I raised my head, aimed the rifle and steadied my breath, the wind had picked up by this point and changed direction gusting from behind me towards their direction. Both of them sat up on their back legs looking around, noses twitching. They knew I was near but couldnt see me as I lay covered by the Jack Pyke clothing and tall grass around me. They started hopping around towards the hedgerow moving slightly further away from me and not wishing to stay still for to long. One of the pair, a fully grown, stopped, I had been tracking her in my scope. She turned side on and sat upright sniffing the air. I took steady aim just below the ear with the Hawke Panorama, crystal clear optics in the fading light. I held my breath, took up stage 1 of the trigger and then squeezed stage 2 maintaining my view down the scope.

A dull thud from the HW and the pellet made its impact with a crack. The bunny bowled over onto its side and with an outstretched back leg waved goodbye to this life. the other rabbits ran for cover. I sat and waited for a few minutes but nothing came back. 

I walked towards my prize and paced out the distance which I thought was 30 yards. I got to 30 yards and kept on counting. "oh no" I thought. I got to 45 yards and realised my head shot was in fact a clean heart and lung shot through one shoulder and out the other, blood trickling from the rabbits nose and mouth signifying the heart shot. I felt angry with myself. It could have gone so horribly wrong but as luck would have it on this occasion the pellet did its thing and the vital organs had been hit. 



We all want those perfect kills and we owe it to our chosen target to dispatch them as humane as possible. On this occasion it had been but what made me angry was the fact I didn't aim for that region and it could have gone as stated wrong.

I placed my prize on the side and continued my mooch. The cows had started showing interest by this point and I decided to call it a night with just the one kill. So I headed back over to the shrub I left my rabbit at to see a poacher on my permission, I waved my arms and shouted but Mr Fox showed me his middle finger and beat a hasty retreat across the field with MY rabbit in its mouth!

Oh well, a most excellent adventure out practising my shooting and a good stalk to top of the night. My next purchase may just have to be a laser range finder!

All The Best

Mawders

The New HW95K is Here!

Wednesday 11th July 2012

The phone rings and what felt like an eternity of waiting was over, it was Tony from Sandwell Field Sports telling me my new rifle was ready for collection. I couldn't wait to get hold of her, I had placed my order 3 weeks before and was yearning to get back out into the field.

Friday 13th July 2012 

The day had arrived, the time was 10am and I had just dropped off my Mrs at work and the kids at nursery. Sat Nav set up, some smokes rolled for the journey and I set off on the 60 mile journey to meet Tony and collect the rifle. I arrived at the shop about 50 mins later and walked in, the shop was already packed and customers were all waiting for Tony's attention. The customary coffee was presented to me and I told Tony to serve the other customers whilst I had a mooch around the Aladdin's cave that is SFS. Goodies and toys everywhere, so much so I was getting a headache thinking about all the things I would have to smuggle back into the house and past the Mrs.

The time had come to unwrap my new toy, Tony presented me with my scope choice first, the Hawke 4-12 x 40 AO IR Panorama EV. I held it in my hand and marvelled at its beauty. I then looked through the lens and lowered the magnification looking out across the shop, "wow" were the words that fell out of my mouth. Tony smiled and said "thats a lovely scope that Phil, and my favourite scope at the moment". I couldn't agree more, the lens was so pure and crisp and the cross-hairs were fine and detailed etched onto the lens. I knew I had chosen well.

Tony then took my stage 1 tuned HW95K from its box and handed it over for my inspection, an instant smile came across my face. It was everything I hoped it to be. The days of PCP's had bored me and this I hope is my return to spring town heaven. Ive always loved the looks and reported accuracy of the HW95K but never got round to owning one so this was my springer of choice. The rifle felt light enough to carry on the hunt but not flimsy due to the solid German engineering. Tony mounted the scope and mounts to the rifle and we went up stairs to put some lead through the barrel on the indoor range. Tony fired about 5 shots before stating "thats bang on Phil, pellet through pellet". The time then came for me to have a go with my new gun, I sat and marvelled at its brilliance before cocking the barrel and loading a H&N FTT pellet in 5,53 head size. A quick thud and the pellet flew hitting a few mm from where Tony had shot. Practice will rectify this when I get used to how the gun reacts and mastering spring rifle technique. I smiled my little face off like a fat kid in a chocolate factory.

I cant thank Tony enough for the work he has done to the rifle, its a real delight to fire and has got me smiling again whilst using it. Something the PCP scene just doesnt do for me. The shops impressive and his prices on kit, rifles and equipment is very very competitive. I would urge anyone who lives within a reasonable distance to at least try SFS once. I know I will continue to make the 60 mile trip there and 60 mile trip home again from now on.

A few more goodies purchased in the shop and I went home to admire my purchase.





I went out yesterday and zeroed the scope for 30 yards in an open barn, this next picture shows 4 shots spread out which were zeroing shots followed by 20 shots then through that hole which the 5p piece covered.



not bad from a springer at 30 yards in the kneeling supported position from a shooter who had long forgotten the proper hold technique and principles due to shooting pcp. I must say things can only get better for me and this rifle, ill continue to learn the proper technique and the action on the rifle will continue to bed in. The rifle has only had about 150 shots through it so far.

All in all I am well happy with my purchase. I had a little stalk in the field and managed to bag a bunny at 30 yards exactly with the rifle so its been bloodied on its first outing. only a baby bunny though and forgot to take a pic of the rabbit.

Anyone considering a HW95K or using Tony's services at SFS then I cant rate either of them high enough. Pure class on both fronts.

Superten to go!

So since getting back into the sport of Airgun shooting I purchased a second hand very well looked after BSA Superten MK3 BBK in my preferred calibre of .22.

The rifle was fantastic and per my posts on this very blog it proved to be a very accurate piece of kit. But there in lay the problem, it was boringly accurate. I used the rifle for many months and couldn't fault it at all. In my opinion  probably the best PCP air rifle there ever was. I grew up in the early 90's in my teens and that's when I got into using air rifles to plink and to hunt. In those days the only real viable tool for the job was a spring piston air rifle. With those comes fun and excitement, even more common, frustration! It was all about mastering the hold technique to operate and shoot the rifle accurately but with all the frustration came the most amazing enjoyment and excitement when the pellet struck the mark and where I intended it to hit.

I had a decision to make and a big one at that. Do I continue to use the superten and gradually lose enjoyment with the sport as was already happening or do I take the plunge, be brave and sell the superten using the money which is tight in today's economic times to secure a top class spring piston Air rifle again and go back to basics.

Now I had owned several spring piston rifles in the past and wondered what would suit me best or give me the best enjoyment and be used for years to come hopefully. Two of my shooting partners have TX200's made by Air Arms and I had also owned one of these in the past. Lovely rifles and very accurate to boot but to much on the heavy side for my liking. One of my permissions is 140 acres of down and up hill walking doesn't do my arms and back much good carrying the weight of the TX200. So what else could I go for?

I started looking back to my early teens and what rifles I used and owned back then. I realised the most fun I ever had was with the BSA Supersport, a simple and accurate break barrel that didn't weigh the earth and was also very accurate provided I did my part. Now don't get me wrong, I know BSA still make the supersport but decided if im selling one of the best PCP rifles ever made to fund this venture then I wanted something a little special to keep and cherish. I read lots of reviews for break barrel rifles and watched many videos when it suddenly dawned on me that the gun I may be looking for was the Weihrauch HW95K in .22

The excitement inside me grew and day after day I scoured the internet consuming as much content on the rifle as I could until I think there was nothing left to read on the whole of the internet. Time to visit my local dealer then and shoulder one to see if it fits me and feels right.

Saturday 16th June 2012

I travelled into town and went to see my chosen rifle. There she was, sat on the shelf. A quick chat with the shop owner and I was shouldering the rifle, it felt just right, like it was built for me. I smiled and thought to my self "dont get carried away, shop around and see what deal you can get, hang on you haven't even sold your old rifle yet, how am I paying for this".

So I left the shop and placed my rifle on the for sale section of a forum I frequent, within a few hours my inbox was filling with offers for the rifle. Within a few days my rifle had been collected and I was now in the position to start shopping.

Now call it fate or just good timing but somebody I know through the very forum I sold my rifle on posted a video he had taken of his journey to Sandwell Field Sports in the Midlands. The purpose of the video was to purchase a new springer and show the work that SFS do when you request a tune up on the rifle. I was so impressed by this video and the work carried out by Tony at SFS that I knew my rifle and scope package along with a tune had to come from SFS.

I picked up the phone and called Tony and placed my order. Tony then said "There will be a 3 to 4 week wait for this rifle due to the tune and the fact we are really busy at the moment". My heart sank but I remained upbeat and knew the next 3 to 4 weeks would be the longest 3 to 4 weeks of my airgunning life so far.

Time to wait and scour the internet trying to find more content relating to my new purchase. 

Link to VerminHunterstv YouTube channel, please rate and subscribe, a fantastic channel for the sport showing top class marksman enjoying the sport. 

     

Rookie Time

Monday 21st May 2012

First day back at work in what will seem a very long drawn out week till I next see some time off. But what's this, a phone call from my shooting partner asking if I fancied a few hours out after work for some bunny bashing down at a local permission. Well why not, this will give me something worth while looking forward to for the rest of the day at work.

The time soon came and 6:30pm and my shooting partners van rumbles onto the drive way. Off I go, food in my belly and well hydrated now the weather has picked up.

Pulled up on the perm about 7pm and had a quick look out over the two small fields which make up part of the perm. A few bunnies spotted out and about but disappearing fast into the hedge rows. A delicate step over the barbed wire fence and away we went, sun beating down on our backs. Now this particular permission has cows on it and some of which are bulls with very large sharp looking horns. A quick look round and we could see they were in an adjoining field so we were safe for now.

The field we were in and started our journey contains a hand full of trees in random places, these provide great strafing cover moving in the chosen target and also great for running round when being chased by the resident bull!

I spotted my first target roughly 80 yards away near the hedge, a rabbit out munching the grass. I crept along and towards the first tree which blocked my sight and the rabbits, I then moved over to another tree and when I next looked I judged the distance to the rabbit to be roughly 40 yards. I dropped to the prone position and extended the legs of the Harris Bipod! I then took aim and allowed nearly one mildot for pellet drop using the heavy JSB exacts. squeezing the trigger gently and following through all I heard was a faint hammer strike, the superten bbk with twink silencer sent the JSB towards it target at 11.5ft/lb. whack and the bunny toppled, just rolling onto its side and sticking the leg in the air. I moved towards the bunny to claim the prize only to find my eye sight had let me down once again! A Bunny, not a rabbit laid before me. I can only use the excuse the rabbit looked alot bigger in the scope, but then most things will at 10x mag! Now the permission owner keeps cows in these fields so this rabbit would cause as much damage as any other full grown rabbit creating holes in the ground that the livestock could fall in but it still didn't make me feel any better for shooting such a young rabbit even though they are on the cards as much as the full grown.



Moving on I walked up along the hedgerow towards the top end of the field but made the mistake of letting the cows in the adjoining field see me, like bees to the honey pot they started walking towards me and the gap in the hedgerow. I knew at this point I was screwed, because as soon as daisy and heather start their walk the resident bull decides hes gonna get there first! The thing is huge and white and when it starts running towards you no amount of arm waving or rain dancing will scare it away, its a feckin beast of an animal!

I started walking with purpose towards the top of the field listening to the stampede behind me, looking nervously round every other step I made. Its at this point I then see the bull running as fast as its big fat legs can carry it across the hedgerow and into my field, now only 15 to 20 yards away and heading on a collision path towards its chosen destination - ME!

I started running but hit what my dad and I call the bog of eternal stench, its a patch of the field so churned up by the cows and full of water it stinks and sucks up anything stupid enough to stand in it. That said it was my only route away from being nothing more that a Jack Pyke cap poking up from the mud!

I ran as fast as I could into the bog with my gun held high above my head like a soldier in Vietnam crossing the streams of the jungle. Squelch, went my feet into the mud, where  got stuck! nearly knee deep in shit and mud every effort to get one leg out meant the other went deeper. No time to stop and worry or get emotional, Bully Beef was fast approaching. I managed to get my legs out as you would when instant death is fast approaching. I then managed to jump, at least I think I jumped a small barbed wire fence into another field. Phew!!!!! death avoided I continued on with my hunt a little out of breath.

But whats this, no time to stop and rest I spot a rook in the tree approximately 30 yards in front and hes getting anxious. I stood and shouldered the rifle and took aim. A gently breeze and the rook swaying on the branch. Taking aim I let loose another JSB Exact which hit the rook in the side of the neck, it tumbled from the tree but was flapping at the same time, which sent its path of descent off, landing in some tall grass in another field which I had no permission on, I could see it over the barbed wire fence approximately 40 yards into the field motionless. I dared not pick it up as the field had horses and stables in it and I wasnt sure if there was people around. Must not be the most pleasant experience seeing an armed combat dressed countryside warrior walking round your field! I left it there in the hope it would attract more rooks and wasnt disappointed as about 3 minutes later a group flew over going batshit crazy at their fallen brother. One rook made the mistake of landing on the same tree the last fell from and was quickly within my sights. This time roughly 25 yards away and at a steady angle. taking another standing shot this time the JSB hit the brain box and the rook let out its final squawk before plummeting straight down from its branch!





The time was now fast approaching 8pm and so I decided to set the rook out as a decoy but had no wire to make it stand up so instead hoped in vein that others would be stupid enough to land in the tree looking at their fallen but they didn't. I hid in the shadows of a bush waiting but they circled low and flew away knowing something wasn't quite right about their brother.

On meeting up with my shooting partner he showed me his prize of a good sized rabbit and with that we decided to call it a night.

I really enjoyed the night as to get two rooks in 5 minutes was most pleasant, they are not the easiest birds to hunt and cant recall the last time I have shot one its been that long.

Mawders

Nutkins in May.

Sunday 13th May 2012


So my main permission consists of 140 acres of fruit trees which dip into a valley, the farmer stated he wanted the tree rats dealt with as they  become a problem all year round. The land consists of small lines of trees following the borders of the fields in which the tree rats set up home. At the top of the permission is one of the biggest woodlands in the county and has an endless amount of tree rats which venture out into the fields on the permission. These woods are not shot on as they are national trust and as such the tree rat population is getting out of hand. They venture into the permission and take whatever food sources they can get their grubby mits on. The farmer also has a large patch of hazlenut trees which the little beggers love to get their teeth into. Ive even on occasion seen them running around with whole apples in the their gobs from the apple orchards on the permission. Really goes to show the strength of these little fellas.

So the time: 17:00 hours - late in the day but a family christening held things up! The view from entering the permission,





A mooch through the apple orchard constantly scanning the ground for rabbits as they are also shootable on this permission but none around as I made my way slowly to the nearest line of trees which lead down the valley and up the other side finally meeting up with the large woodland. I could hear the screeching of my first tree rat coming from approximately 100 yards to my front. I moved slowly down the line of apple trees but all had gone quiet. Then as I stood looking at a large tree directly in front of me marvelling the vibrant colours which had formed recently since my last visit a large grey tree rat scuttled around the trunk of the tree approximately 5 feet off the ground. It was one of those moments where he saw me and I saw him, i couldnt move and within half a second he scuttled around the far side of the trunk. I dropped to the kneeling position and judged the range to be 20 to 25 yards. I waited for what felt like a few minutes trained on the trunk where he previously showed himself. Then as if it was meant to be, he scuttled back around into the same position as before. I took aim, trained the crosshairs onto the side of head just below the ear and gently squeezed the trigger of the Superten, thwack, the JSB Exact stuck firmly and accurately sending the tree rat up into the air and tumbling down into some thick grass, a few thrashes around the ground from nerves and the tree rat lay still. Life expired.





The tree he stayed still to long on pictured above.

Moving on and feeling good about the accuracy of the Superten I continued up the line of trees down into the valley and then up the other side. I stood still looking into the tree tops and scanning the trunks as the tree rats on this perm spend more time on the ground due to the abundance of fruit and nuts than they do in the trees. All of a sudden a massive thud and crash directly above my head. I stood still but just looked up to see a huge male tree rat running along the branch above my head chasing a smaller and I would guess female tree rat, his huge balls swinging in the may breeze. He stopped in a V of a branch and I took aim, again 20 to 25 yards and stood side on. Thwack and the second tree rat ate his last meal of JSB Exact. However he did not jump or leap from the tree as the pellet struck but rather rolled over on the spot and was left hanging over the V in the branch, blood dripping down from its head. I could not believe it, how on earth would I get it down from there.



I left him hanging and mooched off to see where the other tree rat had gone but could not locate her so after a few mins returned to the male tree rat still hanging in the V. However the wind had picked up and I could see with every gust of wind he inched over the V becoming front heavy. I took aim on his head and fired. The force of the shot did enough to swing him further over the branch and down he fell.



I thought it only appropriate to enjoy the thrill of the hunt with a nice roll up so sat up against a tree enjoying the breeze and sunny rays. A view from my tree,



A lovely feeling knowing everything you can see when you look around is yours to shoot on, a very humbling and welcome feeling for which I am truly thankful to the land owner.

The sun was fast setting and so a gentle walk down through a new field I had previously not ventured into whereby I viewed a nice fresh warren full of rabbits. There must have been around 10 out playing in the setting sun. However they would have to wait another day as its one of those places where you cant really stalk towards them but rather get in position early and wait their arrival as they come out to play.

The walk back to the car was long over 140 acres and fatigue had set in, a few rabbits out playing which I managed to stalk within distance but completely buggered up both shots due to poor lighting and over range finding them with the naked eye, to many mildots given and kicks of earth flying up a few inches past them so they will have to wait for another day.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening out and much needed due to recent weather keeping me indoors. Hope you enjoyed the read. I enjoyed the day.
Mawders