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Itchy Trigger finger

Phantom

By Phantom,
in Airgun Hunting

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Phantom

Phantom 631

Posted
Posted

Well ladies and gentlemen,

 

I decided that today I just had to go and scratch my itch :yes:

So I pumped my baby up to 180, got my portable backstop and a zero target into my pack, made sure I had pellets im my pouch, slung on my dpm on and headed off to the paddock.

 

Got there at 14:00 to find no nags (owner must have stabled them due to the recent weather) just a field full of big black; beaked monsters strutting their stuff like they owned the place. As I arrived at the gate there was a loud 'CAW, Caw" and with that the paddock turned green again and the sky turned black as they took to the air.

 

It was earie to see such a large flock rise as one. They all headed off in the direction of my home village and I climbed over the fence and made my way to my marker cone and put up the target.

Once done I walked over to my sniping point and set myself up on the roll mat and chambered my 1st 16 grainer. Scope on 9x and let off the round.

It was clear that the thing landed in the putty very high. Another 4 pellets landed in the general vacinity but the grouping was not at all what I have come to expect from the assassination team that is myself, my trusty S200 and the FX 16 grain round nose diablo pellets.

Then I remembered that I had taken the pressure above the sweet spot in my baby's power curve :doh:

Letting go of another 6 or 7 pellets saw the grouping tighten up and the impacts dropped back to where I had my crosshairs. After a further five all in the black sticker (about the size of a one penny coin) I was happy and turned my attention to the warrens :D

 

I laid there for about an hour, not a twitch from any of the entrances :no: so I slowley sat up and scanned the perimiter of the paddock with a small set of bino's. A Magpie and a couple of Crows in the large tree in the Cemetery, a Collard Dove sat on a lamp post and a couple of Woodies in a tree about 50 yards behind me.

 

I made up my mind that the woodies were going to be my meal for this evening, so I turned round with my rifle and they both took to the air :(

 

The Dove was outside my boundry, so he was a no-go so I decided the Crows were my best bet, despite them being in the cemy about a hundred yards away. I moved slowly, but directly across the paddock, (pointless trying to find cover, as the bigges bit of cover were the Mole Hills that have srung up!)

I got to about 60 yards and the Crows took to the air :censord:

Getting cold and damp by this time I continued towards the cemetery to see if there were any bunnies in there for me to shoot :D I was being optimistic.

Nope, there were about a dozen people wandering around and tending graves so it was pointless me sneaking from headstone to headstone.

 

I wandered around he perimiter until I came across another Collard Dove just sat chillin, minding its own business, looking very relaxed, :hmm: this could be my 1st kill of 2010 :clapper: I took aim but the adrenaline was coursing through my body. Not only would this be the 1st kill of the year, but it would be my 1st avian quarry :D

I pulled the trigger (yep, pulled it!) the pellet left with a phut from the silencer and as my eye remained at the scope, the dove sat bolt upright, its head moving from left to right, then left again, damn I goofed the shot :doh: I expected the dove to take flight, but it didn't. I continued my wander for a while and then looked back toward the dove, it had relaxed again and was just begging for another shot :diablo:

"Oh what the hell" I said to myself "I'm gonna bag me that Dove". Making my way back I got into a nice clear position and took aim. Phut, crack! A cloud of feathers, the dove opened its wings halfway, then closed them instantly as it fell to Earth :victory:

 

YES YES YES!! Got yah. :clapper:

 

Placing my baby on the ground I made my way to where the my prize fell. I scrambled through the brambles and other dead vegitation, but I could not find the bird anywhere. I spent 15 minutes looking for it, found the short feathers, but the bird had vanished. :censord: :censord: :censord:

 

By this time I had returned to my baby and was thoroughly demoralised :( My 1st kill of the year had either fallen somewhere I could not see or get to, or it had been snatched by one of the foxes; which was unlikely. If it had been wounded I would have seen it fly away, so I am convinced it was a kill.

 

Anyways I was stood next to the boundry fence, watching the woodies fly over and listening to the Magpies chattering. I had removed my face mask and gloves and was ready to pack up and call it a day when I glanced round to my left.

There seemed to be another sizable Mole Hill on a small mound of Earth about 45 yards away from me. The sun was on its way down and the clouds were making it quite dark, but I could make out this shape on the mound and I just had a feeling it wasn't there last time I looked.

 

Bringing my bino's up to my eye I comfirmed that this shape was not a mole hill but it was actually a very fat bunnie. It was hunched up, but its ears were laid back and it seemed quite relaxed.

Now for the hard bit, my S200 was laid about 7 feet away from me and, she was unloaded, uncocked and pointing in the wrong direction.

Gently, taking what seemed like an hour, I got down on my knees with the bunny behind me.

I put my gloves on and pulled my hood over my head. Laying down very slowly I reached for the gun, gently pulling it towards me. When I had it close, I pulled back the bolt far enough to cock the hammer then slipped a pellet into the breach and pushed the bolt home again.

Pointing the rifle behind me I slowly creeped up to a very awkward position where my kneck felt like it was turned 180 degrees and I could just see through the scope.

Placing my left hand under the butt of the stock I made a fist until the crosshairs were on the bunnies head. Given the distance I relaxed my left hand so that the butt came down enough that the crosshairs were about a centimeter above the bunnies head.

This was going to be a shot and a half if I could pull it off :yes: if not this bunnie was gonna go tell its mates not to come out and play cuz that b@stard with the gun's back again!

 

I pushed the glove off my trigger finger and gently I took up the 1st stage with the pad of my finger. Feeling the 2nd stage I took one slow breath in and exhaled slowly. Just before I finished exhaling I held my breath and let the 2nd stage go.

Phut, CRACK, bunny rolled over its right hind leg stuck up in the air frozen.

PERFECTION :clapper:

 

Decided that this big buck was not comming home with me this evening, instead, I bagged it and put it out of reach of the loacal foxes and he will be used as Corvid bait tomorrow :yes:

Here's the fat bunny

 

2i06hkx.jpg

Phantom

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Phantom

Phantom 631

Posted
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Posted

Talk about a detailed write up Tony!

 

You ever though of writing short novels.... :laugh: :laugh:

 

Sounds like you had a cracking day out mate, nice one! :thumbs:

 

Darryl

 

Thanks again Guy's

 

Actually Darryl, I am working on something but its not exactly a novel ;)

 

Phantom

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