Student Graduates with flying colours

[Phantom 631]

Popped down to the Perms with Woodworm1972, heres how it went

 

Chris AKA Woodworm arrived a little earlier than expected today (traffic must have been good to him) which given the superb weather was a good thing as we got more time in the field.

 

First stop was to Sainsburies to get some crisps for a snack whille we were out, noticed that 4x1 pint cans of Stella were £3.70 I figured I'd get 8 for later. Then we whipped through the masses of trafic down Great Gutter Lane and straight to the Cemetery.

Upon entering I placed my

on the gates and we were about to start our zero check when a car pulled up near the gates. It was an oldish woman and her father, who had come to visit a grave in the old section. Well so they thought!

Chris had wandered off to the Paddock for a gander round to see if there was anything basking in the rays of the Sun.

As he came back the woman mentioned that she couldn't find the grave they were looking for and he pointed them in my direction. I she asked if I knew what had happened to the headstone and mentioned the name Waddingham, I recognised the name (partly because at school all those years ago we had a pretty girl whome we used to call Big tit's Tina, but also because at one time I could name every person in the graveyard). After I asked when the person had died and she said 12 years ago, I suggested that the grave was likely to be in the new section where we had the guns. As she went to get her father, I quickly found the grave for them and guided them over. Curious she asked if we were there to deal with the rabbits and as are most of the relatives who visit she was very gratefull when I said we were

 

Once they had cleared the cemetery we checked the guns and I had half a beer. Our main objective for this session was to put Chris's nerve to the test and see if he would actually do the deed as it were on live quarry.

Chris has learned a lot in a short time and has taken to fieldcraft like a fish to water and his rangefinding skills are far exceeding mine already!

While we cooled under the shade of the big Horse Chestnut tree we noticed a few Woodies in the Paddock and, just as I had my baby drawn up to my eye a bloody big Crow swooped down and scattered the lot! Bar one......

I had guessed the range was 30 yards give or take and on ten mag from where we stood I knew it was going to be a standing shot because the nettles between the fence that marked the boundry and us were close on two and a half feet tall. I couldn't steady myself on the trunk as that made the bird vanish behind a large clump of vegitation. So...Standing it is then.

I got a bead level nicely behind the eye and off went the shot.

Chris hadn't seen the bird but he heard the impact noise as the pellet destroyed the side and back of the birds skull.

Unusually, the bird opened it's wings and appeared to half heartedly try to fly off despite it being laid on its chest and its head on the floor. My immediate thought was I'd wounded it so quickly laid my baby down and rushed through the stinging nettles, through the fence and over to the bird who's wings were still outstretched fully but had stopped flapping I tugged the head away from the body, just to make sure. (something I got into the habbit of a few years ago). I retrieved the bird and went back to Chris, looking at the bird, we could clearly see both the entrance and exit (with brain matter on the exit side) and pressing the back of the head revealed the bones to be shattered, despite how it seemed to me at first it was a good clean lights out! And I gave myself a pat on the back along with complements from my shooting partner.

 

Gathering our gear again, we progressed into the paddock and Chris chose a relatively clear spot and using his camo netting, built up a small wall type hide we got down prone and began our wait. We had a chat about how perspective is altered and how the 30 yard mark in front of us (little bunch of nettles) now appeard to be a good 50+.

It wasn't long before a young pan fryer popped out and sat infront of that mark (much closer to us though although it looked to be bang on zero)

Chris took the 1st shot and I saw the pellet whiz just above it's target, if the bunny had eyelashes, it didn't anymore lil bug's did a 180 and hid behind some more vegatation, I was pretty sure that it hadn't gone back the way it had come, so i slowley got myself up and keeping slow and as tight to the fence and bushes as I could I moved to a position where I could see the lil un facing me. I had moved fairly close and I estimated the range now it to be 12ish yards to the nose. Slowly as I raised my baby, little bugs just sat there chewing innocently on the remainder of a blade of grass in his gob. A gentle pressure and the shot was away, 'tink....phuttt....Crack', entering between the eyes and exiting through the back of the head followed by a cloude of dried soil behind bugs as the pellet embedded itself in the ground.

As the crack was heard the young un immediately rolled over rear leg in the air, a little wave and down it came.

As I placed my baby down the young un' began to do the gymnastics

I really must get back into the habbit of heart lung shots for kits and young un's such as this far less disturbing to watch! Although deffinately dead it began jumping in the air so again a quick walk, grab and stretch. Even after returning to the small hide, the CNS of the bunny was still working overtime until the electrical signals running through the body had ceased.

I cursed myself for not going for the H&L shot though.

 

Soon after that, again while prone another young un showed up, this time 90 degrees over to our right hand side, Chris estimated 20 yards and I pinged it with my LRF which said 22 yards (Chris was about a yard closer) He's getting a bit too good at this rangefinding malarky!

Using one mildot hold under Chris took the shot.....

A tink of the hammer followed immediately followed by a loud crack (no 'phuttt' with the X3 on the end of the gun!) and the bunny rolled over and waved tatty bye.

 

EXCELLENT my appentice has earned his title as a hunter and rabbit reaper

May this be the first of many, many more I collected his kill for him and the shot placement couldn't have been better, superb

 

All that remains for me to teach now is skining and gutting which we shall do on our next trip out

 

Congratulations Chris

 

Tony

[StevoSmith 147]

Great read and pic's Tony.......your appretice is gunna start out shining you mate....Nice one chris top shooting buddy ,,,,Tony i also remove head from feather JUST TO MAKE SURE lol

[Phantom 631]

Cheers Steve,

I've shot hundreds of the bloody things and most just drop, I was quite taken aback when it started flapping even with it's head on the deck limp! Normally when I stretch the neck it usually removes the head totally, this one, I stopped short and now it looks like a cross with a Swan

 

Well my bunnies from t'other day are going to be cooked later along with the two young uns, the Woody will join some of it's brethren in the fridge and be cooked on Sunday Woody woody yumyum

I need sleep, g'night

[Elliott 436]

Nice going Tony

[secretagentmole 1,701]

I know what you mean about pigeon crackers Tony, no damned hat or little gifts inside those is there?

 

Nice shooting too, make you a good kebab that!

[Daz 7 563]

Nice going Tony bud,

And fair Do's for taking the Time to Show someone New to the Sport the proper way to Hunt and conduct ones self

out in the Field.

I Always Twizzle the Pigeons neck as i do abit of Pigeon and Corvid Flighting with the Benelli M2,

Even though most of the time their been Hit hard and Dead on crashing to the ground.

 

atvb Daz 7

[villaman 9,980]

Hi

Well done mate for taking some body out and showing them the proper way of shooting and hunting .

Edited May 26, 2012 by villaman

[zini 1,939]

Well done to you both and great write up Tony pal.

 

Looking forward to meeting you both in a few weeks time.

 

Si.

[stealthy1 3,964]

Well done Woodworm, thats you blooded, welcome to the fould

[Woodworm1972 24]

Great write up Tony

 

Appreciate the time and patience you've given me bud.

 

Chris

[wedge2409 98]

Excellent topic Tony I to was mentored as a youngster ,what i learned from dave you couldn't read in books our find on the internet,it came from his years of practice and fieldcraft,he no longer shoots as he is full of arthritis ,but thanks to him i have gained some of his knowledge and some very nice permission's.Keep up the good work mate ATVB,Ste

[kanny 19,480]

didnt you make him eat the still beating heart tony?... or was i just tricked on my first kill ....well done woodworm one shot one kill how it should be ...good on you for taking time out to teach him tony fair play to you....RESPECT!!

[Phantom 631]

Thank you gentlemen,

 

I'm only doing what others on here, have done for me

Chris; it's my pleasure

 

Also Chris is already passing his aquired and practiced knowladge onto the next generation of shooter (his young son)

 

Cheers Si, I'm really looking forward to meeting up again

 

T minus 12 day's and counting!

 

Tony

[Phantom 631]

didnt you make him eat the still beating heart tony?... or was i just tricked on my first kill ....well done woodworm one shot one kill how it should be ...good on you for taking time out to teach him tony fair play to you....RESPECT!!

 

Perhaps I should have?

 

Well at least I should have painted in blood two lines under hi eyes (pass the big wooded spoon please )

 

On a new permission I always taste the blood of the first kill, something in that old tradition I think, but maybe thats just me?

 

Tony

[Daz 7 563]

didnt you make him eat the still beating heart tony?... or was i just tricked on my first kill ....well done woodworm one shot one kill how it should be ...good on you for taking time out to teach him tony fair play to you....RESPECT!!

 

Perhaps I should have?

 

Well at least I should have painted in blood two lines under hi eyes (pass the big wooded spoon please )

 

On a new permission I always taste the blood of the first kill, something in that old tradition I think, but maybe thats just me?

 

Tony

 

 

Just You Tony bud :laugh:

 

I certainly am not tasting the blood off some stinking Maggie or other corvids !!!!!!

but agree You should have painted Him in the Brave heart Style...

 

atvb Daz 7