Mac, Matt And Me.....

[Daz39 962]

Urgh that sounds like a dodgy chick flick!!

 

Got to meet Mr Smith last night for the first time. He picked me up from mine and we met Mac down on the permission. After the usual set up and zero Mac says "you can go with Daz tonight" hahaha, All I could think is "what the hell can I teach him? talk about blind leading the blind".

 

In truth, the reason he sent Matt with me is because he can't manage "the long walk" to my (and now Matt's) favorite spot on the permission. It's a good mile walk to the far end of the field, and oddly, feels like a 2 mile walk back!

 

We had a quick look round the paddocks but nothing doing. So off we went to the bottom field, we aimed for the far corner first, to walk back up the hedge row (wind was in that direction). As we got close to the bottom corner I said to Matt, time for quiet and put the lamp on. Right away I saw a pair of eyes maybe 40 yards away. I pointed them out but Matt couldn't see, so I stalked to around 20 yards and dropped to my knee. I had picked up a second pair of eyes 5 yards beyond the first one. I raised the gun and took a shot but I was too unsteady and missed totally. The rabbit didn't even blink, so I steadied my breathing, took a better grip on the gun and too another shot. This time bunny dropped like a stone. I checked but the other rabbit had gone.

 

 

I said to Matt, right, next one is yours and we set off up the field. We spotted a couple more rabbits but they were away before we could get closer than 40 yards. We did also stalk a couple of clumps of grass and a rock, heyho Nothing much else doing so back to the cars for a drink.

 

We went back out again, in the top field but saw nothing so I asked if Matt wanted to check the long walk again and he did. This time we went for the top corner to walk down the field as the wind had shifted direction. On the way over I pointed out a spot where Mac had chased a rabbit the previous trip. I scanned with teh red lamp but saw nothing so I popped the green lamp on and had a look through the scope, bang, 4 sets of eyes about + yards away. I told Matt to follow me and cut the lamp. We switched to the red and about 60 yrds away picked up 3 sets of eyes huddled under a small tree. I told Matt to go first and he stalked to a comfortable distance, went prone and took a shot. There was such a THWACK I thought it's either a head shot or he's hit the tree, sadly it was the tree. I asked Matt how close he thought he was and he said "no more than 25 yrds". I said, probably closer to 40! On pacing it out it was around 36 yrds. Distances in the dark are a bitch!

 

We walked onto the next field and started down the long walk. There were lots of rabbits but way way too lamp shy. We spotted one pair with my lamp and stalked to it. Vislauk had told me to look at the lamp posts and said each pair were around 35 yrds apart so I pointed that out to Matt. We got to about 30 yrds from the rabbit when he stood up on his back legs. I said to Matt, "go down and take a shot" but he stood still. Just then the wind switched and I felt a gust on the back of my neck, sure enough the scent reached the rabbit and he was away. I asked Matt why he didn't shoot and he said he'd read that if the rabbit stands up, stay still. I said because I had the lamp, he was probably safe enough to go to his knee as the point of origin of the lamp wouldn't change. And a standing up rabbit is a great target. I am sure if the wind hadn't gusted, we could have got closer, but this was a case of the one that got away.

 

I make a deal of this rabbit above because EVERYONE has an opinion on what is best, stand still, move, crawl, use red/green/white/amber light etc etc. The point being, you have to find an approach that works for you. Each rabbit and each permission is different.

 

We continued down the field and saw a good 16-18 rabbits but all very skittish and away before we could get within 40 yrds. It wasn't noise, as we were stood still when we lamped, and they ran at the light, rather than scent or noise.

 

Back to the car and it turns out, I had the only rabbit of the night. Who'd have thought that eh? On the way home, on a quiet lane, we saw another rabbit and Matt couldn't resist it! Ah the file won't load, I'll post this and then post the pic.

 

All in all, a good night to be out and a pleasure to make the aquaintance of another newbie hunter.

 

Cheers lads.

 

 

[Daz39 962]

Matt's rabbit

 

 

[bigmac 97kt 13,836]

So i was the only one that blanked O well at least it go,s to show your taken in what im teaching you nice shooting to the both of you atvbmac :thumbs:

[Matt Smith 143]

Brilliant write up mate.

 

Another huge learning experience and it was a pleasure hanging off your coat tails Mac's the master hunter for sure, but it's good to watch others. As with Mac, you were very unselfish in your efforts to help me get my 1st rabbit, thanks for that.

 

Even if I'm still yet to bag one, I was over the moon with my stalking last night. In my mind I was stealthier than the previous visit, that tuft of grass never even moved the closer I got

 

One thing has nagged away at me all night though, I should have just took that shot on the standing rabbit, arse

 

That aside, as with my night out with Mac, I loved every second of it.

 

Oh and thanks for the tip on BASA, I've just sorted it out

[Matt Smith 143]

So i was the only one that blanked O well at least it go,s to show your taken in what im teaching you nice shooting to the both of you atvbmac :thumbs:

HAHAHA, the last thing to go through that rabbits head was possibly a Transit van Couldn't resist though

[The one 8,594]

Nice read mate , being honest i struggle with the green lamp out the four colours its my least favorite i can't see them till they move

[bigmac 97kt 13,836]

 

So i was the only one that blanked O well at least it go,s to show your taken in what im teaching you nice shooting to the both of you atvbmac :thumbs:

HAHAHA, the last thing to go through that rabbits head was possibly a Transit van Couldn't resist though

 

So its going to be like that is it, im out sat night ill show you some rabbits ,shot one,s not run over by a transit :angry2: atvbmac :thumbs:

[Matt Smith 143]

[Daz39 962]

 

 

So i was the only one that blanked O well at least it go,s to show your taken in what im teaching you nice shooting to the both of you atvbmac :thumbs:

HAHAHA, the last thing to go through that rabbits head was possibly a Transit van Couldn't resist though

 

So its going to be like that is it, im out sat night ill show you some rabbits ,shot one,s not run over by a transit :angry2: atvbmac :thumbs:

 

hahaha, that bunny was long dead when we saw it, stiff as a board but couldn't resist it! haha!

[Daz39 962]

Nice read mate , being honest i struggle with the green lamp out the four colours its my least favorite i can't see them till they move

Yeah I have to admit on the green, I need to look through the scope. It doesn't pick up the eyes as well, but it does pick them up further away. It is brighter than the red LED and really does pick up white eyes over 100 yrds off. I also find it way easier to focus and pick up objects in the dark, I guess that is why night vision is green?? The red is great for 20-50yrds but I find my battery goes flat quick. I'd love a brighter red, I'd probably just stick with that.

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

Come on mac what you playing at.?? I have a hand injury at the min so the vermin round here is off the hook. For now!

Il show you how its done, il be out towards the end of next week.. il get some pics so your remember what a dead animal looks like!

Well done daz and matt

[charlie caller 3,654]

Well done buddy, nothing like the first one, fox or deer next then mate.

[Matt Smith 143]

Charlie, I don't think picking one up from the sie of the road counts as my 1st one

[Craig Fosse 286]

Happy days guys, nice write up!, Daz an important part of learning is... Teaching believe it or not, good effort and I look forward to the next write up(thank gd u don't do that horrible italic text anymore!lol)

[Daz39 962]

Happy days guys, nice write up!, Daz an important part of learning is... Teaching believe it or not, good effort and I look forward to the next write up(thank gd u don't do that horrible italic text anymore!lol)

haha, that was an accident! Cheers mate.