Matt, You Upset My Butcher!!!

[Daz39 962]

Another payback night last night, this time for Matt. I got up to work around 11 and started around the back of the site. The rabbits were very skittish last night. Even on site. I’m not sure if it has to do with the fact that we now have at least 3 new bunny families on site, with a good 6 or more kits kicking round. It was a perfect night, cloudy and a little breezy, but man the rabbits were making it hard work.

 

As with many of my recent kills, the first last night involved me sticking my head round a corner to see a rabbit unaware of anything other than grass. I went prone and edged round the corner to get a clear shot. First shot of the night (after checking zero) was a 36 yard paced head shot…20 mins into the evening! This was however a false promise to be honest.

 

I spooked a couple more rabbits and sat watching 2 of the new families munching away. I have no need to shoot the kits right now, and I left the mother with the infants too. These things are weeks old and there is no rush to shoot them. The guys at work actually said they don’t mind if I leave them until summer.

 

Back round the front of the site there were 3 sat on the main lawn but a 12 foot high security fence between me and them! I tried to take a shot through the mesh, but only managed to make a loud ping noise as I fired. That was those rabbits away. Over near the nature reserve again 2 more shot off when they got a whiff of me (Wind in wrong direction here). I lay up for 25 mins, when the sods came out, they stayed the other side of the fence (Inside the reserve) so I couldn’t shoot them.

 

I went back to the spot I had chased the 3 off earlier and lay up under a tree. Sure enough one of the 3 came back, but sat 60-70 yards away happily eating. I waited to see if he would come closer but no. Then a cat came on site and that was him away. It was about 1am by now anyhow and I had just seen Matt’s car pull round, so off to meet him.

 

He was all Ninja NV’d up and zero’d in, in minutes and off we went. Again, pretty much like Mac, he was like “ping, ping, ping, ping” as the eyes lit up his NV screen…another case of errr which one do I go for first? I left my lamp off as I knew they would run and just let Matt go off on his own agenda. At one point he went left and I went right. He came back with a rabbit…. He’ll have to tell you about it as I couldn’t see him, let alone the damn rabbit. His NV was paying dividends though.

 

We had a good walk round the field chasing off here and there. I had a lovely stalk to 20-25 yards, went prone, was about to shoot, when some guys working on the railway line dropped a bloody sleeper with a mighty clang and off that rabbit went. We decided to get back to the car for a brew and on reaching where the cars were, spotted 2 rabbits. Matt went after 1, hit it, but it flipped into thick brambles and we couldn’t find it, I saw one and took a standing shot from about 25 yrds. I was aiming for his head, but he moved just as I shot. I knew I had hit him so followed him. He made it 5 yrds before he just lay down. I couldn’t see where I had hit him, so decided to skin and gut him right away. On doing so I saw the pellet had gone in just behind his front leg, right through the ribcage and into his heart. The pericardial sac was filled with blood and the pellet was still in his heart. Lady luck was with me but not him! 2 for me, 1 for Matt.

 

After cleaning up and sorting the 3 rabbits out I was ready to go home, it was 4am, but Matt was like “ah come on 1 more walk!”…..so off we went again. More of the same with regards to skittish rabbits, more of the same of 10-15 rabbits just bouncing round the field.

 

Matt had spotted a cracking place to go lay up and with the NV it was perfect for him. I had chased after a rabbit so we were split up for a while. I missed the damn rabbit so decided to walk back to him. On the way, as I was walking, I noticed a lump about 7-8 yards away. Suddenly the lump grew ears and I FROZE. There was a damn bunny that I could almost touch. I was in shock as I hadn’t seen it and almost stepped on it. The issue now was my scope was on x12, my AO set to 35 yards and I didn’t want to put the lamp on but I couldn’t see it through the scope. I stood up and for the first time in my life walked AWAY from the rabbit. I went back maybe 10 yards to what I figured was around 15 yrds. Went prone and tried to drop the mag and AO on the scope. I manage to do so quietly and put the cross hairs on, in my panic, I didn’t give any hold over and when I shot I hit the top of his head. He ran for about 5 yards then was pretty much just turning in circles stunned. When he stopped I took aim again and hit in between the eye and ear. Later when I skinned him, one pellet was clearly in the brain (entry wound was obvious) but the other pellet was actually stuck in the top of its skull….

 

Anyhow, I walked over to Matt who was prone watching his NV and so I decided to dangle the dead rabbit in his face…haha, he wasn’t impressed! Lord knows why. He was watching a group of about 6 rabbits just out of range when we noticed a fox. Now, when I say fox, when the bugger came out into the open, I swear he was a freekin’ LION not a fox. He was HUGE with a bloody main of fur! He had a partner too, and not 5 yards from them were about 4 kits playing! These guys pretty much live at an all-you-can-eat buffet!

 

I decided to clean and gut in the field while Matt had a wander to chase his 6 rabbits. Again, he’ll have to give details, suffice to say there was a lot of fence twanging, branch snapping and overall blue language, BUT he did come back with a bunny.

 

So, 5am and time to quit, 3 for me and 2 for Matt. Mind the butcher was well narked this morning, “ONLY 3???? Pffft” – soz mate, the lad I was with took his home to eat!!!

 

My first 2

 

My first 2 and Matt's first one.

 

Cheers Matt, top night mate and glad you had some fun! 2 for you and 2 for Mac!

 

NOW, Vislauk, get ya boots on mate, I’ll ping you about a night next week?

[Matt Smith 143]

What a cracking night, I've never seen soooo many rabbits sat playing in 1 field but very skittish and I think I know why...

 

The 1st rabbit I took was decent distance away but the wind was blowing directly in my face so I knew I stood a good chance of getting it. I stalked up to about 30 yards, he had zero idea I was there so just lay down in the grass, zoomed in and took the shot, straight through it's eye!

 

 

The Fox that we saw was huge, we 1st heard a huge commotion along the metal fencing and I suspected it was a fox, this clattering had scared the rabbits off so I pulled out my torch and saw the biggest eyes I've seen, it decided to wonder out of the tree line and it was massive! It soon wondered back though but both watched us for a short while before making off.

 

Way way past where the foxes had been I could see a set of eyes, maybe 300 yards away so seeing as they were the only ones left I went for it. I used a kinked hedge line for cover, got around the corner and stalked another 10 paces and again went prone. He was about a foot from the fence/hedge line and about 35 yards dead ahead. Again I just took my time then took the shot, the bloody thing bounced and flipped all over the place and into the hedge. I got up and ran like the clappers to where it was. I could see it in thick brambles and shrub lay about 6 feet in. I eventually fought my way in to where it was and collected my prize, getting out seemed to be twice as bloody hard!

 

 

Once I got home I quartered my rabbits as I normally do. In the second rabbit I found a pellet in it's front quarter, certainly not mine! Maybe this is the reason everything is skittish...

 

I'm convinced Daz had put this one back in his pocked from out 1st round trying to fool me, He told me he'd skinned it there and not, I'm not convinced

 

 

To be fair I should have had another! We'd just had a coffee break and started walking up the track again, when we got to the T section at the top Daz looked right and I looked left and I spotted one about 25 yards away, I dropped down took the safety off, squeezed the trigger and the b*****d wasn't loaded! I tried to cock the rifle but it heard and shot off like a bat out of hell, schoolboy error!!!

[Daz39 962]

Ha, the other 2 were tucked up in the car! Ya git!

[David.evans 5,323]

Great write up lads , and dedicated, hunting , leep it going your lucky to have a perm with loads of bunnies

Look forward reading about your next outing

ATb Dave

[Daz39 962]

Cheers Dave. Yeah bang lucky!

 

Its nice to be able to take the boys out too, after they have had me down their places often enough.

[David.evans 5,323]

Yes it's great to take a mate out now and again , it's keeps the banter going , no harm in taking turns on each other's perms

Either , just wish there were more hunters like your selfs

Atb dave

[David.evans 5,323]

If you got nv , get some vids posted , would be good

Dave

[Matt Smith 143]

If you got nv , get some vids posted , would be good

Dave

At the rate I go, it'd take 1 year to get a 30 second clip

[David.evans 5,323]

Need to get out more mate , buy the wife a nice dress, it works wonders , lol

Atb Dave

[DenBell 149]

What you do for work Daz? Reporter, travel Writer, your write ups are second to none. and the permission looks first class. Iv'e just persuaded myself to get An NS 50 at the end of the month but not sure how i'll get on with the range estimation.

Edited March 6, 2014 by DenBell

[Daz39 962]

haha, Project & logistics manager! Perhaps a frustraited writer! The perm is great other than the time restrictions and the fact I can only take mates onto the field (though there are more than enough on there). I figure the more I go the more relaxed they will be! Especially if we keep taking 5-6 rabbits a trip!

 

Talk to Matt regarding the NV, I know he has a tough time on distance judgement, and when I had a look it is tough. Can't see a damn thing other than on the screen. Though Stuart seems to have it cracked! and Matt took 2 last night, so he is getting to grips with it.

 

Me....I'm like Mac, I'd rather lay up and wait then hit em with a lamp!

[DenBell 149]

i went up the range on tuesday when i was pricing a nearby job and there was a lad up there with an NS50 and he swore by it, but when i looked through it first thing i thought was i bet this is hard to adapt to, different shooting position and judging distance estimates. but i'll get used to it.

 

On my Permission looks like i might get permission to shoot all the fields in that row 5 in total, even the one where we saw 6 sets of eyes.

[BIG TOM 835]

Nice one lads your certainly sticking at em

Keep it up Atb Tom

[Daz39 962]

Wow great result mate, fingers crossed! I've never tried the nv but Matt shoots prone mostly so no too different position. Dunno, I don't have the cash for it so not an option for me anyhow.

[bigmac 97kt 13,836]

Thats my boy,s :thumbs: