Extreme Dogging

[Daz39 962]

Got an invite up to Den’s new GC perm last night. Was really looking forward to it as I’d cycled through the GC last summer and the place was lifting. When I met Den and found he lived nearby, I told him about it. Turns out he had a buddy working there and bingo….he has a lovely new perm!

 

I got down around 10:20 and as I pulled in the car park I saw 3 rabbits on the putting green, I ignored them, reversed into a parking spot and they were still there. Now, hunting etiquette states you shouldn’t shoot someone else’s perm until they arrive. So I sat and watched the rabbits for 10 mins. I finally decided to get out of the car and they still sat there. I was fighting the urge to get the rifle out when Den turned up in his truck and scared the crap out of the rabbits…dilemma over.

 

We set the scopes round the back and were ready to roll in within 10.

 

We set off west into the head wind and quickly saw several rabbits, all of which ran when the red lamps hit them (100 yrds plus some of them). I finally put the lamp on a rabbit which didn’t run, but it was still a good yrds off. I told Den I would stand still and lamp, he should stalk it and take the shot. So while I did an impression of a statue, Den set off towards the bunny. Watching him stalk, he was very quiet and very precise with his movement, slow, small steps, very careful. This paid off as he got incredibly close to the rabbit, too freekin’ close. When he went down I thought that either this rabbit was the size of a dog, or he was almost on top of it. He took the shot, skimmed the rabbits head, and he was away. When I walked over to him, he must have been 15-18 yrds max from the rabbit. You don’t need to say anything to someone who misses a shot from 15 yards…..but you do! As it turns out, after the first walk, he re-checked his zero and found it was off, he’d rushed it when we set them at first and paid the price this time round.

 

We continued inland, following the river (which runs across the north border of the course), we spotted a few more rabbits, again, running like hell as soon as the lamp hits them. We continued walking and Den says “I didn’t know the course went this far up, and I’ve played it enough”. So into territory he hadn’t walked last time out. He spots a rabbit and returns the lamp favour. He sent me on my way and I stalked from around 60 to 30 yards. I went prone and the light from Den’s lamp (who was 90 degrees to me) was sufficient for me to see the rabbit, cross hairs on, pop goes the HW100, CRACK goes the rabbits skull. I paced the shot to 25 yards exactly. Rabbit rolled over without a twitch.

 

 

Rabbit with the wrong gun!

 

 

Can you tell where I hit him?

 

We reached the western limit of the course and so turned back east and coastward. The southern border of the course is the railway line, which tonight had a British Rail construction workers party going on. Literally there were 30 blokes, driving diggers and cranes and by the sounds of it, a couple of Sherman tanks. Den had said he had seen most of the rabbits down this line, and we certainly saw several. We walked back and grabbed a brew, after Den had stalked 2-3 rabbits (with me standing lamping at 60-70 yrds distance), frustratingly each time over estimating the distance. He was getting to 20-22 yrds, thinking he was at 30-35 yrds, and just as he was taking a knee or going prone, the rabbits spooked. Time and again he was stalking so close but just not getting a chance to shoot.

 

After the brew we went to the east side (massive) of the course. I had a go stalking, but we were along the railway line and the tank battle going on spooked the rabbits. We decided to move away from the line and hug the river bank.

 

Time and again the same story, either rabbits running at yrds plus or Den getting very close, or being unlucky. When he did get a good distance, JUST as he lined the rabbit up, they ran. It was like they were teasing him.

 

Den sent me after one rabbit, but I had made the STUPID mistake of switching rifles when we had our brew. I had left the HW100 in the car and picked up the HW97 for an outing. The problem was, I had switched the lamp over and not checked its position. So when I put my lamp on to take a shot, I couldn’t see anything, the beam was 100yrds away from where I was aiming! Arrrgggghhh. I could JUST about make out the rabbit shadow from Den’s lamp, which was 80yrds behind me. BUT, in my haste, I took a knee, forgot I was shooting a springer, held her too tight, pulled her to close to my shoulder and totally screwed the shot. I was about 25 yards, and the rabbit ran all of 5 yards away from where I had shot at him!! WTF?? Brave or stupid rabbits? OR perhaps, just perhaps, they freekin’ knew I didn’t have my multishot PCP, that I had an underlever, that my pellets were in a pouch around my neck & inside my coat, that I was trying to re-load in the dark….all of which was a farce. By the time I had got the pouch from inside my jacket, pulled the popper, found a pellet, pulled the lever back, found the hole, pushed the lever forward, taken the safety off, the rabbit was running away laughing at me. And I wanted to cry.

 

We continued in this vein the rest of the night, almost stepping on one rabbit as we went round a bush, saw several along the path near the river…all running very early or spooked before we could take a shot. At one point we decided to lay up where we had seen 4 rabbits run into the wood. Naturally not being able to shoot prone with the HW97 I sat down, focusing on the woods. When I looked over at Den, he was laying on his back, arms across his chest looking for all the world like he was dead! How you shoot from that position I don’t know haha.

 

We headed back to the car and had probably the best chance of the night. We walked through some trees and spotted a big rabbit not 15 yards away. He sat there when we put the lamp on him but there was a real issue. He was sat next to a wire fence, 5 yards behind which was the railway line with all the guys working on it. Neither Den nor I fancied pointing our rifle in the direction of 30 odd blokes with sledge hammers and WW2 tanks. Soooo we left that one alone.

 

As we walked back to the car, one of the tanks turned and illuminated Den and I in all our gear with the guns. One of the workers shat himself, “WTF is that?” “Calm down you prat, it’s just a couple of guys lamping” “ooooh, is that what dogging is?” “DOGGING??? I said lamping you prick, as in shooting rabbits!! – dogging FFS”….

Haha, Dogging, in camo, with guns…..extreme?

[j j m 6,626]

nice write up and nice shooting

[logan esq 99]

Quality write up there mate. Nice shot too!!!

 

Hahaha "doggin" that's some funny stuff right there mate.

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

You need to get to know that 97 more intimately daz!!

I can shoot a pigeon, get a pellet out of my pocket and have the gun reloaded and shoot another within 20 seconds! In the dark with no light whatsoever! With my 97

 

It will come naturally after enough time with the gun.

 

Sounds like a decent nights dogging

[Daz39 962]

So I now have the "extreme dogger" tag........... hmm, I smell a Moxy.....

 

[moxy 617]

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

Might have pigeon a`la supernoodles tonight

[Daz39 962]

Hey Moxy, I think DenBell needs his profile updating too, "born dogger" I guess??? LOL

[The one 8,594]

Nice read and you got some

[bigmac 97kt 13,836]

Next time we are out ill bring the 97k out to play and ill show you how to shoot and reload one in the dark quick very quick in deed atvbmac :thumbs:

[Daz39 962]

Balls to that, I'll stick with the 100 for now and get some hours in down the range with the 97 before she's coming out again haha. Tooooooo keen, that was the issue. The reload was actually ok, once I got the pouch out and unfastened. Just the click of the lever I was worried about really. I'll have to have a shoot of yours to see just what Darryl can do

[bigmac 97kt 13,836]

Balls to that, I'll stick with the 100 for now and get some hours in down the range with the 97 before she's coming out again haha. Tooooooo keen, that was the issue. The reload was actually ok, once I got the pouch out and unfastened. Just the click of the lever I was worried about really. I'll have to have a shoot of yours to see just what Darryl can do

Its un real just ask Den he has fired it before just bite the bullet and get it done im telling you you will not regret it iv had the famous crow sport, the 97, the bsa lightning all tuned by marksman and even Sean (vislauk) said they are mint he dose not like the 97 range of rifles but the only one he has and would use is the marksman tuned one that i have(just a shame i sold it to my son in-law) atvbmac :thumbs:

[Daz39 962]

I will, just the cost. Need to save my pennies or shoot a shed load of rabbits for the butcher, let's hope the new perm is bouncing!!!