Hunting the Easter Bunny - It didn't work out

[PhilH 187]

 

The Easter break and the farmers wanted me to start thinning out the hares and bunnies. They are currently at plague proportions in places here due to a good breeding season and Covid curtailing a lot of the hunting activity. Friday night was my first night to have a go but my darling wife Sharon decided that she would like to come out as well, and her preference is for the bigger pests - deer and pigs. What could I say. The roar is still going here, though starting to tail off and Sharon had just recently bought me a Infiray GL35r for my .270 and I hadn’t had the chance to use it in anger yet. Game on. 

We lodged ourselves in my usual hide that gives me a partial view of the three properties I hunt, plus a view for about 800 meters down a forest border, and that’s where most of the animals come from.

I was sitting nursing my .270 with the Infiray detached and using it as a spotter. Sharon was sitting beside me with our Conotech TI 50LRF Thermal. Between the two of us we were quickly able to locate animals in the valley. Seven bunnies and four possums on the paddock, total of five deer up in the forest and three pigs over on the neighbouring field. Now we are allowed to shoot on this farm and the two neighbouring farms but the forest owners have a strictly ‘No Hunting’ policy; it’s all to do with Health and Safety issues, apparently. One of the deer looked as if it was heading for the neighbours lower farm so we decided that we would go down the valley and setup for it’s arrival. So off we went, in stealth mode using only a weak red light to see our way, carrying a camp chair and shooting tripod - yes, when we have time to take a shot, we like to do it comfortably.

So, here we were sitting on a track cut into the side of the hill watching this deer come towards us. Normally at night I am happy shooting out to 300 meters, weather and terrain being suitable. Tonight I wanted the animal within 100 meters as I still didn’t entirely trust the ‘Quick Detach’ thermal mount to reliably return to zero when putting the scope back on the rifle. When the deer was 238 meters away, Sharon poked me on the shoulder. Behind and to the left at a distance of about 350 meters were two hunters approaching the pigs on the neighbours farm. The farmer had warned me that one of his workers would be out looking for pigs over Easter. Having freezers full of meat at home ourselves and the night being young, we decided to leave this deer so as not to spoil the other hunters chance of getting their pig.

Trudging back up the valley to our hide, Sharon kept a watch on the other deer in the forest. One of them was approaching the paddock that our hide was located in. The wind in our favour we hatched a plan. We went around a small hillock and climbed to the top and set ourselves up to wait not more than 90 meters away from where we anticipated the deer to jump the fence. A ten minute wait and we congratulated ourselves for being right on the money. We were getting flashes of his heat signature as he came through the forest towards the fence. Within three meters of where we predicted him to enter the field, there he was. We sat dead still almost not breathing staring at him 91 meters away. He was cautious and stood there surveying the field up and down for about three minutes before gracefully leaping the fence. He was only 86 meters away when I unleashed a 130 gr Super-X soft point towards his chest. I was right to have been cautious. The point of impact was three inches off where it had been zeroed to on the range three days before. Needless to say he just collapsed in front of us. He was a big Red spiker with a missing antler. I’m guessing he lost it in a skirmish during the roar. 

So, we had him gutted out and back home hanging in a tree before 11 pm. Sharon started straight into skinning him - I’m not allowed to skin and butcher the animals…..I don’t have enough finesse apparently. We were back inside with a cup of tea, rifle and all  knives cleaned and getting ready for bed by 12:30 am.

We were up by 6 am and Sharon decided that she would get him in the freezer as we had no place to hang him in the cool and away from the flies due to his size, plus it was meant to get to 18 C later in the day. She had him butchered, packed and in the freezer by 01:30 pm and was starting into the sausages.

Sunday rolled along and we decided that we would go and make an earnest attempt to thin the hares and rabbits that night.  We were on the field just past sunset and started off well. One possum and three hares dispatched in the course of 15 minutes. But then Mr. 40 kg Piggy decided to enter the field 300 meters away. Quick debate followed. Pigs cause a lot more damage than hares and rabbits and actually rate as the biggest economic pest around here for the farmers. We were going to have a go for him. Now, just to demonstrate our honest intention of dealing to the smaller pests, between us we were only carrying a .223 with a red light attached. That said, I brought along a packet of Sako Gamehead’s with the 55 gr TTSX, just for occasions like this. They are good on all but the biggest pig and deer within 150 meters, shot placement being crucial.  

We agreed quickly on a proposed strategy. Down into the small water course out of sight and hearing off the pig and out onto a rise about 200 meters away for a clear shot. We got into place and again set up the camp chair and tripod, swapped the varmint rounds out of the magazine for the Sako Gameheads and we sat and waited. Sharon tracked him in with the Conotech thermal whilst I just waited in position staring into the darkness waiting for the word. 

Mr. Pig got to 159 meters and then looked like he was going to move to the side or further away from our position. I would have preferred him to be within 150 meters, but mist was rolling in off the hills and Sharon reasoned that this might  be the only opportunity to have a shot. Pointing the rifle in the direction that Sharon indicated with an out stretched, on with the red beam, and there he was, only about 2 meters to the right of where I was aiming. As I moved the cross hairs onto him, he seemed absolutely oblivious to being washed in red light and continued rooting in the leftover grain that had be dropped for sheep earlier on.  The .223 spat - aren’t suppressors wonderful pieces of kit - and he fell in his tracks.  The TTSX went through his left shoulder, breaking it and was sticking out of the hide just in front of his right shoulder

Quick repeat of Friday night; gut, remove the head, back home, hang in the tree and skin and we were inside supping tea by 10 pm. He is now hanging from the ceiling in the cool of the garage while we decide what meat in the freezer we will move on to family and friends in order to fit this little chap in. 

Tonight, we are off up the hill again with the honest intention of only targeting hares and rabbits. Perhaps I should leave the Sako Gamehead’s at home.

Cheers

Phil

 

Images. Sharon breaking down the Spiker and TTSX retreived from pig.

 

[The one 8,397]

Nice read mate the Mrs dealing with the meat ? and a freezer full cant beat that 

[PhilH 187]

Well a quick update regarding the Easter Bunny. Last week I took delivery of another picatinny rail and was able to get the Infiray GL35 thermal attached and sighted in on the .223.

On Friday night I took it up the hill to one very large paddock that we have here and laid waste to 23 hapless hares. Why do I say hapless? Well, because I don't relish killing any animals. They are just doing what the universe deemed they should do. I can only take out these little pests because of the economic damage that they cause. I guess it is all about survival of the fittest or superior.....or something like that. This is probably not the forum to get into deep philosophical discussions on the taking of lives of animals.

Anyway, one huge consultation was today to see 5 hawks feasting heartily on the carcasses. We are trying to bolster the hawk population here in New Zealand after finally understanding the balance they help keep within the ecological chain.

Cheers

Phil