Newby Rabbit hunter

[mattyf]

Hi Guys,

I have recently got my 1st perm, and they have lots and lots of rabbits they need rid of.

My question is this:

I don't have N.V. (my next purchase) i have t20 torch, pressure switch and filters etc. Have a good set up that i sit in, and after 5-10 mins of getting in place the rabbits come out to feed, however i only have about 30 minutes of light before its pitch black from when i can get on site. Once it goes dark i literally cannot see more than 5 metres infant of me, so i use my torch sparingly to see whether any have come out to play, but overtime i shine the torch, obviously the rabbits scarper. How can i catch these little buggers better without a N.V setup?

Im a pretty decent shot up to 25 metres or so, however i can be on site for 3-4 hours and get one bloody rabbit lol.

What filter do you find best, that doesn't scare them away? Do you find it better to have the torch on permanently, save scaring them off as soon as i switch it on?

Thanks

Matt

[Geordie]

Have you not thought about an early morning shoot?
It'll soon be light at 4.30- 5 oclock in the morning, then lighter even earlier. Now isnt really an ideal time for lamping as were coming into Summer time.

I much prefer early mornings this time of year.

Just a thought like.

[sss360]

I use a red filter on my scope mounted LedRay 800 and this doesn't spook the rabbits on my perms at all. However, I do try to use it as sparingly as possible as I believe that if you're consistently hitting the same perm with the same colour filter they'll get wise and dart once the beam is on them.

Have you tried holding the beam just above them, when identifying where they are, and then dropping down when you're ready to shoot? Also, one thing I found was not to have the torch on the brightest setting... I only have it high enough so you can positively identify your target and take a safe shot. The LedRay 800 is pretty bright, especially with no filter, and it just made the rabbits dart as soon as they were illuminated.

[mattyf]

Thank you both! To be honest i hadn't even thought about going 1st thing in the morning (feeling rather stupid now), what times do they tend to come out to feed in the mornings?

I shall also try both using the half light setting on my t20 and holding above them! thank you Hopefully i won't feel like such a failure now bagging just the one rabbit per night ha.

[eboswan]

fill out your location you may have a shooter close by who can show you the ropes.

[roadrunner]

Your lucky to see any rabbit,ours are still underground,try not to be gready either, overshoot your land and it upsets all who feed from it, my permission has been a bit barren this last couple of years,but theres poaches turn up in the dead of night and kill loads,is there any rat to be had on your shoot,they multiply quick enough to keep shooting and its good sport

[poguemahone]

stalking em is where its at mate, at this time of year
the last 2 hours before dark are usually the most productive, or as gordon says try it in a morning.
dont worry if your stalking isnt up to speed, its a method that is best learned by your own mistakes, but all the time you'll be developing your own ''style'' or ''method''.
the basics of stalking are simple enough, keep it simple and your skills will develop and results will improve
you'll probably find that they leg it before you get within range to start with but its a simple enough job to wait within range of where they ran in, and give it 20 mins to see if they venture back out. if nowt shows, start stalking the next lot, or get within range of where you last saw them, and give em another 20mins
i remember cynic used to call this his ''rinse and repeat'' method very effective when everything drops into place.

[granville]

i use green filter .
but cheap night monocular does the job well.
i shine the torch starting at the holes and that way i cut off thier escape route.

[mattyf]

Thank you all for your advice

[Raj]

Come along to the AAOC Annual Meet - August in Nuneaton