Hunting, tips

[gaelic cowboy]

I've been led to believe that a dark night, a low powered rifle and a high powered torch are the best things for hunting rabbits. Plus any necessary licenses and permissions of course.

No thats for foxes

[Devastatin Dave]

Dude, just come here to the US, you can borrow my beagle, my 4-10 and enjoy yourself.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I smell a sitcom!

Didn't Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty do an American version of this. Something about the Appalachians.....

[Crazed Rabbit]

Poaching is the same thing but without a licence what's the difference, not going to shoot any unicorns just a rabbit with an airgun, and eat it mother nature will survive. Friend of mine knows how to clean it

The difference is, hunting licenses pay for upkeep of the land and all attendant public costs. Poaching is stealing. It's not a matter of having the proper government permit or not, but paying for the upkeep of what you do.

Also, an airgun is a small caliber for a rabbit. While I don't think a .223 is necessary, an airgun may well not kill the rabbit. You really need a .22.

It bears repeating, unfortunately, that you should hunt LEGALLY and join a club or whatever and go with someone who's hunted before.

Crazed Rabbits also shoot back!

As it happens, I was looking at one of these yesterday: http://www.eotech-inc.com/product.php?id=29&cat=2

Seems like it'd be a useful sight for hunting.

CR

[PanzerJaeger]

As it happens, I was looking at one of these yesterday: http://www.eotech-inc.com/product.php?id=29&cat=2

Seems like it'd be a useful sight for hunting.

CR

EOTechs, Aimpoints, and other red dot sights are built for fast reaction, combat-style shooting. While you certainly could hunt with one, I'm not sure it would offer very much benefit over iron sights in that role as it has no magnification. You would also be paying a very large premium for mil-spec durability that is not necessary in the vast majority of hunting situations and not much more.

For $500 you can get a very good hunting scope with multiple magnification settings so that it can be used in a wide variety of applications.

[Fragony]

If airgun isn't a guaranteed kill I'm not going to use one, I'll get a crossbow instead. Think the woods are private property just going to ask owner's permission, doubt he will mind rabbits are harmfull creatures and they only have foxes to worry about. They are everywhere. If he does I'm going to put it on hold and get the papers.

[Crazed Rabbit]

EOTechs, Aimpoints, and other red dot sights are built for fast reaction, combat-style shooting. While you certainly could hunt with one, I'm not sure it would offer very much benefit over iron sights in that role as it has no magnification. You would also be paying a very large premium for mil-spec durability that is not necessary in the vast majority of hunting situations and not much more.

For $500 you can get a very good hunting scope with multiple magnification settings so that it can be used in a wide variety of applications.

I'm not planning on hunting. The primary use would be range shooting and quick shooting competitions.

The nice folks behind the counter mounted the optic on my rifle and let me try looking through. They're so much better than iron sights.

In terms of hunting, I don't know how much the quick acquisition would be worth versus magnifying power, though I think for some types of game (birds, other fast moving, close animals) it'd be quite useful.

CR

[PanzerJaeger]

I'm not planning on hunting. The primary use would be range shooting and quick shooting competitions.

The nice folks behind the counter mounted the optic on my rifle and let me try looking through. They're so much better than iron sights.

That is my favorite type of shooting. What kind of rifle? An ar of some type?

[Fragony]

Ever hunted with crossbow PJ? Although I suspect selfish motivations CR was right, air rifle won't always kill it and they die horribly of blood poisining, hunters here call it 'shooting them sick' and it won't win me any popularity contest. Crossbows pack a punch though, some even have scopes and laser-sights so I take it they got good enough range.

[PanzerJaeger]

I have not hunted with a crossbow, but it is essentially a compound bow tilted to the side with a stock added. It is powerful enough to hunt pretty much anything that will not hunt you back (I wouldn't go out after bear or anything dangerous without a backup firearm and preferably a partner), so it would be plenty powerful to destroy a rabbit. As a bonus, it would also serve as a limited home defense weapon, considering the restrictive gun laws you seem to be under.

Again though, you will not be able to hit a running rabbit with it, and I've never experienced rabbits that are approachable in the wild. They are far more perceptive to dangers than deer and other game animals around here. But if they are different over there as you say, then have fun! (Also check your local laws to make sure you can hunt such small game with a crossbow. Just because it is legal to own doesn't mean you can hunt all game animals with it.)

[Furunculus]

for birds/rodents you might be better with .177, for rabbits stick with .22. the former lacks the punch to knock down bigger animals and tends to just drill neat little holes in them, but it does have the advantage of greater velocity (if both rifles are at 12ft/lbs) and a flatter trajectory.

if your within 25 yards with a good rifle and scope and confident in your ability then go for a head-shot, if not then aim for centre-mass body, being prepared to wring its neck if you missed a kill-shot.

[Furunculus]

Ok, I have 10 euros here that says Frags isn't gonna catch anything. Anyone?

Seriosly Frag, there are almost no chance you're gonna hit a wabbit with an airgun. They're sneaksy and they jump around.

i've bagged a rabbit with a head-shot at thirty yards. the fun is stalking into a shooting position without spooking the rabbit, would never try a moving shot with an air-rifle tho.

[Fragony]

I have not hunted with a crossbow, but it is essentially a compound bow tilted to the side with a stock added. It is powerful enough to hunt pretty much anything that will not hunt you back (I wouldn't go out after bear or anything dangerous without a backup firearm and preferably a partner), so it would be plenty powerful to destroy a rabbit. As a bonus, it would also serve as a limited home defense weapon, considering the restrictive gun laws you seem to be under.

Again though, you will not be able to hit a running rabbit with it, and I've never experienced rabbits that are approachable in the wild. They are far more perceptive to dangers than deer and other game animals around here. But if they are different over there as you say, then have fun! (Also check your local laws to make sure you can hunt such small game with a crossbow. Just because it is legal to own doesn't mean you can hunt all game animals with it.)

Our rabbits are ijjits, deers are really cautious

[Vuk]

Yeah, even in the wild, it is not that hard to sneak up close enough to a rabbit to take a good shot. I personally do not shoot moving animals (with the exceptions of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks), because you are not assured a clean kill. It is really disturbing to shoot an animal's leg off and then chase it down and drill it full of holes as it is writhing on the ground. I have seen someone do that to a rabbit with his .22. After hitting it in the rear leg he shot the thing in the guts a bunch of times. That is a very painful, brutal way to go, and it is much better for you and the animal to finish it off with a clean shot to the head or other vitals.

[Fragony]

That's what I want to avoid, 'the wild' isn't really the right expression here though, more like the number of trees between traffic-signs, 'wild rabbits' can even be found just out of the centre of Amsterdam and I don't mean bunnies, they got some disease last year though was pretty sad to see that, completely helpless.

edit, what's up with this? http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/ And that wouldn't scratch a rabbit?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Perhaps a Martini-Henry? No worries about failing to kill the target....

[rajpoot]

The first question is what kind of air-gun you have.
You can easily get a .22 cal air-gun, the break barrel type, and that works for rabbits and quails and other game of that size. Furthermore these guns don't normally need a license.

As for hunting laws I can't really say. For instance in India, it's illegal to hunt anything but vermin, like rats and stuff. But quails that roam the fields are a delicacy, cooked on open flame.
And in my experience it's easier to kill a quail than a rabbit.

Edit:
Another thing you might want to take care about is the pellets. When I first bought the pellets I made the mistake of getting the round nosed ones. You want to get the pointed ones for greater penetration power.

edit, what's up with this? http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/ And that wouldn't scratch a rabbit?

Those are modified airguns, I think. The kind that would need a license to keep legally.

[Furunculus]

it has always been a dream to own a theoben rapid mk2, the rolls royce of air-guns.

sadly 850 squid with another 250 for a scope that does it justice.

[Fragony]

@India, decided against air-rifle, I don't want to risk just wounding them.

Anyone know where to get an affordable thermal scope that can be mounted on a crossbow?

[Fisherking]

Sure!

Just check out amazon. I saw one for only $19,995.00

[Fragony]

Sure!

Just check out amazon. I saw one for only $19,995.00

That kinda makes things complicated, k scratch thermal scope I'll just shoot a flare ad rectum first

[rajpoot]

@India, decided against air-rifle, I don't want to risk just wounding them.

Well, it's really your decision, but a well placed shot to the head with a .22 cal always kills.

[Sarmatian]

@India, decided against air-rifle, I don't want to risk just wounding them.

Get to a heavilly wooded area and call Osama bin Laden (1-800-AIR-OSAMA). Start insulting him (beard and Islam jokes work best) and eventually a 747 will crash in the forest, resulting in massive rabbit casualties. Works every time.

The added effect will be that the rabbits will probably join war on terror and with them on, America can't lose.

[Fisherking]

A crossbow actually has better accuracy than a .22 up to 300 m.

If it is legal to hunt at night then there are some other night vision sights that are less expensive than thermal.

Only use sights if it is for night. In daylight it is too much trouble to aim. You need to shoot quickly and not at long range.

[Fragony]

Easier said than done, he hasn't returned my calls ever since, and I was only jesting.

[Furunculus]

lol, why not squat on top of a rabbit burrow and then ring a random number in pakistan whilst shouting; "jabber jabber bin-laden jabber", then all you need to do is wait for the drone of a predator overhead. surefire way to screw some rabbits poop up........ possibly with your poop.

seriously tho, if you aren't willing to take the risk of wounding an animal you should not be hunting, likewise, if you aren't willing to put the time in to become proficient at shooting you should not be hunting.

get a .22 and practice, the only safe alternative is laying C4 at the entrance of the burrow having filled it with vapourised petrol.

[Strike For The South]

Poaching is bad

If you are going to hunt on private land ask first

mmmmkkkkkk