Rabbit shooting

alan123

I see the post below on rabbit shooting with shotguns but I am interested in advice/tips on .22lr rabbiting. Can anyone suggest a good book, I have some great pigeon books and would like a good rabbit one.

stevoman

i dont know of any books on rabbit hunting with a .22 but for good tips and techniques the lads here are always more than happy to help.

Vegeta

The single easiest way to shoot rabbits (which is not always the best fun) is lamping (with as little light as need to identify the target) at night with a silenced .22lr and sub sonic ammo.

That's the easiest way (if you are shooting for food or pest control I'd recommend that) but some of the more fun ways are at dusk and dawn, try and stalk them using wind, being quiet etc etc to get as close as possible.

southernhunter

Cant beat stalking at dusk and dawn. I usually go out the first evening with terrier and shotgun great sport bolting rabbits. Next time out I take the .22 and just creep around peeping over ditches. Best bag in my younger days shooting without constraint was 15 now I just take 2 or 3 and head home.

stevoman

i have to agree with the lads. best time i head out is around 7.30 and make sure you know the lay of the land first. then just creep around along ditches being in mind to keep the wind on your face for as long as you can. keep your shots too arouind the 45 to 60 yard mark and try your best to hit them in the head as much as possible because if you hit them in the body they are'nt much good to eat as the meat is spoiled from the insides being burst inside (you really dont want to try and clean one of them out it'l put you off eating it). main thing though is always be aware of where your bullet wil travel after you hit them!

kiwijbob

went out on my first rabbit hunting outing, great craic at dusk
and with the shotgun great sport as more got away (for another day;) )
than I shot, three to be exact. Where would the miximatosis be in
Ireland at the moment, on wikipedia I see the symptoms are:

visible by lumps (myxomata) and puffiness around the head and genitals

Can I guess that an infected animal will be obvious? god they stink
when opening them up though :eek:

What is the favoured method for dispatching an injured animal,
I've heard a couple of methods and I just wondered what
worked best?

stevoman

you will definitly know if a rabbit has mixy by those symptoms you have above. you wont see it very much this time of year but if you do come across one that does have it, take him away from where all the rest of the rabbits are and bury him somewhere. as regards killing an injured rabbit the best thing to do is pick him up with your bad hand with the palm of your hand on his lower back and your fingers and thumb cupping around the lower belly. then just holding like this with his head faced towards the ground, make your other hand in to a karate chop shape, then just swing and chop him in the back of the neck as hard as you can. hence the rabbit punch. this should break his neck easily and is the easiest and most humane way to kill him. also if your shooting rabbits and they manage to crawl back ionto their burrow, just break a piece of brier about two foot long with plenty of throns and push it into the burrow and fish around until you find him and the thorns should grab a hold of his fur and pull him out. its not fair to leave them mamed, dying and to rot in their burrows. hope this helps!

Clare gunner

Or if you have a stout knife,sheath or lock back,simply hold it with the blade wrapped in somthing to prevent you cutting your hand,and use the handle as a described to strike the back of the head.

kiwijbob

cheers

alan123

Thanks, I guess the day of the book is gone!!! I am just a bit wary about lamping as it will be difficult to see the background I imagine and I would be a bit uneasy about taking a shot without a clear view of the surroundings?? Ill get the hang of the dusk/dawn shooting first. Im away to the West for the week end on the in laws farm and plan n getting some practice on the nuisance magpies and plagues of crows.

revan23

i use a full choke, and a number 4 shot, you need to be a bit more accurate, but it usualy kills them first time

Ruger.220swift

the key to lamping is to get a good lamp which will ensure you to see where you are shooting, lightforce do good lamps a bit expensive though.. good tip flicker the lamp with your hand in front of the rabbit to make him stop if they start to run off and dont shine the beam directly onto them and they will usually just sit there if they havnt been lamped before.