First Rabbit

pajero2005

Had my first success rabbit hunting yesterday:D. I was delighted with myself. Got 2 of the buggers from about 40yds in a prone position, one from standing at about 30yds and a humdinger of a shot at about 75/80yds from lying down.

3 out of the 4 had mixi by the way!!:mad:



Came across a fox strolling through the fields, didn't take a shot at him, just observed him for a while. As you'd expect he was quiet aware of my presence (looking right at me from across the field) and for the next 45 minutes I could see him at a distance, following us around, Never getting too close to us, just lurking in the ditches.

Anyone think thats strange or ever have a similar experience?

Jonty

pajero2005 wrote: »

Had my first success rabbit hunting yesterday:D. I was delighted with myself. Got 2 of the buggers from about 40yds in a prone position, one from standing at about 30yds and a humdinger of a shot at about 75/80yds from lying down.

3 out of the 4 had mixi by the way!!:mad:



Came across a fox strolling through the fields, didn't take a shot at him, just observed him for a while. As you'd expect he was quiet aware of my presence (looking right at me from across the field) and for the next 45 minutes I could see him at a distance, following us around, Never getting too close to us, just lurking in the ditches.

Anyone think thats strange or ever have a similar experience?

Foxes have poor eyesight. Maybe he just got a whiff off you.

clivej

Good hunting Pajero
You should have left the rabbits for the fox, set him up for a fall:D

riflehunter77

Fair play pajero its a great feeling to get the first ones in bag hope you get many more.

Maybe the fox was looking for a free meal, iv had a similar experience in the past was out one evening got a few going up one side of the field and when i was coming back the other side of the field (250 yards in width) there was Mr Fox as cool as ever walking down the field picked up one the rabbits and off he went not a worry in world. All I could do was observe him through the scope and laugh to myself.

pajero2005

riflehunter77 wrote: »

Fair play pajero its a great feeling to get the first ones in bag hope you get many more.

Maybe the fox was looking for a free meal, iv had a similar experience in the past was out one evening got a few going up one side of the field and when i was coming back the other side of the field (250 yards in width) there was Mr Fox as cool as ever walking down the field picked up one the rabbits and off he went not a worry in world. All I could do was observe him through the scope and laugh to myself.

Cheeky bugger!! I'm lookin forward to later this year and tryin a bit of lamping. Farmer on one of my permissions says plenty of fox around his place and would be delighted to see the numbers thinned out a little. But for the moment, bunnies all the way.:D

pajero2005

clivej wrote: »

Good hunting Pajero
You should have left the rabbits for the fox, set him up for a fall:D

Cheers. I'll have my day with him:D

It wasn't me!

I had a fox take a rabbit literally out of my crosshairs as I was about to pull the trigger before. Went like a bolt. Nothing to do but laugh at the sheer audacity of it.

lordarpad

guys, how do I recognise mixi?

pajero2005

lordarpad wrote: »

guys, how do I recognise mixi?

Eyes are all clouded over and kind of bulgy.

lordarpad

pajero2005 wrote: »

Eyes are all clouded over and kind of bulgy.

I assume disposable gloves for handling rabbits are indicated?

pajero2005

lordarpad wrote: »

I assume disposable gloves for handling rabbits are indicated?

I'd presume so, wouldn't be any expert on it myself.

Rovi

lordarpad wrote: »

guys, how do I recognise mixi?

Google "Myxomatosis" and switch to Images mode.

Be warned, it ain't pretty

riflehunter77

lordarpad wrote: »

I assume disposable gloves for handling rabbits are indicated?

I would and to be honest Iv started using them now for a while when cleaning them out. A memeber of our club was telling us about a young lad in england last year who died after picking up a nasty infection when he was cleaning out a rabbit. Dont think it was wells disease that you get from rats. Its better to be safe than sorry .

Trojan911

lordarpad wrote: »

guys, how do I recognise mixi?

They look like this, in advanced stages they are very thin and don't respond to movement. Kindest thing to do is shoot them.

dwighet

Good for you Paj... Its mighty craic...
While on the subject of fox looking for a free meal reminds me of the last day of the forgone deer season..I shot a hind at around 150yds.It tumbled down a steep hill and while i was watching through the binos to make sure she was dead old charlie was on it like a shot....I couldnt believe my eyes...

bunny shooter

I still remember my first and it was many years ago now :cool:

Mixy is obvious tbh eyes have a discharge and can be swollen. Run your fingers between the toes and if you feel 'lumps' it meand mixy is present in the very early stages.

I have had shot rabbits taken by a fox. He used to hear the shooting, I reckon, and wait on the ditch at the far side of the field till I moved on then he'd come across and take any rabbits I would leave on the ground. I always left two for him

I have had a rabbit robbed by a stoat. I went to pick up the dead rabbit and the stoat was firmly holding said rabbit by the neck and attempting to hiss at me I left sod have the rabbit for his tenacity.

I have had a kestrel or some some such bird of prey take a rabbit just as I was about to shoot it :eek: The bird of prey came over me and took the rabbit. It was an awsome sight :cool:

It wasn't me!

bunny shooter wrote: »

I have had a kestrel or some some such bird of prey take a rabbit just as I was about to shoot it :eek: The bird of prey came over me and took the rabbit. It was an awsome sight :cool:

Same as the fox that took mine, it's a real "ah, sod it, he did get there first!" kinda moment.

bunny shooter

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Same as the fox that took mine, it's a real "ah, sod it, he did get there first!" kinda moment.

Ya and you can't begrudge it to them as they don't have a freezer full of food at home :P

It wasn't me!

bunny shooter wrote: »

Ya and you can't begrudge it to them as they don't have a freezer full of food at home :P

Exactly, fair cop!

pajero2005

dwighet wrote: »

Good for you Paj... Its mighty craic...
While on the subject of fox looking for a free meal reminds me of the last day of the forgone deer season..I shot a hind at around 150yds.It tumbled down a steep hill and while i was watching through the binos to make sure she was dead old charlie was on it like a shot....I couldnt believe my eyes...

They sure are crafty buggers. Did he meet a similar end to the hind? Me and Charlie will have our day........

darrenon

shot my first in 4 years the other day. i have,nt been out due to work and family.but due to recession i have more time on my hands.felt great to be back out.got three but a fox made a meal of one.brought them home for the stew pot that night.first time to try rabbit (shooting partner used to always take them home).myself and my wife loved it so hopefully there'll be a lot more. nothing more pleasing than hunting and preparing your own meat.

dwighet

pajero2005 wrote: »

They sure are crafty buggers. Did he meet a similar end to the hind? Me and Charlie will have our day........

No I let him off...Im thinking that he has been around the area for a while and when he hears a shot he knows that there is going to be a free feed of deer innards, or maybe it was just coincidence...

dwighet

darrenon wrote: »

shot my first in 4 years the other day. i have,nt been out due to work and family.but due to recession i have more time on my hands.felt great to be back out.got three but a fox made a meal of one.brought them home for the stew pot that night.first time to try rabbit (shooting partner used to always take them home).myself and my wife loved it so hopefully there'll be a lot more. nothing more pleasing than hunting and preparing your own meat.

Its good to get back in the saddle....Happy days

sk1shot

lordarpad wrote: »

guys, how do I recognise mixi?

mixi can be recognised in the ways previosly stated but in the early stages it can be detected by rubbing the inside of the hind legs. if the rabbit has mixi u will feel little lumps along the inside of the leg

riflehunter77

darrenon wrote: »

shot my first in 4 years the other day. i have,nt been out due to work and family.but due to recession i have more time on my hands.felt great to be back out.got three but a fox made a meal of one.brought them home for the stew pot that night.first time to try rabbit (shooting partner used to always take them home).myself and my wife loved it so hopefully there'll be a lot more. nothing more pleasing than hunting and preparing your own meat.

Fair play to you darrenon thats what it is all about.
Happy and safe shooting.

pajero2005

darrenon wrote: »

shot my first in 4 years the other day. i have,nt been out due to work and family.but due to recession i have more time on my hands.felt great to be back out.got three but a fox made a meal of one.brought them home for the stew pot that night.first time to try rabbit (shooting partner used to always take them home).myself and my wife loved it so hopefully there'll be a lot more. nothing more pleasing than hunting and preparing your own meat.

I'm in the same boat as you darrenon. Recession sucks, but its nice to get a bit more time for hobbies/pastimes. Next few rabbits I get (mixi free) are pot bound, provided I can manage the field dressing.:eek:

jwshooter

was out for a wabbit this fine eve and got talking to a farmer ,i never met him before we were chatting away when he ask me how quite the rifle was.

i said very ,as there is horses in the next field.

turns out he owns a large stud farm ,he reckoned he could do with a few wabbits shot off it.

so i followed him to his house down a long drive to his yard ,the first field there was 20+ all the fields were the same .

we came back to my jeep and exchanged numbers ,he asked me to call him any eve before i call ,not to shoot to close to the horses etc .

do you want to start now he asked ,yep .

we went down a head land got into 60 yds for maybe 15 ,i lined up one at about 80yds a inch over its head and squeezed one down his buddy sat up same thing two down ,one ran into the ditch at about 60 bang on this time 3 down ,and one some where in the middle held on the top of its head 4 down .

you work away when ever you want he says, iv a few jobs to do and shoot away for the eve .

i spent about a hour and a half and shot 18 .

place alive with them but a hard place to shoot .

so it pays to chat to folk .

dwighet

well done JW.....Its nice to be nice

riflehunter77

Fair play jw that what you like to see, not bad for an hour and halfs work. The place must be alive with them down there. It will keep you busy over the next few months..

fish slapped

Out lamping one night and watched a cat taking a rabbit, the rabbit was bigger than the cat. It stalked up on the rabbit from behind and pounced taking the rabbit by the neck the rabbit squealed and kicked but was draged in to a ditch and then every thing went quite.

If I had something to record the rabbit squeals it would have been perfect for Charlie.

FS

darrenon

Next few rabbits I get (mixi free) are pot bound, provided I can manage the field dressing.:eek:[/quote]


it was my first time doing it and im a bit squeamish!!!!!!!but once you get over the inital smell its not so bad!!but very proud :Dof myself handing it over to my wife she used to eat it as a child but had'nt tried it in long time.so we were both chuffed sitting down:D

bunny shooter

Good video that was posted here somewhere previously

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=IpwhOE74TMA

meathstevie

darrenon wrote: »

Next few rabbits I get (mixi free) are pot bound, provided I can manage the field dressing.:eek:

it was my first time doing it and im a bit squeamish!!!!!!!but once you get over the inital smell its not so bad!!but very proud :Dof myself handing it over to my wife she used to eat it as a child but had'nt tried it in long time.so we were both chuffed sitting down:D[/QUOTE]

If a mixied one happens to land in the pot don't worry too much about it. Mixi is not harmful for humans although the sight of a rabbit with late stage mixi is not exactly an appetiser...

darrenon

bunny shooter wrote: »

Good video that was posted here somewhere previously

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=IpwhOE74TMA

thanks that looks a lot easier than the way i done it. but more realistic than some ways i have seen!!

stevoman

this talk reminds me of when i shot a black rabbit about 15 years ago. i was only 13 and shot him with mty fathers .22 and he was as black as the ace of spades although he was wild. has anyone else shot one of these lads?

foxhunter

stevoman wrote: »

this talk reminds me of when i shot a black rabbit about 15 years ago. i was only 13 and shot him with mty fathers .22 and he was as black as the ace of spades although he was wild. has anyone else shot one of these lads?

Black rabbits are the decendants of rabbits years ago when they were kept for food .A certain amount of them were black so as the game keeper could keep an eye on numbers in his care.
If there were 1000 rabbits 100 would be black and if black ones dissapeared it was easier to get a rough count of them than the normal fawn type and action could be taken to find the problem.

ranger4

Made a nice curry out of the rabbit i shot, the breast meat was real tasty, Was wondering should i have left the rabbit hanging overnight after gutting and skinning, would this have left the meat more tender? I gutted and skinned straight after shooting and left in a bowl of water with some salt over night before cooking in pot for 2.5 hours, then i stripped meat from bone and adeed salt and oliveoil and left in fridge for few hours before frying and making curry out of meat, was fooking lovely.

foxshooter243

stevoman wrote: »

this talk reminds me of when i shot a black rabbit about 15 years ago. i was only 13 and shot him with mty fathers .22 and he was as black as the ace of spades although he was wild. has anyone else shot one of these lads?

Still a good few in my area in Donegal, was looking at one yesterday as a matter of fact, read it the same as foxhunter, they were interspersed through warrens to be an indicator of predators, as they were easier counted .

jwshooter

i gut them straight away and try not to burst the stomach.

skin them when you get home quarter them and wash in cold water then leave to soak over night in plenty of water and a good shake of salt.

lordarpad

why the soaking?

jwshooter

soaking in water and salt will draw out the blood and tenderise the meat

bunny shooter

Few black ones around our area even saw a ginger one a few years ago :eek: Couldn't get a shot at it and never saw it again Would definately have had it mounted :cool:

fish slapped

Bunny you sure that wasn't a beaver??

bunny shooter

fish slapped wrote: »

Bunny you sure that wasn't a beaver??

:eek: no, it couldn't have been :pac: could it ?

fish slapped

bunny shooter wrote: »

Few black ones around our area even saw a ginger one a few years ago :eek: Couldn't get a shot at it and never saw it again

:D:D