Airgun Hunter: Relax!

I am afraid I am a bit of a lazy hunter, not for me the 5am alarms, or the dedicated day of stalking, shooting, picking up, gutting, jointing and collapse. I am not so much of a once a month out of town shopper as a stroll to the village to pick up a couple of fresh items and saunter home type. It means my hunting trips are leisurely, just to pick up a couple of rabbits, prep them and plenty of time left to put my feet up and drink tea!
After all, where would we all be without the time to drink tea? Well would you believe it; I have just had a call from another permission which if not the most prolific producer of rabbits, is certainly the most comfortable. There, I get to drink tea whilst I hunt! I use the term loosely; it really is the lazy man’s way to shop for fresh meat. This land consists of a long beautiful garden with supportive neighbours, open crop fields at the far end and some rather comfy chairs and patio table at the other. You can see where I am going with this…

JUST A SMALL BAG

Clearly the equipment choice for such a light foray is easy. Weihrauch HW100 in .177 with bipod, and a 1st Focal Plane (FFP) Lightstream 4.5-14 x 44 on top. Low mounts to help reduce distance errors, rangefinder and some JSBs. That short list does not really do justice to the equipment, nor the time spent getting it all right. When hunting, or sitting drinking tea, my kit has to work every time, perfectly. It’s the only way to ensure satisfaction.

The well known HW100 is great. Spot on accuracy, never a magazine problem in thousands of pellets! Robust enough to fight your way through cover, and looks dead sexy sitting on its bipod on a patio table! The Lightstream is tough, bright, and clear. It retains zero, and has that ace up its sleeve, the FFP reticule. In simple terms, all your hold-overs and unders stay the same no matter what magnification you set it to. If you are reading this thinking all scopes do that, then please read up on the subject before you head out shooting again!

JSBs are well known in their various guises and a favourite of many shooters. I have spent hundreds of hours batch testing to ensure I get the very best accuracy from my set up. Batch testing is not for everyone but I do urge you to at least try some different makes of pellets in your rifle under controlled conditions (rested and no wind!) and pick the best. Your same rifle could shoot ½” groups at 40 yards or 2” groups with different pellets!

DOWN TO BUSINESS

The phone conversation went like this: “Hello, yes I’m fine thanks, tea, yes please, that would be lovely, builders; fairly strong, touch of milk, no sugar, thanks!” Pellets in mag, mag in rifle, rifle on bipod, bipod on table, tea on table, me on the comfy chair. Marvellous.
There are three rabbits waiting for me when I arrive. It may be tempting for some to have a quick shot. Not me, and not you hopefully. I can’t guarantee a clean kill without a little preparation first. First job to range-find various landmarks and put a small piece of paper at 30 yards. This also gives me the opportunity to see what the wind is doing down range. Only a puff of spring breeze and lots of foliage to show me what it’s doing. I have a possible target range of 9 – 48 yards. 48 is normally too long really but I may consider it if the air is still, as I’m bench-rested.

Three shots at the 30 yard zero to make sure all is well and I’m ready. The moderator on the HW100 is very quiet, so I’ve not scared anything too far away. Slurp of tea and wait. Crikey this is a beautiful time of year. Things are waking up, nature is on the move, rejuvenating and refreshing life. Of course that’s why the rabbits are starting to be a problem again. The fresh flowers and crops are lovely to them too!

AND HERE THEY COME

Three rabbits have hopped back into the garden simultaneously, about 35 yards away. I slowly and gently put my mug down and shoulder the Weihrauch. The beauty of a PCP is I can sit here cocked and locked, I slip off the safety, oh so quietly; and wait. I want a good shot and also hope to bag more than one of these three, so wait for them to get more comfortable. Rabbits are on red alert when they arrive in a new place and take a while to settle, once happy they move to different plants and start plucking and munching. I plan my attack. When I take the first one the others will startle, but probably and only briefly stay still, before they head out of the garden the way they came in.

The largest and therefore the wisest will have to go first and it is sitting side on, right next to my zero piece of paper! Cross hairs just behind the eye, no wind on me or the foliage, and squeeze… thwack! That’s one! Reload with the other two already on red alert. The furthest one turns back towards his escape hole, alert, but side of head on to me; good for me, not good for him! About 38 yards so bang on my half mil dot. No wind, gently squeeze, thwack; two down!

Meanwhile number three has scarpered for the nearest cover. Opposite where he came in. Oh well, I am very pleased with two out of the three. But wait; is that a head sticking out from the flowerbed, looking longingly across at his entrance to the garden? Cross hairs on target (could it be three out of three?) but I wait. Good shot or no shot and I think he will not keep still now and I’m right. Off he scampers and whilst I follow him across the garden, he is far too jittery for me to have a killing shot. So I wish him well; until the next time we meet for tea on the patio…