stovepipe wrote:

Slim- call me one of these times you are out this way for work and if you can swing it we'll do a hunt

Thanks for the offer, mate. They have but the brakes on travel. Not even sure when I'll be heading West agin.

Nice camp picture.

I'm off for a couple of hours bunny bashing this evening.
My shooting friend has a new CZ455 to try out on them - we zeroed it last week & it shoots less than ½MOA groups at 50yds with subsonics through a suppressor.
Maybe take the shotgun along for any errant crows or pigeons too.

Saw quite a few rabbits but only had one clear shot & messed that up by guessing the range rather than checking: I saw the bullet clip the inside edge of the rabbit's ear just above its head, so I was right on for windage but guessed 70yds for what was actually 55 & that put the bullet just over an inch above where it should have been.
Picked out several good vantage points & made a sketch with the lasered ranges marked, so hopefully no more parting bunnies' fur in future.

Where I shoot is just a little different to stovepipe's terrain.....

All these great pictures! I'l going to have to go rabbit hunting again!

English Mike, I love the green of the UK!

Mike...that is one of the prettiest spots for setting up a camp I've ever seen...it is magnificent mate.

Although, I can't help but feel that the ideal vantage point would be up on top of the rock walls.

Cheers, Vince

great spot for a camp and plurry safe area to sight in your rifle too. great to hear you are getting out n about.

Vince wrote:

Mike...that is one of the prettiest spots for setting up a camp I've ever seen...it is magnificent mate. Although, I can't help but feel that the ideal vantage point would be up on top of the rock walls. Cheers, Vince

Looks can be deceiving; there's a busy road 100yds to the left & a herd of cattle was roaming the area too.
Where I took the photo from is on top of the wall too; we were sat in the remains of the old winch house.

There's an absolute beaut backstop for sighting in about 50yds behind where I took the photo:




It's an old lime kiln for heating limestone & turning it into quicklime - we hang a target board from a beam just inside the arch & have a clear 300yds to the firing point.
The arch is about 6' high to give an idea of scale.

What's all that green stuff ?????

stovepipe wrote:

What's all that green stuff ?????

Grass; it comes with the wet stuff & a truly temperate climate.
We get 50-60 inches of rain a year & pretty evenly spread too. Temperatures rarely above 80ºF even in a hot summer & mild(ish) winters courtesy of the Gulf Stream.

stovepipe wrote:

What's all that green stuff ?????

don't see much of that in your rabbit land, do ya stovey?

Road might be there Mike...but its still a beautiful spot mate.

I like your backstop mate...although I would be really tempted to use it as a spot to put the fire and sit around at night enjoying a beer or three. Throw the tent up on the flat in the hollow.

Cheers, Vince

Woohoo! What a great day yesterday...

Took a couple buds to my spot. Perfect day. No wind, sunny. Epic!

We each had our tactical .22's. Walked the spots in a shallow "V" formation and man was it on. One session we had 3 on the hop at once and it was really wild action.

We kicked bushes for a couple-three hours till we were spent from shooting, running and laughing our butts off chasing Jack's like a buncha overgrown kids. I've had a mate with me once or twice before but, never two and we had a plan- it worked to a T.

Just one of those epic days of upland frivolity, tons of stuff flushing, hundreds of spent rounds, old cans and hub caps plinked at and a few less long-eared crop munchers the farmer's will appareciate. (sorry- no pics these gents are real-deal Operator's so....no camera outta respect). We never saw the Bull Jack, though, dang it. I figured with flankers we'd have got him but...no show from the big boy. Argh! Man, if I ever land him? He's getting stuffed.

My point? If you've ever had one of those days, with a couple close life-long freinds, you've planned for a super long time and it all pans out with a super fun hunt, you'll know what I mean- no other feeling like it. Hopeing you guys git some like I did soon. Man, what a blast and even at 50 years young I'll never outgrow that feeling.

Shot four tonight - all from within 100yds of the area in the photo's, though one did a disappearing act despite a solid head hit. Jumped about four feet & crumpled as it landed but it must've rolled over the edge into the impenetrable mix of gorse, hawthorn & briars where they live.
No doubt Mr Fox will get a free feed tonight.
One will go as python food & the other two will end up as curry.

Great day, English Mike! What's your favorite rabbit recipe?

slimjim wrote:

Great day, English Mike! What's your favorite rabbit recipe?

I usually skin 'em then soak in salt water overnight, then boil for 2-2½ hours. After that I pick all the meat off & either use in curries or mix with pheasant & venison in pies.
These 'uns are young, so I might just quarter & casserole one of them with mushrooms & veggies then add rice near the end to take up the stock.