A Days Shooting in mid April - Rabbits, Pigeons, Squirrels and... Deer

[Zak33]

Hi people

This thread is a bit of a risk as I am sure many of you will not entirely agree with shooting (or fishing for that matter ) but they're important to me and yesterday was a memorable day.

If you don't like the idea of shooting game, please don't read.

I make no apologies for brand name-dropping in this. Some equipment just works and it's worthy to mention. I've had some crap coats, and some great gloves in my life.

3:15 am the alarm went off. I slid outta bed, and crept into the spare room where all my shooting clothes were ready so I didn't awaken the family. It was gonna be cold this morning and I knew that by 5:30 am I'd be sat in a lush & green, but cold and potentially damp valley.

It's all about layers, trapping the warm air and being able to move and hold a rifle or a shotgun.
Thermal long sleeved vest-> micro fleece-> stretchy long sleeve tight thing I bought long aog in Lidl that I love -> Jack Murphy Fleece (heavy)

Seeland Marsh trousers (no thermals today, it's spring!)
Bootliner socks (skiing ones v. thin) -> Peter Storm hiking socks (best I've ever owned, £9 a pair mind you!)
Seeland Marsh jacket over shoulder, and down the stairs as quiet a mouse... well.. a mouse with two air rifles slung over his shoulder and too much kit on!

Bag down stairs was ready. Barbour, leather and waxed cotton : contents - new camo net from Amazon, Scrim (ex army), Gloves (musto, the best I've owned) and cap (your head really DOES lose the most heat)

Toast and cereal.. hard to deal with at 3:30 am, two cups of tea and then trainers on (for driving) and Seeland Neoprene Lined boots into the car with the guns and off....

45 minutes drive to Dak's

Had a present for him ... Amazon's finest cheapo magnetic LED lamp for the back of his van (which, in the dark, with no original fit lamp is a damn liability)

Met him outside his house and loaded his armoury in and my two air rifles and off into the night again, headlamps cutting through the dark but clear morning.

Park up in the farm track, cap on, gloves on, scrim tight round my neck, Seeland jacket zipped tight, choose two guns
A .22 rimfire (with magazine) for bunnies and a .243 Winchester for the deer.... and off we walk, quiet as soldiers.

Along the top of the v shaped valley and down to a small stand of rough hedges and bushes one side of the V

The other side is bunny land.. and normally the lower wide part of the V is where the deer walk through.

I bring an old foam camping mat to sit on, same as I use for working under my car and it's unrolled and I sit.

Dak has a lovely tripod, on which you can squeeze a "trigger" and the legs drop smoothly and it's a one handed affair, so in moments we're sat, tucked up under the hedging and the cold night lightens to a bronze then a gold as the false dawn plays across England

I'm happy sat there. I know he is too. We fidget a little as we become part of the countryside and he's comfy faster than me. It's not a car seat, this wet ground. But I'm happy.

Sadly.. somewhere else.. the deer are happy... just not here.

Golden sun comes over the hill and we find we're covered in frost! This is when you know the layers worked.. your outter jacket is cold enough to have frost on it, and you're warm! Neoprene boots are working too... Dakky is suffering a bit.. not such good footwear.. but he's impervious I think. Years of this.. and digging mole traps in frozen ground with bare hands, and tree surgery in pouring rain and howling winds.

Today I thank my lucky stars for the right kit...

but no deer....

however.. a large bunny is hopping about over the other side of the valley and we know there are LOTS over there. It's alone, no young ones with it.

Now as an air rifle boy, which I am, I am still always surpised by how quiet a silenced .22 rimfire is. I mean.... my gun has a spring and a piston. His .22 rimfire is explosive, right? Makes no odds.. these .22's are soo quiet.

Dak's shot.. (I hate his scope on tht gun.. but he's had it for ever) and he knows exactly where to put the lead, and bunny down.

We sit quietly... binoc's used to make sure it's dead.. as a dodo as it goes. Awesome shot... over 100m in twighlight. Fair play.

Leave the bunny. They've normally got fleas so best left for a few hours for the "guests" to leave before picking it up.

Time passes and now the sun is high enough to warm my left shoulder. I suggest we tuck into the bush a little more but Dak thinks we're ok here.

The golden town in the distance is busy now.. trains passing in the distance. And distant building work kicks in. I can hear some poor sod grinding steel.

I'm ok though.. sat in the now warm sun and waiting .. waiting.

Waiting....

No deer....

Now it's at this point that Dak and Zak realise that we're be better off down in the woods shooting pigeons.. or.. hell.. let's say HERE shooting the pigeons that ocasionally whoosh over head. We know we're hidden well.. the greens and browns we wear are good.. and when a pigeon crosses over head occasionally I move an arm wide in an ark and the pigeon takes instant evasive action.

We're hidden alright.

Half an hour more..... we wait....

and just as we stand to leave this spot... Dak does what I normally do. He spots a deer.

It's just above the rabbit warren, stood on a slightly darker patch and for a second I think he's mad. I whip the scope up and .. oh my word... he's right!

Now.. I've got the Winchester, I've got the Tripod and I know it's my shot. We've been building up to this for a long time. Normally I'm the spotter, and to be fair I'm really good. I spot deer and movement fast and he takes them down. It's his license and his gun's and it's a massive responsibility, but I know I can hit it and he does too.

I'm trained on the deer.. I can see it's a Roe

The UK has two native breeds.. Red and Roe. I wanted my first to be tradiotional

But I must wait. Dak has to tell me its the right one to shoot.

A) Seasonally no 'does' (girls) now.. only 'bucks' (males)
B) Is it too special to shoot. Is it a mammoth beauty who should be left to breed.

He whispers.. "that's the one .. all yours" or something similar.. if I'm honest I don't remember....

I just remember thinking "I love this tripod... its awesome"

I draw the cross hairs (and at this range it's nearly bang on his zero, so no need to aim high or low) up the fore leg.. and just where the shoulder joint is.. I move back a fraction to where the heart and lungs are, and notice the deer has massive lumps of winter coat falling off. Quite normal for this time of year, summer coat needed.

My breathing is calm, and all I get effected by is the fact my damn glasses are steaming up!

I can see what I need to hit and I squeeze the round off.

Lets talk ballistics.

The bullet is a soft point with a copper jacket. It weighs 100 grains (my normal .22 air rifle pellet weighs 18 grains)
It leaves the rifle, through a mammoth silencer, at about 2,400metres per second.

And I see the deer just drop.

Quite literally.. he just fell!



My word... I cant explain how pleased I was

NOT as pleased as Dak... now he WAS pleased!!!!!

I quickly reloaded in case anything had gone wrong, fumbled the bolt action for a split second but sorted it and we got across that valley fast!

Good clean kill.. I was very proud! And now the hard bit...

not the gutting (gralloching) - I love biology and Dak is excellent at it. Very clean and tidy

No.... the hard bit is....


DRAGGING the deer a very long way up the hills to the van!

Now.. it's at this point that all the clothes are just TOOOO MUCH.....

I've got a photo (which I won't post as people may find it offensive to see a man dragging a dead deer) but it's entlitled ONE MAN AND HIS DEER and I do look knackered in it!

So .. there you have it.

The rest of the day was spent stalking rabbit pigeons and squirrels with my HW95 .22 air rifle and then in the evening back to a different deer site where we awaited and were rewarded, amongst thick conifers, with a perfect shot on a roe.. doe! And she's out of season ..... so off she wandered, wondering who the two numpties were in the wood!

Don't think HEXUS has ever really gone in for such a thread but it's my hobby and I enjoy it greatly and fancied sharing it.

To assure everyone though: I eat and love venison, as does Dak. On Christmas Day a few months ago I had forsaken damn turkey for a muntjac haunch which is my favourite and all meat shot by me is eaten by my family (pigeons shot by myself are eaten with some gusto by my yound lad, who happily sits watches as I prepare pheasants and pigeons, he truly loves biology and yearns for his first shooting trip).

Hope no one is offended and if you appreciate the change of tack in this thread please say so

[Dakaras]

Mate it was an awesome day! I was sure I could put you on a roe, but the deer don’t always know that! The land we were on is a local wildlife site and it’s a fact the deer need to be managed, we leave the best does and bucks to continue the bloodline and take the old and less good youngsters. All the deer go into the food chain after inspection for foot and mouth and TB. Zaks buck was a healthy 2 or 3 year old, an ideal cull animal. The galloch (stomach and intestines) were left out in a field for the red kites, the kidneys went to the land owner (along with the rabbit) the liver was my dinner tonight, the head and feet went to the foxes and badgers and the carcass went to the game dealer. Everything gets used.

Zaks shot was right on the money, the buck dropped instantly having lead a good life stress free, no artificial drugs, no stress over travelling to an abattoir, no herded in with 50 of his mates wondering wtf was going on!

Zak went about his first deer in the right way, he spotted, he watched several deer culled and when he felt ready he moved onto the next stage, its not for everyone I agree but it was a privilege to be there and involved, I spend a lot of time managing deer and Zak is the first person Ive trusted to do the job for me, I can honestly say everything went right, I couldnt be happier.

Oh and as a aside he who culled the deer drags the deer! Wait till you get a 55kg Fallow Buck , was a bloody steep hill though

So well done Zak and thank you for capturing the moment so well!

[fuddam]

If one eats meat, then one shouldn't have a problem with hunting for meat.

nuff said.

[kalniel]

If one eats meat, then one shouldn't have a problem with hunting for meat.

And those of us who don't eat meat, still might not have a problem with thoughtful game hunting.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

If one eats meat, then one shouldn't have a problem with hunting for meat.

nuff said.

The best thing about Moose is that they hunt themselves.

[Ttaskmaster]

Rabbits and grey squirrels are fair game IMO.
Both don't belong here and are vermin. The bunnies were brought over by the French as a food source. The squirrels too, I suspect, were introduced for some reason but are killing off our native ones.

I know several veggie/vegan types, a couple of whom are the serious environmental activist sort, but even they agree that in the grand scheme of things, these furry critters are causing damage and imbalance, They don't hunt themselves, but they do have 'humane' quick-death traps.

TBH, it sounds like you had a really good day. It's something I'd like to try myself some time.

[Phage]

You shot a deer with a 22 rim fire ?
Amazed they'd do the job. We used to use 223 hornets on Roos and larger bore on pigs. We found that 22 LR would fragment on the skin and not penetrate.

[Zak33]

You shot a deer with a 22 rim fire ?
Amazed they'd do the job. We used to use 223 hornets on Roos and larger bore on pigs. We found that 22 LR would fragment on the skin and not penetrate.

no.. I shot it with a .243 Winchester

[Zak33]

A .22 rimfire (with magazine) for bunnies and a .243 Winchester for the deer....

Now.. I've got the Winchester, I've got the Tripod and I know it's my shot.

Lets talk ballistics.

The bullet is a soft point with a copper jacket. It weighs 100 grains (my normal .22 air rifle pellet weighs 18 grains)
It leaves the rifle, through a mammoth silencer, at about 2,400metres per second.

prolly my fault for typing too long a thread , but I'd never consider a shot like that on a deer with a .22 rim fire. It's not even legal I don't think.

[Dakaras]

I was using the .22 rim

Deer legal in England and Wales is

For Muntjac and Chinese Water deer only- a rifle with a minimum calibre of not less than .220 inches and muzzle energy of not less than 1000 foot pounds and a bullet weight of not less than 50 grains may be used.

For all deer of any species – a minimum calibre of .240 and minimum muzzle energy of 1,700 foot pounds is the legal requirement. (different in Scotland)

For all deer stalking the bullet must be of a type designed to expand/deform on impact.

Grey squirrels (Scirius caroliniensis) are native to North America and were first released in the UK in 1876 in Henbury Park, Cheshire. It’s not clear why they were introduced and the Victorians had no idea of the risks of introducing non-native species. Perhaps they were just a decorative and interesting “exotic” in the park; part of the fashion for collecting that the Victorians enjoyed so much.

Not only did they put the Red into decline but a Grey Squirrel can destroy 10 song birds nests a year....

So 1 Nest = 4 Eggs or youngsters = 40 less song birds a year times that by the estimated 2.5 to 3 million Greys now in UK...Not good

[Phage]

no.. I shot it with a .243 Winchester

My bad. I thought it sounded a bit odd. A 243 would be plenty.
Nice writing though, I used to have very similar days. Good times.
(The shooters licence was incredibly easy to get in the 80s in rural Aus)

[TeePee]

Awesome story! Did you have a little buck fever as you lined up those cross hairs?

I have a .308 for hunting (Tikka T3 Lite). Most important thing in a hunting gun is weight!

I'm actually considering a pellet gun at the moment for pest control...

[Infinite]

Good stuff, sounds like you had tons of fun.

I used to do quite a bit of the traditional country sports when I was younger with my dad but grew out of it, indoors is more my thing.

My dad still does it though and actually went on a stalking trip a few weeks ago.

Not sure where about he went but came back with the biggest smile on his face I've ever seen.

He got a penta-kill in 1 day..... Normally he is lucky to get 1 kill a year but 5 in a day for him is unheard of...

2 of them pure trophy buck with massive antlers.... Got the antlers back last week... I can post a picture if anyone wants to see

[Zak33]

Awesome story! Did you have a little buck fever as you lined up those cross hairs?

actually no... was so relieved to see the lad in my scope and was so steady on the tripod... didn't get it

UNTIL after he dropped.. then got the shakes

I have a .308 for hunting (Tikka T3 Lite). Most important thing in a hunting gun is weight!

I've never seen that until now.. what a lovely thing
2.8Kilos.. wow... that IS light.

My HW95 with a scope is 3.2 kg and the HW80 is 4.1kg

And I carry that all day long.

I'm actually considering a pellet gun at the moment for pest control...

well I hate to be anti british.. an pro german..but the honest to goodness experience of this shooter or air rifles since 16 (43 now) is Weihrauch is the way to go.

I don't think you have the 12ftl limit we have here so you'll be able to get a nice powerful HW95 or even the old HW80

Use RWS pellets (German guns DO like German pellets) and you'll be happy not just now.. but in 25 years time. Like I am.

but you better get your weight expectations sorted

And now that Ive done the pre charged thing.... and then left is unused and found the seals are worn... I'm happy that the HW80 came out, I fired 20 through her into the floor and bang.. she was right on the money again.

As she always is

Hence the new HW95 .22 purchase with factory fit silencer.
And it's SO simialr to my .177 HW80.. I love the trigger, I know the safety catch in the dark, and it's like coming home

With Nikko Stirling scopes SO cheap now.. the mountmaster range with mounts included... you can be sorted for 25 + years effectively.

I'd never have a gun colletion without an airrifle.. and currently they're my ONLY guns.

Ideal for pigeon breast when my lad says "Daddy.. why haven't we had pigeon this month?"

[Zak33]

Than you all for your postive and open minded comments.

It's a good day to see people understand why a chap chooses his sport and when he takes it seriously, as I always have, it's nice to know people ... grasp it

[Flibb]

On the air rifle front I prefer shooting English to German, after many years of shooting tuned HW80s I ended borrowed an Air Arms TX200 which is a much nice beast to shoot than a HW80 or HW77, I then moved over to precharged and bought a Falcon on the suggestion of a friend. He shoots HFT and was the first in the UK to shoot clear round (with a Falcon). He does some work with Daystate and has one of the first Air Wolfes, he was sponsored by them at one point. To be honest I find the design of the HW80 to work far better at FAC levels than at 12 ftlbs, possibly why the TX200 is much nicer to shoot as its UK market designed from the outset. On the flip side a Venom tuned HW80 I had many years ago was the best springer I have ever shot, but most of the innards were custom.

Interesting comments on the .308, just wondered is you find the felt recoil from the lighter rifle to be bit harsh. I own a Steyr SSG-04 that I got with the idea of using it for stalking in the future, but the only professional stalker I know actually uses a AIW in .308, which is far from being lightweight. Main reason he uses it is that he spent several years hauling one around Iraq, so hes used to it. Then again they are incredibly accurate, think the current UK benchrest record was taken using one, although not in .308.