Keepin' it simple

[JohnL57]

Rabbit season opened yesterday in California. I was hoping to get out but a sore foot put an end to that. My foot felt better today and rabbits were everywhere on a foggy morning. I decided to keep it basic, grabbed my R9 and a pouch of ftts and headed out the back door. I saw plenty of rabbits in the carrot field but they were skittish and vanished through holes they'd chewed in the plastic fencing. I got two bunnies back to back at a spot I call 'cottontail corner' where they congregate. No marksmanship other than knowing your holdover for close shots. I picked up two more at around 15-20 yards and done. Elapsed time- maybe 1 hour including processing. Livin' the dream

 

[Moog]

Nice shooting and that's a really nice stock on that R9. Is it a custom?

 

[thumper]

Man that's my kinda hunting there, nothing better than spring gun hunting in my book. That's a classy looking R9 you got there. Sounds like a great day out. 

 

[jimaok]

Congratulations! Nice brace of bunnies. What cal R9 do you have. What pellets were you using? Where did you hit them. I have to wait till fall here in mass to go. We have snowshoe hares about an hour drive from me. I cant wait.

 

[JohnL57]

Thanks for the replies! The stock is a Goudy designed R10 deluxe model that I picked up at an airgun show. The seller had a table full but only one that would fit my more modern .22 cal. R9 with a minor bit of inlet work. It got glossy from years of my shooting and handling. I try to place my shots in the brain or very close as the bunnies usually drop in place, rather than run a bit as they usually do with a body shot. Head shots leave the meat intact as well, which is why I take most of my shots up close. There are actually four on the stringer in the pic. There are so many this year that not much effort is necessary, that may change as they get pressured more. 

I took these three last season with my 1322- kept the shots very close. Furthest was maybe 10 yards.

 

[qball]

Very nice!!! With a break barrel no less!!! 

 

[Ranchibi]

Very nice shooting with your R9!

 

[Pabloxar]

Nice R9!!

 

[Windmill01]

John you must be an extremely good stalker getting those bunnies at ten yards. At the back of my place we have a very large grassed area that I mow with a ride on and the rest is bush. The rabbits and hares come out in the afternoon for a crew on the new shoots of grass. The closest I can get is about 30 to 40 metres before they bolt so I usually go around to the trees for a resting shot. Well done.

Gary

 

[JohnL57]

I'd like to claim ninja stalker status-but really they're not too skittish except when they move into the vegetable fields and start eating crops. They feel safe next to the heavy brush and if you walk softly one can get very close. Often I don't see them until they move a bit. There have been more rabbits this year and last year than I can ever remember and I've been on the property over 40 years!

 

[Windmill01]

Our scientists who work for the CSIRO in Australia released a new virus a year or so ago to kill or control the rabbits. It’s called calicivirus and it’s really reduced the number of bunnies especially in New South Wales I believe. We don’t have the numbers here in Queensland but they are increasing.

 

[JohnL57]

A deadly to rabbits disease has arrived in California. Hemorraghic fever, not a threat to humans but apparently deadly to rabbits. I hope we don't see it here, but the farmers would probably be relieved if the numbers were to plummet for a while.