Thread: Hares in the Garden

Thanks for all the great comments and suggestions.

I've been reflecting upon this subject quite a bit today. I had the thought that if I got a factory-made mount and a decent light I could fit it to any rifle I might have or borrow. i also have been repeating the mantra 'this is not a dress rehearsal'.... so I figured that I might as well go for one of the best options to make things easy and to help create some enjoyment and success in what might be my last thirty-five years of hunting. I can always break into my Kiwisaver.

So I just ordered a Nitecore P30 and accessories from a very pleasant NZ dealer who was quick to respond to my queries. After doing some research, I can see I got a good deal. Gotta say i like the look of those Nitecore headlamps too.

It will be so good to walk around without a heavy battery in my pack. (Heh... I recall going spotlighting in my youth and bending over to check something on the ground and feeling battery acid trickling down my back).

I've seen a lot of hares out in the open at dawn or dusk.... and even, occasionally, nearer the middle of the day. Where I'm currently trying to shoot the hares, they seem to be a lot shyer. I doubt that I disturb them much myself. I take my 8 x 42 binoculars with me and survey the open paddocks and edges of the bush from a long way off and I have only had three sightings (which could have been just two hares).... one of which I shot.

This is a great forum.

truck battery in wheelbarrow spotlighting possums was fun,till barrow filled up with possums too.....
the big jim torch with stereo wire to battery on your belt was good
dolphin torch great till battery went flat
you got to feel for the old timers who used shuttered tilly lanterns
modern torches put the spotlights of 30 years ago to shame.
Im finding when the hares get a bit gun shy...the last 15 mins of light is pure gold....shot one at 150 yards 2 nights ago..his mate bolted and stopped at 225yards and suffered same fate,he was just a dark blob in the grass,if I hadnt been tracking in scope ,no way wouldve still seen it in the gloomy dark...looked awesome when the 22-250 round connected,big vapourcloud and bits of fur flying.

That description of the hare's encounter with a 22-250 projectile was poetical Micky. I've never owned anything with that calibre, but I'm guessing you could use the same point of aim to maybe 250 yards. Ideal.

Regarding light sources, I think vehicle headlights should get an honourable mention. And those good old plastic Ever-Ready 2 D cell torches that were common in the seventies.

the 2d were the big jims I believe...handle and reflector in one piece and battery screwed on underneath,till you got cunning and used stereo wires.
the 22-250 is sighted in inch high at hundy,is inch low at 200...so yip point n shoot....the 223 isnt far behind but the rifle platform I have just makes the bigger one so much fun to use,first time in my life Ive set up with a bipod,with heavy barrel and chunky stock,rifle doesnt move when fired.
we see far more hares than rabbits around here and sniping them is just plain good fun,the nearly 40 Ive taken off boss's farm must have made dent in the winter crop....or wouldve had they not been sent off to big clover patch in sky.

Another one under the trampoline this morning WTF

Ive seen photos from the states of buck whitetail under trampoline.....your hares possibly like the shade,360 degree view and grass,it still gets rain through mesh,dew too but not as much sun so will grow better than rest of lawn during dry spell....well thats my guess anyway LOL.

My Nitecore 'New P30' arrived yesterday. So I charged the battery and mounted it on the scope of my old Anschutz.




I sent Terry, who sold me the torch, (Knives4Africa) a picture of the rig, and he suggested I should mount the torch on the forward part of the scope and rotate it over to the right for better results. So I will try that next time.

Keen to try it, I went up to the farm where the hares were damaging the garden. There was a bright moon (something that I always thought was less than desirable for spotlighting) and a bit of fog. I crept over to the garden area and attempted to load the rifle. As sometimes happens, the top bullet in the magazine got an erection and flew out on to the ground. So I had to fluff around for a few minutes until I finally spotted it.



I saw three hares and shot at two of them.... and I got them both. The first hare required only one shot. The second needed more. I was shooting down a grassy slope near the bottom of a gully. I was surprised that two of my shots apparently went through the hare then ricocheted off the wet pasture. The first bullet I heard smack into something on the other side of the gully, but there was no 'whine'. The second made a loud noise as it spun through the air. While the situation was relatively safe with a high hill covered in macrocarpas as a back stop, it was a sobering experience to realise that even though the hollow subsonic bullet had passed through the animal it still bounced off a wet grassy slope.



I got home some time after 10 pm. I hung the hares up, then pottered about for a bit.... getting into bed well after midnight. Our daughter is a nurse and some days we look after her young whippet. This morning she dropped the dog off while I was still snoozing, and I was treated to an enthusiastic damp nose in my ear hole. I took this photo once I'd acheived full consciousness.



I am delighted with the P30. It has five power settings and I found that the third highest setting was plenty. It is amazing how much light this little unit produces.

nice dog, why don't you try some coursing?

I'd love to try coursing. And so would the dog. But there are too many electric fences on the property I am currently visiting. I'd just love to see what happens if I let him go in a wide paddock containing rabbits.

My father use to tell me way back in the 30s,they use to call them neck breakers around central otago.The whippets ran that fast,they hit the fences or rabbit burrow entrances so fast,theyd break their necks.They were use to stones wall fences but not wire fences.

Thanks for telling me that Trout. Seems like it might be a risk for the breed. It reminded me that the dog already had an accident running flat out into something. Fortunately it seems like no permanent damage was done, but I can now see it would be wise to keep him away from fences altogether. I'd love to watch him chase a bunny on open ground.

Are you still experimenting with subsonic loads for deer?

Hi Coote,na still got about 6 subs left.Tryed them on roos,but no luck.I think they go thru and roos hobbles away.Id never try them of deer,use to use Hornady 165gr and 150gr superformance.But then i find them pencil the odd deer and they getting expensive.Now i got a few packets of Hornady Whitetail 165gr SP.Good stoppers out to 300yds all tho most deer inside 200yds,they mushroom well.
Lovely dog,look after her.
Good luck for the hunting in the next few weeks.

Heh. Hunting seemed a lot simpler in my youth. There were basically just the three types of firearm we could use... shotgun, .22 or .303. Didn't spend any time agonizing over projectiles, although I was aware that you could drill the army .303 ammo to make hollows. We shot things and they fell over.

Now I'm obsessing over projectiles and loads... mainly because I want to keep things quiet and still knock down the target. I have not yet shot at a deer with a subsonic load.... if I'm hunting deer I generally use the best option at hand as I would just hate one to get away wounded. I guess I had that drilled into me as a kid.

However a deer did pop up in front of me once when I was carrying a .22 so I shot it in the brain. I have never seen a deer drop quicker.

I am still on the quest for an accurate, effective, subsonic cast bullet load for my .357 magnum. I have a couple of subsonic loads that will do the job, but there is always room for improvement. I haven't yet reached the level of confidence where I'd happily fling one at a deer.