Thread: Relaxing wee wander yesterday

So had a busy weekend helping people out and getting jobs done. Got to midday Sunday and the weather and my desire to get out on a hill coincided. I was feeling pretty relaxed but didn't want to undertake a mission that would result in a late return after dragging a venison out of some random remote gully. What to do? I know. I will go for a rabbit hunt. So grabbing some lunch and then the wee Ruger, I set forth. I also popped in a fox whistle for some fun. This is a really tough time of the year to call in predators with an absolute glut of small food available in competition. Arriving, I set off and at the top of each gully, concealed myself under a manuka and peeled out some distress calls. The first thing I often notice is that rabbits get really agitated and sometimes even come in for a closer look. Five minutes and about to head off when I catch a glimpse of a big grey tabby sneaking in. It is actually quite exciting and good for conservation where I hunt. Like small game roar hunting. Give it a go. I waited for some more time but it never showed. They can be sneaky buggars. That was my routine for the next two or three hours. I would walk around the hills and gullies and whistle in to likely gullies, and sometimes just stalk and shoot rabbits with suppressed subbies. I got some exercise and soaked in the surroundings. Really good for the soul. I would have shot about 50 rabbits in total. The thing was that it really was very relaxing. I think sometimes we (myself included) need to be reminded why we hunt and sometimes a quiet stroll with no pressure can be very rewarding. We often walk past the humble 22 in favour of higher 'profile' hunting. I used to live this sort of thing as a teenager and there is no doubt that some of the best hunters and shots I know often learned their trade craft rabbit hunting where they could do so many more stalks and shots to practice. So next time you have a couple hours free, grab your 22 and maybe a teenager and go for a wander somewhere handy. There is nothing wrong with eating the rabbits either. Sorry no photos. I was too busy relaxing. Have a good week all.

Originally Posted by Hiawatha

So had a busy weekend helping people out and getting jobs done. Got to midday Sunday and the weather and my desire to get out on a hill coincided. I was feeling pretty relaxed but didn't want to undertake a mission that would result in a late return after dragging a venison out of some random remote gully. What to do? I know. I will go for a rabbit hunt. So grabbing some lunch and then the wee Ruger, I set forth. I also popped in a fox whistle for some fun. This is a really tough time of the year to call in predators with an absolute glut of small food available in competition. Arriving, I set off and at the top of each gully, concealed myself under a manuka and peeled out some distress calls. The first thing I often notice is that rabbits get really agitated and sometimes even come in for a closer look. Five minutes and about to head off when I catch a glimpse of a big grey tabby sneaking in. It is actually quite exciting and good for conservation where I hunt. Like small game roar hunting. Give it a go. I waited for some more time but it never showed. They can be sneaky buggars. That was my routine for the next two or three hours. I would walk around the hills and gullies and whistle in to likely gullies, and sometimes just stalk and shoot rabbits with suppressed subbies. I got some exercise and soaked in the surroundings. Really good for the soul. I would have shot about 50 rabbits in total. The thing was that it really was very relaxing. I think sometimes we (myself included) need to be reminded why we hunt and sometimes a quiet stroll with no pressure can be very rewarding. We often walk past the humble 22 in favour of higher 'profile' hunting. I used to live this sort of thing as a teenager and there is no doubt that some of the best hunters and shots I know often learned their trade craft rabbit hunting where they could do so many more stalks and shots to practice. So next time you have a couple hours free, grab your 22 and maybe a teenager and go for a wander somewhere handy. There is nothing wrong with eating the rabbits either. Sorry no photos. I was too busy relaxing. Have a good week all.

Valuable advice.