Thread: wanted small game hunting tips

In the never ending quest to update my hunting skills, I'm after small game hunting tips.
Mostly hare and rabbit day time tips but all small bird, cat especially ferret, stoat which Ive seen one of here but never seen one to shoot day or night.
Though I'm an air rifle hunter, info from longer distance powder burner shooters on observations of where they find targets be helpful too.
Couple I've found that are useful from observation are, watch where the hawks are searching, be aware of bird life, their alarm calls put everything on alert.
Scan the rock strewn areas in paddocks, critters get wary of red light after a while.
Hit small birds like starlings hard and fast, they get way onto it after a couple of days.
Any technique that ppl have found useful would be appreciated.

good pair binos and time spent glassing -learn the good spots and ways to stalk them out of sight - wind important but learning the area equally so - spell areas if bunnys get to jumpy - cats stoats luck really - stoats like creek edges so keep good eye there - get on you tube see if there is videos of people luring in pest animals with rabbit calls -try it

I've got bino's and glass plenty. Got area sussed. Prob need to let it settle for a bit though. Head to other side of farm. I've twacked a cat using rabbit scream.
Stoat info is awesome wasn't something I was aware of.
Will drop down the gullies and have and nosie. Cheers much appreciated.

Hares can be easier to stalk on an evening with a warm wind blowing gently. They seem to enjoy the weather and they cant hear as well, they do have good eyes

sweet.
I've spotted a few along the edges of trees and such waiting for light to go. Getting to them across fields in evening is a hassel
But knowing the warm wind thing now will allow me to time things better cheers. Really I prefure a bit of light. The scope I have has really fine crosshairs and they tend to disappear with the red light at night, unless critters are dead in center of light, which of course makes them more edgy.

Originally Posted by kruza

sweet.
I've spotted a few along the edges of trees and such waiting for light to go. Getting to them across fields in evening is a hassel
But knowing the warm wind thing now will allow me to time things better cheers. Really I prefure a bit of light. The scope I have has really fine crosshairs and they tend to disappear with the red light at night, unless critters are dead in center of light, which of course makes them more edgy.

Hares can be shot in the morning too. I go out at first light find them with binos and look which way they are heading back to cover, then sneak round and intercept them

Rabbits come over to ours from both neighbours so I just either sit on the back step or lie on the deck and whack them with the .22LR as they emerge from the hedgerows.

yep I've been trying to get up for a morning hunt, but years of night shift driving has turned me into a lazy bugger at that time of day. Guess should get off me butt and do it. I use to love early mornings.
I could get the .22lr out and my life would be a lot easier, but I'm totally enjoying having to get close, shoot accurate with guns that are temperamental to hold, and light projectiles that have all the characteristics of of a powder burners arc over a long distance, in a very short length, and very wind sensitive.
Air rifle Hunting rocks. Its added what I miss from hunting back into what I was starting to find was getting boring with the range and knock down ability of a 22lr.
Any tips I can pick up, from other hunters is all good by me.

Welcome to come for a hunt with me some time, there are tricks that are better explained in the flesh than in words.

No trips and tricks but an advice, head shot always with springers.

hell no Inder. Ive dropped more hares and rabbits with a heart shot or a lung shot when its off a bit.
TX ill only body shoot to about 40 to 45m then head shots only after that.
GAMO head and body or head shot out to 30/35m after that don't shoot don't trust its accuracy as the groups open up bit more.
1322 is a 10/20m bird gun till I get new valve and port then I'll see what it does. But suspect 20 to 25m head/body then head only to about 30/35m on rabbit.
Got a crosman 362 arriving this week. Which will be run over the chrony to determine its kill range and target shot to assess its accuracy range. Those two decide its kill range and placement.
Ive spent a lot of time studying the heart position or rabbits and hares in various positions to see what I need to pass through to reach internals. That's the key to heart shots with air rifles.
my worse shot was a head shot with gamo at distance that hit its back leg. ( Barrel got changed not long after that)
last bad heart shot was with tx and that hare ran 10m and keeled over with punchered lungs.
If you can hit the brain you can hit the heart.
Know your quarry's anatomy.

Get really good at using your binos and knowing where to look, I shoot a ton of rabbits in Orchards, and most of them in the daylight hours are not out in the open on the grass, but they are generally sitting right beside a tree trunk, or in the long weeds around the bases of the trees, taking cover etc. Many i shoot, ive only seen a part of the rabbit with the binos, so learn to look for part of an animal (dont just look for the whole animal). Often will only see a nose, or an ear, or the top of a head with ears back.

Once you have spotted the part of an animal, then you can move into a position where you can get a shot at it, and or wait until it moves a little bit, or get in position and let out a whistle or a 'hey' to get it to put its head up or similar.

So many times when out shooting these orchards with a friend, they will walk along the ends of the rows first, looking for rabbits, and i will follow behind, I will often see rabbits that they have not seen. Just experience.

I do use 17 Hornet and 17 hmr mainly, sometimes 22lr with subs, but all have a greator range than your springers air rifles obviously. Im doing it to shoot as many as possible for pest control, so when i see one, i like to know i can shoot it from there, rather than stalk in closer and risk it spooking etc.

The 17 hornet and 17 hmr are extremerly effective for this.

As evidenced by this...

Cheers that awsome advice. I've tended to look for the whole critter or the flattened out shape.
Your long range shots, I'd never be able to do of course, but your spotting techniques viable for me to find them so I can stalk in closer. cheers