Here are some pics of some spotlighting we did last Sunday night.
For the record it's completely legal here to hunt like this on farmland.
It didn't turn out as great as I'd hoped, mainly due to the strong winds that kept most game under cover, but I did manage to get my mate Chris out and he seldom gets to hunt.
Here's the little rabbit I took first using my Anschutz .22lr.
It was really close work and quite an easy shot really.
This fox was a bit fiddly and both Chris and I were pretty proud of nailing him.
And believe me, when you hunt with a spotlight the person wielding the light is as important as the shooter.
The fox must've been a good 80yds out which doesn't seem far but the property, which is usually dry, has had a lot of rain recently, so much so there was water in the ruts of the tracks.
The long grass made it hard to spot him in the first place because as anyone knows who has hunted them foxes can hide behind a blade of grass.
On top of that he hardly stopped moving.
I had no scotch whistle with me so I just tried to whistle like a wounded bird, although I probably sounded more like a lame duck!
Curiosity may or may not have killed the cat but it certainly tolled the bell on this fox.
My first shot was aimed at his chest but he moved at the last minute and instead it ripped into his back, paralysed his back legs and immobilised him.
The second was through the boiler room and an instant death.
I used my Sportco Martini Hornet with handloads using Nosler 40gr Ballistic Tips and I never fail to be impressed by this bullet for small game and predators.
And finally just before we left Chris nailed this rabbit.
It was an 80yd shot using my Anschutz .22lr and to begin with he thought he had missed.
The second shot, at more like 90yds, hit its backlegs and it was curtains from there.
When we got up to the rabbit his first shot had disemboweled the rabbit, pretty impressive considering he hasn't shot for over a year, wasn't using his own rifle and the Anschutz is zeroed to 50yds!
I think his smile says it all.
For the record it's completely legal here to hunt like this on farmland.
It didn't turn out as great as I'd hoped, mainly due to the strong winds that kept most game under cover, but I did manage to get my mate Chris out and he seldom gets to hunt.
Here's the little rabbit I took first using my Anschutz .22lr.
It was really close work and quite an easy shot really.
This fox was a bit fiddly and both Chris and I were pretty proud of nailing him.
And believe me, when you hunt with a spotlight the person wielding the light is as important as the shooter.
The fox must've been a good 80yds out which doesn't seem far but the property, which is usually dry, has had a lot of rain recently, so much so there was water in the ruts of the tracks.
The long grass made it hard to spot him in the first place because as anyone knows who has hunted them foxes can hide behind a blade of grass.
On top of that he hardly stopped moving.
I had no scotch whistle with me so I just tried to whistle like a wounded bird, although I probably sounded more like a lame duck!
Curiosity may or may not have killed the cat but it certainly tolled the bell on this fox.
My first shot was aimed at his chest but he moved at the last minute and instead it ripped into his back, paralysed his back legs and immobilised him.
The second was through the boiler room and an instant death.
I used my Sportco Martini Hornet with handloads using Nosler 40gr Ballistic Tips and I never fail to be impressed by this bullet for small game and predators.
And finally just before we left Chris nailed this rabbit.
It was an 80yd shot using my Anschutz .22lr and to begin with he thought he had missed.
The second shot, at more like 90yds, hit its backlegs and it was curtains from there.
When we got up to the rabbit his first shot had disemboweled the rabbit, pretty impressive considering he hasn't shot for over a year, wasn't using his own rifle and the Anschutz is zeroed to 50yds!
I think his smile says it all.
