ChrisHobbs
Member Extraordinaire
Great stuff Chris 
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the Daily hi thread
Hunting A Clear Crisp Mornin', Damp Boots & Brace.
- Thread starter chouchin66
- Start date
chouchin66
Top Tier member
Thank you , my brother, in both the arts of riflery & joineryGreat stuff Chris
Hiram
Super member
Fantastic!The "Super Moon" being in it's wane, weather fair & grass coming on nicely from a late October rain, coupled with a day off, presented a good hunting opportunity.
As per typical, I arose at the crack of dark, made my first pot of coffee and pondered my morning's route, having a mental note of where Bugs & buddies have been hangin' out of late... The usual " coyote brush" patch has seen, of late, little activity in the early hours.
I chose a " side hill" route, frequented by deer, to traverse across the face of the gentle hill when bunny # 1 was spied, calmly sat in a copse of evergreens, awaiting the sun's coming rays, at perhaps 75 yards distant. A slow movement to break the barrel of my trusty .177 35 E model was made & system charged. Keeping a keen eye on Mr. Rabbit whilst also noting the footpaths holes, dry twigs & such, saw me able to, with patience & careful steps, keeping the light to my back, stalk to within perhaps 25 yards, mabye a bit less, trying as best as I could to use tree boughs for cover.
At distance & good shot angle, rifle came to shoulder, the " twilight ring" rear aperture doing it's job gave a good sight picture ...
Breath released, front sight settled , the offhand shot found it's mark ,with a resounding crack & subsequent back flip.
Upon collecting #1 & placing it in my game vest, rifle was reloaded & the casual mooch about, was once again underway.
A hundred yard's stroll downhill, my eye caught movement in some tall , long dead mustard plant from last season...hmmm.
Eyes peeled & alert , I began the slow, easy task of closing the distance. At ~ 20 yards away, rabbit #2 made a quick bolt from cover, but decided to " pull up" after only a few hops & stop dead...little did he know.
Again, rifle to shoulder, breath out, sight settled, trigger tripped & another familiar back flip. I'm good with a brace, so onward home.
No grainy images, tweaking of B.C.s, batteries to change, nor rangefinders acting up, just good ol' fashioned huntin'
A year or so ago I took the scopes off my springers (except the 80 and TX) and I've been really glad I did. There really is just something so much more... pure?... authentic?... about shooting a classic spring piston air rifle like the HW35 with irons.
I was surprised at how well I could actually shoot without glass on top. Makes the rifle so much handier, as well.
Good on ya!
chouchin66
Top Tier member
Thanks, Hiram.
Irons are definitely a hoot. If the eyes will have it, they're strongly recommended.
SJS
Active member
Well Chris you’ve certainly inspired me to try using the iron sights on my HW57 especially with the problems I’m experiencing with scope creep. My 57 is in 177 and it has a fair kick on it. Which pellet or slug were you using, just out of interest?
Hi ChrisMany thanks, Gentlemen
Happy Tuesday.
So would your cottontails be the same genetically as our British rabbits do you know?
I noticed on your pictures that they had blackish ear tips which I have never seen on a rabbit before ,
other than that they look identical to ours
Also are your Jack rabbits the same as our brown hares?
Great write up
Where iron sights make the difference is in quick standing shots (ie walked up hunting). The gun is light, and with no magnification the sights sit on the target without perceptible wobble. Anyone who says they're not accurate enough hasn't practised enough. Good light conditions make a difference though.
chouchin66
Top Tier member
Thank you.Hi Chris
So would your cottontails be the same genetically as our British rabbits do you know?
I noticed on your pictures that they had blackish ear tips which I have never seen on a rabbit before ,
other than that they look identical to ours
Also are your Jack rabbits the same as our brown hares?
Great write up
That's a good question, my friend, but one I'm afraid I have no answer for. My highschool classes re : genetics/ biology say yes, on the Kingdom/ Phylum/ Class/ Order/Family but Species & Genus ? Here we have I think 8 or so species of "cottontail" & a half dozen of hare. I do know, unlike your European Rabbits, our " local" Desert Cottontails don't dig or live in burrows, rather they "live" in scrapes, much like hares live in forms.
Atb
Chris.
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chouchin66
Top Tier member
For early hours out, I use a " Twilight" aperture in my Williams sight...it/ they have a brass/ gold colored rim around the aperture which brightens one's view, & a larger aperture diameter - .125" vs .093" for quicker view/ more light. As you say, peep sights are brilliant for walked up/ rough hunting & honestly, plenty good to 30 odd yards. I can say confidently, while I've been a user of peeps on various rifles , including rim & centerfire, since I was pup, using them on the " cutting the deck" forum thread, has been great practice.
chouchin66
Top Tier member
Tylerjrb
Busy member
The dream of mine has always been to own a vast piece of land to shoot on and I’d think if I did I would be out EVERY single day.Why, thank you ma'am,
But especially in this country you’d need to be along the same lines as Elon musk I reckon
. Maybe one day.Cracking shooting! and just shows what a good old springer can do even with iron sights. Can’t beat a bit of rabbit stew/pie at this time of year either.
chouchin66
Top Tier member
Thanks.The dream of mine has always been to own a vast piece of land to shoot on and I’d think if I did I would be out EVERY single day.
But especially in this country you’d need to be along the same lines as Elon musk I reckon
Cracking shooting! and just shows what a good old springer can do even with iron sights. Can’t beat a bit of rabbit stew/pie at this time of year either.
I think folks, perhaps because of the propensity of scope use ( ? ), get the impression that iron sights are somehow " less accurate". So long as one's eyes are cooperative & one puts in the time to use them to their full advantage, they're absolutely less accurate than optics, within their useful ( airgun) range. I use a/ the parallel sided front post, known as a " Patridge" style, as these are by most accounts the most accurate type. The top flat portion, is a good indicator for windage hold ( again, with practice) & in the case if HWs version, calcs ~ 8 MOA across the top width...if one uses this, from the base if a rabbit's ear @ 1 post top corner, & a bit of nose sticking past the other corner, you'll know your rabbit is between 30 & 35 yards.
Hiram
Super member
We are lucky in that we don't have to own land here to shoot. Shooting is permissible on the vast majority of public land. Nevada alone has roughly 95,000 square miles of "perm" available to anyone and California, where @chouchin66 lives, is not far behind in terms of the amount of public land.The dream of mine has always been to own a vast piece of land to shoot on and I’d think if I did I would be out EVERY single day.
But especially in this country you’d need to be along the same lines as Elon musk I reckon
Cracking shooting! and just shows what a good old springer can do even with iron sights. Can’t beat a bit of rabbit stew/pie at this time of year either.
It's nice. I like living in the wide-open West.
You do, however, need a hunting license to shoot cottontails and there is a legal hunting season.
Backgardenplinker
Member Extraordinaire
An inspirational hunt Chris 
Tylerjrb
Busy member
That must be an absolute awesome place to live to have such freedoms. You can’t shoot anywhere without permission here on owned land. So you either have to be lucky enough to own it, or have permission to do so.
And land like anywhere is expensive. Anywhere up to even £20,000 an acre.
And if you decided to do so without permission there’s every potential you could be met with armed police and a possible armed trespass charge.
In terms of freedom yeah in the U.K. I think that’s long gone here unfortunately if it even existed at all.
Hiram
Super member
It's pretty much the same as the UK in much of the US, where the land is owned by private people. Central Texas was like that when I lived there, very little public land. I had to do all of my shooting at an indoor range. So, I don't think it's a question of freedom so much as it is a matter of public availability. Well, and I suppose the freedom to use it however you want so long as you're being sane and responsible.
I was in the desert last week with a bunch of handguns and my un-scoped HW35E. I have just as much fun just walking around shooting the 35 as with the powder burners. I'm always a little amazed and delighted at how accurate un-scoped springers can be. And how much fun I have with them.
Thanks Chris
That’s interesting do you have myxi or RHD over there? I should imagine if they live above ground they could well avoid it.
Also is there an abundance of cottontails and considered an agricultural pest like in the UK and are you restricted as to how many you take?
chouchin66
Top Tier member
HiThanks Chris
That’s interesting do you have myxi or RHD over there? I should imagine if they live above ground they could well avoid it.
Also is there an abundance of cottontails and considered an agricultural pest like in the UK and are you restricted as to how many you take?
,We have both Myxi & RHD, though not near the prevalence nor scale that I read about over there. It seems to be more of an issue with our coastal " Brush Rabbit", a smaller cousin of the Desert Cottontails that inhabit my area. With rabbits here, also occasionally get one with Tularemia - the tell of an infected one being white spots on the liver. Locally , at least , rabbits are no great threat ag pest, mainly just raptor & coyote victuals.
As to restrictions, rabbits in California are classed as a small game animal, having a legal hunting season, running from July 1 thru Jan 26 - a daily bag limit is 5 animals & 10 " in possession", so no freezer hoarding.
" Jackrabbits" - our hares, have no closed season nor bag limit. Both species require a California hunting license, but no special stamp enhancements like required for upland bird hunting or dove hunting.
chouchin66
Top Tier member
Thank you, you're welcome.Thank you Chris, fascinating reading, and great hunting