Back at the bunnies

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and Mat Manning’s first rabbit shooting outing post-lockdown proves it’s absolutely true

It is hard to believe that such a simple thing as heading out in pursuit of a few rabbits could be regarded as a treat. But I felt like a child on Christmas morning when the opportunity finally came around. Having to stay at home during the lockdown was only a tiny sacrifice in the grand scheme of things. But

I am pretty sure that everyone with a passion for fieldsports felt the same yearning to get back out there.

I was one of the fortunate few who had managed to get out a couple of times while others remained confined to their homes. Both those outings were for essential pest control with the shotgun; one of them shooting crows that were posing a serious risk to livestock and the other protecting a recently drilled crop that was being clobbered by woodpigeon.

Each of those outings felt like a real privilege — not only to be escaping the confines of the house but also having the opportunity to help farmers to protect their livelihoods. But what I really craved was a few sedate hours with my air rifle.

Stake-out

As soon as we were given the nod to increase our movements beyond the single daily outing for exercise, I was back out on my woodland rounds. I checked on the feeding stations that I use to control grey squirrels, refilling them in readiness for the resumption of my year-round campaign. As they had been left empty for so long, it would be a couple of weeks before they were ready for a stake-out — but a chance meeting with the estate gardener threw up a more immediate opportunity.

There is a wooden holiday cabin in the paddock on the edge of the woods, and the gardener told me that his efforts to establish flowers and saplings in its garden area were being thwarted by hungry rabbits.

“The gardener’s efforts to establish flowers in the holiday cottage’s garden had been thwarted by hungry rabbits”

Apart from being an irritation, the rabbits could also pose a potential danger as the paddock is sometimes grazed by ponies — not a place you want to be littered with burrows. Eager to have a go at the pests, I told the gardener I would take a look on my way back and return with my air rifle as soon as possible. Remaining movement restrictions prevented overnight stays, leaving the holiday cabin vacant and presenting me with a useful opportunity to carry out my duties without holidaymakers looking on.

Burrows

A quick scout around the cabin field confirmed that there were indeed a few rabbits about. The closely cut grass around the garden area offered the animals rich grazing and there was no shortage of their droppings around the bare areas. Further inspection revealed a couple of burrows at the top of the high riverbank that drops away behind the cabin, which was where the offenders were likely to be emerging from. An evening ambush seemed to be the logical option so I texted the gardener and the estate owner to make them aware of my plans, then headed home to crack on with some work and what might loosely be described as home schooling.

That afternoon seemed to pass very slowly but evening eventually rolled around and I found myself parking up on the track that leads to the cabin. Two rabbits that were out nibbling at the grass bolted for cover as I crunched along the scalpings but I wasn’t too bothered. I felt pretty confident that they’d soon be back out and I’d rather take a composed shot from a settled position than a wobbly one on the fly.

My earlier visit had convinced me that the best place to set up was out in the field about 30m from the cabin. This vantage point would enable me to get clear shots at rabbits as they ventured out from behind the building and on to the garden and the short grass that surrounds it.

I had brought my .22 calibre 30ft/ lb Daystate Red Wolf. I don’t always use Fac-rated air rifles for rabbit shooting but I thought the extra reach might come in handy if any bunnies decided to creep out further along the hedgerow that follows the course of the riverbank. I settled down on my belly and made the gun stable on its bipod. Shooting from the prone position is a great way to pick off rabbits when they are on short grass because it keeps you off the skyline and makes for very stable shots.

I don’t know how long I’d been waiting when the first bunny appeared. Watching swallows swooping over the fields and listening out for the calls of kingfishers on the river had made me lose all track of time, but I couldn’t have been there for more than half an hour.

Oblivious

The rabbit was just out from the hedgerow and about 35m from my position. Out on the short grass, it presented me with a very clear shot and remained oblivious as I shuffled the gun across to the right to line up on it. I must confess to feeling just a touch of buck fever as I observed my quarry through the scope but the support of the bipod kept the wobbles at bay and the cross-hairs soon came to rest on the rabbit’s head.

I touched off the trigger and the discreet ‘phut’ from the moderator was followed by a skull-shattering crack as lead connected with bone. The rabbit rolled over with barely

a twitch and I’d bagged my first bunny in what felt like a very, very long time.

Reluctant to spook any other rabbits that might be thinking about coming out to feed, I stayed where I was and reloaded in readiness for the next opportunity. As the sun sank lower, the air was beginning to turn cold but I was more than happy to be out in the evening chill. My patience was rewarded when another rabbit lopped out about 15 minutes later. This one was on the edge of the track and about the same distance as the first. It was a straightforward shot in the still air and a second bunny was added to the tally.

The bag had swelled to three by the time I decided to pack up. I had been on my belly for the best part of an hour and a half and, though

I am prepared to tolerate a bit of discomfort for my sport, I felt as though I’d had my fill for the evening. And what an evening it had been.

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and there is no denying that I had relished the experience even more than usual as a result of the enforced layoff.

One of the greatest things about our sport is that nothing else really exists when you are consumed by the experience of simply being out there. I am in no doubt at all that we still have some seriously tough times ahead but I appreciated being able to push them to the back of my mind for a couple of precious hours.

“Shooting from the prone position is a great way to pick off rabbits feeding on short grass”

Mat retrieves his shot rabbits as the light fades and the session draws to a close

An abundance of droppings on the short grass suggests that there are plenty of rabbits in the area

The damage to this sapling and many others had been caused by rabbits

Getting down low and taking advantage of the support of a bipod means Mat is able to hold his aim extremely steady

Mat sets up on the edge of the short grass where the shadows and backdrop help to conceal him