Shootathon

[Cornishman]

Last year some trips with my best shootin’ buddy went on into the early hours and so this year, always looking to explore the envelope, we thought we’d try a 24-hour shootathon starting early on Saturday afternoon and shooting right through until the same time Sunday.

 

We started at N’s farm on ‘The Hill’. This is a farm we started shooting only last year and zapped good numbers of rabbits. The Hill offers a wide view over maybe 100 acres including safe shots up to 600 yards. In fact three shooters now have now scored at over 500 yards from this position so we were hoping for good things. This was a chance to bring out the artillery in the form of a customised Tikka in 6mmBR and an RPA 22-250 both running heavy bullets, heavy barrels and big scopes.

 

It wasn’t such a good start though as there were no bunnies, crows or magpies coming out to play. So the fox caller came out and within a few minutes a half-grown cub came galloping in at speed only to meet a 105g Scenar coming in the opposite direction about 70 yards away from us. An hour later another cub in scrub ground met a similar fate with a 60g Vmax between the shoulder blades at 145 yards. A brief walkabout with the light guns confirmed that we have just about shot out the rabbits on this farm but the new addition, an Anschutz in 17 Ackley Hornet, scored a couple of devastating hits of the sort that are now becoming the standard. This is my pal’s rifle and I constantly pour scorn on it for being too pretty, having weak locking lugs, a barrel that is waaay too shiny, too heavy and all those other things you say when it doesn’t belong to you. However, it’s a tack-driver even with fire-forming loads and shoots flat with eviscerating impact on bunnies.

 

By the time dusk started to fall we had only three rabbits. So it was on to the next farm but no rabbits there either. Maybe they heard we were coming? However our third fox made an appearance at 100 yards and was taken out with the 17 Ackley. It wasn’t a big fox but the accuracy meant that it stood no chance. The bullet took it through the throat and out through the back of the neck for an instant kill. First fox for the pretty Hornet.

 

These are the first two foxes

 

 

This is what the 17A/Hornet does to bunnies

 

 

Fox number three

 

 

 

 

Now it’s dark and onto the golf course. The sky is clear, the dew is heavy, there’s a half-moon and mist is starting to collect in the valley bottoms. If the rabbits elsewhere were warned off then the golf course wasn’t on the distribution list because the place is jumping with them and we finish on 34. In fact we scored 17 each which seemed kind of symmetrical with a 17 A/Hornet and a 17HMR so we left it at that. By now we had been going for 15 hours we were feeling a bit jaded but even with the eyelids feeling heavy the scenery had that very special night-time feel. The last time we shot this golf course we found ourselves out in a thunderstorm, marvelling at the power of nature but that which promotes growth and vigour scared at the same time. This time under the Milky Way with banks of fog rolling down the fairways for the first time I saw some point for golf courses.

 

Then onto a new farm to hole up in the corner of a field with a fox caller where we waited for dawn. The fox caller got an immediate response from two foxes that barked from the adjoining woods but I guess these were old-timers and they were sounding a warning to other foxes. Nothing doing here so on to yet another farm for some active morning bunnie bashing at all ranges to finish on a score of 53. Not a huge score for such a lot of walking but we both felt we’d pushed ourselves and had imprinted some memories that will last a long time.

[foxshot]

A very good read and a respectable bag, a 24 hr shoot would be an intresting thing and certainly challenging to see if you could place bullets in the vitals when you are so knackerd

[Guest 308Panther]

I wondered how ya got away with it...Then I see ya got mods on.

53 bunnies aint a bad count...you got more than enough to show

some efforts...

 

Oh,How I would love to have been there with the Black Rifle!!!

 

 

308Panther

[craigyboy]

sounds like you had fun, last time I done a 24hr shoot I fell asleep in a hide wating for first light and didnt waken till well past dawn.

[varminter]

A very good writeup and some good shooting was well :P

All the best...........

RAY......................

[foxing2night]

A very good read!!!,and good pic,s

all the best f2n