bacon_overlord
08-26-2016, 08:34 AM
I've been meaning to do a first post on HBC. Great site, so much useful advice and info.
Although I've done a lot of backpacking and hiking, I got a late start at hunting, as I didn't grow up with it. I finally had some large game last year after 4 seasons of learning, and am now totally hooked. I have two young boys (1 and 3) and am looking forward to bringing them up with a love of the outdoors and all it brings to the table.
And a joke: Time flies like an arrow... Fruit flies like a banana.
I've been itching to get out, and rabbits are open. I got off work and got home, quick shower, kiss family, scarf dinner and grabbed hunting gear and hunting partner (Sausagelover) and headed to one of the bunny holes we know of. About 3km from the spot realized I have a flat right front tire, right on the rim.
Decide fuggit, it's only 3k, and we'll change it in the dark after hunting. Get there, gear up and we have just over an hour of light left.. It's bunny o'clock.
I've been refining the bunny hunting technique over the last few seasons. First season was 20ga and #7 shot. Messy to say the least, but sure flattens the critters. Wife not impressed with the occasional shot pellet in the stew either. Tried #5 shot and bracketing the head, slightly better. Next I tried the old Cooey model 60 .22 with iron sights, much less messy when you hit, but need to stalk up more. At least the hares are patient enough to let you take several shots too. I finally tracked down a scope and mount for the cooey, and was going to use that this season, but decided to try another track... Brother in law has a Savage Axis in .223 rem, and I have a Marlin XS7, and he loaded up a pile of 40 gr VMAX varmint rounds that group awesome in both.
So this newest technique we were testing tonight was long range blasting... drop on the bipod as soon as you see the hares and headshot them from 80 yards. Hadn't done it before, but my brother in law had been watching youtube videos of .223 exploding various critters before we left and said it looked awesome.
As well the game handling has changed.. we used to just shoot them, then tie them to a stick and haul them back to the truck and dress them out in the dark after hunting. No wonder they made for stinky bunny stew. Also: sooo much stinky gore.
This year got a cooler bag (free with case of Corona! Ole!) and ice, and will dress them right away and toss them on ice.
On last break at work I was chatting with a couple guys and mentioned I was going to bunnies. Ol' Jerry says "I just take off the hoppers and toss the rest.. way easier" So we decide to try this out too, reasoning we only take grouse breasts. As well, deboning stewed rabbits sucks, but not as much as chewing bone fragments.
Anyways, gear up, walk 20 feet from the truck and there are 2 hares sitting on the trail at 40 yards. Perfect. We both drop prone, pick a target, and my bro in law does the 'On 3... 1, 2, 3..boom". Mine bang flops, and he just starts yelling "goddammit my safety's on!!" as his books it into the thick. Much taunting occurs at this point.
The .223 was awesome. Just took out the computer and left them right where they dropped. Dressing out only the hind quarters (aka just takin' the hoppers) was easy as pie too. While I was dressing mine bro in law walked up further and I heard him shoot, then come back with a grin and a hare. Same deal, down right away. Threw the legs in the cooler bag on ice, and kept going.
We kept on got three each, and then there wasn't enough light left, so headed back.
In the spring I had been bear hunting on the same road, and spooked a nice looking 5 footer. We had just made a nice trail of guts all over, so Kev kept watch (joking that with a .223 it would probably just sting a bear a bit and take a whole mag to do that). I got going on changing the tire on a vehicle I'd never had to swap the spare on and that had probably hadn't had the spare out in 10 years. Some reading the manual and wrestling with rusted parts by headlamp and we're good to go. Start down and about 3k towards the main FSR and see a black bear cub take off in the headlights.
Got home and packaged a dozen hoppers for the freezer. Sat back and had a whiskey on the rocks.
All I could think about though was "One week until fall bear".
Although I've done a lot of backpacking and hiking, I got a late start at hunting, as I didn't grow up with it. I finally had some large game last year after 4 seasons of learning, and am now totally hooked. I have two young boys (1 and 3) and am looking forward to bringing them up with a love of the outdoors and all it brings to the table.
And a joke: Time flies like an arrow... Fruit flies like a banana.
I've been itching to get out, and rabbits are open. I got off work and got home, quick shower, kiss family, scarf dinner and grabbed hunting gear and hunting partner (Sausagelover) and headed to one of the bunny holes we know of. About 3km from the spot realized I have a flat right front tire, right on the rim.
Decide fuggit, it's only 3k, and we'll change it in the dark after hunting. Get there, gear up and we have just over an hour of light left.. It's bunny o'clock.
I've been refining the bunny hunting technique over the last few seasons. First season was 20ga and #7 shot. Messy to say the least, but sure flattens the critters. Wife not impressed with the occasional shot pellet in the stew either. Tried #5 shot and bracketing the head, slightly better. Next I tried the old Cooey model 60 .22 with iron sights, much less messy when you hit, but need to stalk up more. At least the hares are patient enough to let you take several shots too. I finally tracked down a scope and mount for the cooey, and was going to use that this season, but decided to try another track... Brother in law has a Savage Axis in .223 rem, and I have a Marlin XS7, and he loaded up a pile of 40 gr VMAX varmint rounds that group awesome in both.
So this newest technique we were testing tonight was long range blasting... drop on the bipod as soon as you see the hares and headshot them from 80 yards. Hadn't done it before, but my brother in law had been watching youtube videos of .223 exploding various critters before we left and said it looked awesome.
As well the game handling has changed.. we used to just shoot them, then tie them to a stick and haul them back to the truck and dress them out in the dark after hunting. No wonder they made for stinky bunny stew. Also: sooo much stinky gore.
This year got a cooler bag (free with case of Corona! Ole!) and ice, and will dress them right away and toss them on ice.
On last break at work I was chatting with a couple guys and mentioned I was going to bunnies. Ol' Jerry says "I just take off the hoppers and toss the rest.. way easier" So we decide to try this out too, reasoning we only take grouse breasts. As well, deboning stewed rabbits sucks, but not as much as chewing bone fragments.
Anyways, gear up, walk 20 feet from the truck and there are 2 hares sitting on the trail at 40 yards. Perfect. We both drop prone, pick a target, and my bro in law does the 'On 3... 1, 2, 3..boom". Mine bang flops, and he just starts yelling "goddammit my safety's on!!" as his books it into the thick. Much taunting occurs at this point.
The .223 was awesome. Just took out the computer and left them right where they dropped. Dressing out only the hind quarters (aka just takin' the hoppers) was easy as pie too. While I was dressing mine bro in law walked up further and I heard him shoot, then come back with a grin and a hare. Same deal, down right away. Threw the legs in the cooler bag on ice, and kept going.
We kept on got three each, and then there wasn't enough light left, so headed back.
In the spring I had been bear hunting on the same road, and spooked a nice looking 5 footer. We had just made a nice trail of guts all over, so Kev kept watch (joking that with a .223 it would probably just sting a bear a bit and take a whole mag to do that). I got going on changing the tire on a vehicle I'd never had to swap the spare on and that had probably hadn't had the spare out in 10 years. Some reading the manual and wrestling with rusted parts by headlamp and we're good to go. Start down and about 3k towards the main FSR and see a black bear cub take off in the headlights.
Got home and packaged a dozen hoppers for the freezer. Sat back and had a whiskey on the rocks.
All I could think about though was "One week until fall bear".