[Music]
It's been a testing time over the past few months for Crow.
While bringing in the harvest, he's been taunted and haunted by the rabbits charging out of
the crop.
Mark had a go at them with a shotgun but there are plenty that lived to fight another day.
Tonight it's the turn of the .17 HMR and Dom's got a nice little Anschuetz to take out for
the first time.
Picked this up on Gunstar I think.
Locally to me.
Advertised as used and it cost under £400 came with a load of bullets it is virtually
in brand new condition and yes I have only taken it out a few times because work has
been busy.
We have seen a lot of rabbits on the farm over the last few weeks and there has been
a hell of a lot rabbits visible and Andy has finally finished the combining in the last,
I think he finished it this morning.
So lots of stubble.
Nice weather.
It is going to rain tomorrow so we will be able to go and shoot a few rabbits.
But as I am out of practice I said to Andy, bring your rifle because I think he will get
the hump if I start missing.
It depends how many he misses.
If he starts missing a few I will put my rifle on and start shooting because it does wind
me up if he starts missing, especially with rabbits.
When they are on the arable they don't tend to stop too much.
I said to Dominic if they sit tonight we are not shooting, but if they don't just shoot
them in the shoulder.
The .17 will stop them it is ideal for that.
So we're all set - two Anschuetzes, two high-powered Taclight torches for spotting the bunnies
and a buggie with other ideas...
Eventually we're off and Dom gets off to a flying start - but it's not quite up to Crow's
high standards.
Speed is key.
He is still moaning I am not shooting them fast enough isn't he?
Demanding task master is our Mr Crow.
Perfect head shot he must have pulled off a bit on that one.
I was a bit concerned there for a time.
We had nine rabbits running and he hadn't even fired a shot.
He has made up for it though, he has had three shots and three kills.
We are just worried about the other nine that got away.
I will have to come back on my own tomorrow night and see if I can clear them up.
So I better get on, cut, cut.
Dom is doing well, even though the number of rabbits is disappointing.
Then Andy spots a fox.
Even with motor running, the fox comes in to Andy's calling.
It sits but, when the full beam hits it, it runs.
But it stops just a few yards further on.
The head shot drops it where it stands.
The .17 is a small round but is incredibly accurate and sufficiently powerful to drop
a fox.
That .17 is a good round but where a lot of people go wrong, if you shoot them in the
throat maybe but I always nut shoot them.
If you can shoot them out to 100, 150 yards with a .17 you can hit that in the head, then
you can hit a fox in the head.
That is where you want to be shooting them.
If I can't hit a fox in the head with a .17 I won't shoot it.
I won't just give it one up the guts it's no point.
A nice shot like Dom has just done there, like I say was just side ways on it has just
cranked it in the top of the head there and it is just mush.
What chances we have, Crow and Dom take.
Crow's advice to Dom tonight is to work on shooting the running rabbits - the pest control
will be more efficient once he understands the capabilities of the .17 HMR.
It is not driven boar or stuff, but I have never shot driven rabbit.
But Andy said at the closer ranges, don't worry about lead, just get onto the rabbit,
the cross hairs on and the good thing about the .17 obviously being such a frangible round
if it is in the rabbit it is going to do the job, especially at the front end so he said
give it a go and I actually thought I had missed it, but much to my surprise and the
rabbit's misfortune it was a hit.
So there we go.
You learn something every day.
On our travels we run into another fox.
Andy doesn't hang about and it's number two of the night.
I think I have had about four rabbits and a fox and Dom has had about ten rabbits and
a fox.
The keeper will be happy anyway.
Andy was hoping to bag about 70 rabbits tonight and it's a real surprise to one and all that
we only manage just over 20.
But Dom's happy with his new purchase and no rabbit, be it stationary or running for
cover, will be safe from now on.