Rangefinder
Well-Known Member
Sadly LL is out of stock on quite a few items and is not replying to emails.
Anyone recommend an alternative?
How do I lamp rabbits?
- Thread starter Co1
- Start date
Sadly LL is out of stock on quite a few items and is not replying to emails.
Anyone recommend an alternative?
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
I'm just slightly too young to have used the old car battery/headlight set ups but have heard plenty similar stories about the battery acid.
We don't know how lucky we are now with modern battery power and rechargeable batteries now
They do get lamp-shy very quickly and NV is certainly a more forgiving method but lamping is still good if you get your tactics right. If you get it wrong you can make them permanently lampshy in one evening. I completely agree with the comment that you should avoid "hot" nights when they're out in large numbers. You can't shoot them all at once and all you'll do is alarm the by-standers and educate them. Better to be patient and pick them off at quieter times in ones and twos. This is less important if you've got a large amount of ground to range over and you've got a vehicle. You can wade in and hit as many as possible and then move on, or if you're on foot you can shoot individual spots in rotation giving them time to calm down before you visit them again but if you're concentrating on one colony you need to be careful or they won't tolerate repeat shootings. They'll vanish at the first sight of a light and if you persist they may simply stop feeding at night or in extreme cases they'll up sticks and migrate, usually to a place where you can't shoot them at all..
Choose dark nights with enough wind to bend the grass. That will cover your footsteps. Opinion is divided on the issue of colour but I've always found red light is less alarming to rabbits than white. Try to use as low a light as you can so that you've got enough to ID and shoot at your chosen range but no more. Don't keep the light on an individual for any longer than necessary. Be ready and shoot promptly. If you're shooting alone keep scope mag down so you can scan and shoot in one go from a ready shooting position. You'll have a wider field of view as well so you'll be more aware of where other rabbits are on the periphery of the light. Its also much easier to locate and pick up carcases if the mag is not to high. Its very easy to misread distances in the dark if you've dropped the rabbits on high mag.
I use a red NM 800 now but its borderline too bright for .22 lr ranges. I have it on a very diffuse focus. Better but more fiddly was the old Deben Tungsten lamp I had with a dimmer switch and a homemade red filter. Unfortunately the light unit was very unreliable and I fell out with Deben in the end but being able to scan on the lowest possible light levels, increasing only to the bare minimum needed to take the shot was very productive. You'll often find with bright lights that rabbits are comfortable on the edge of the light but will hop along with you as you scan to avoid being in the heart of the light which is very frustrating. Turn it down and they'll often stay put.
For this reason two-man lamping is a skilled business. You and your lamp man need to be a coordinated team. You must be following his lamp with the rifle and ready to shoot quickly. And he mustn't get ahead of you and start spilling light all over the field before you're ready with the crosshairs. A good lampman will have the knack of keeping rabbits in the periphery and knowing just how much light to give them, buying his shooter a little more time. And if you're on foot and shooting at .22 ranges you need to do it all without talking. It can take time to build that teamwork. Personally, for walked-up, short range lamping I prefer to go alone.
If possible, it would be good to practice on some less important spot away from your main buries until you've got the hang of it. And, it goes without saying, know your ground intimately and know it in the dark. Don't blunder into obstacles or stray too close to hedgerow tress and send dozens of pigeons clattering into the air. Avoid walking under ash trees, the twigs snap like fire crackers. And know your distances and where the rabbits will be. Don't blunder into the quarry before you're even got the lamp on and don't announce your presence by flicking light around the field from 200 yards away.
Wear silent clothes and make sure you are on top of your sticks or whatever type of shooting support you're using. Get in a tangle with a clacky tripod with rabbits all around you and its game over.
And one piece of kit I never go night shooting without is my Fenix headtorch. Its got a very small single red light which is operated by its own button which means I can switch on without having to cycle through glaring white lights to find the red one. Brilliant for discrete reloading. With the NV I can dip my head with rabbits 30 yards away and reload on the red light without them knowing a thing about it.
Choose dark nights with enough wind to bend the grass. That will cover your footsteps. Opinion is divided on the issue of colour but I've always found red light is less alarming to rabbits than white. Try to use as low a light as you can so that you've got enough to ID and shoot at your chosen range but no more. Don't keep the light on an individual for any longer than necessary. Be ready and shoot promptly. If you're shooting alone keep scope mag down so you can scan and shoot in one go from a ready shooting position. You'll have a wider field of view as well so you'll be more aware of where other rabbits are on the periphery of the light. Its also much easier to locate and pick up carcases if the mag is not to high. Its very easy to misread distances in the dark if you've dropped the rabbits on high mag.
I use a red NM 800 now but its borderline too bright for .22 lr ranges. I have it on a very diffuse focus. Better but more fiddly was the old Deben Tungsten lamp I had with a dimmer switch and a homemade red filter. Unfortunately the light unit was very unreliable and I fell out with Deben in the end but being able to scan on the lowest possible light levels, increasing only to the bare minimum needed to take the shot was very productive. You'll often find with bright lights that rabbits are comfortable on the edge of the light but will hop along with you as you scan to avoid being in the heart of the light which is very frustrating. Turn it down and they'll often stay put.
For this reason two-man lamping is a skilled business. You and your lamp man need to be a coordinated team. You must be following his lamp with the rifle and ready to shoot quickly. And he mustn't get ahead of you and start spilling light all over the field before you're ready with the crosshairs. A good lampman will have the knack of keeping rabbits in the periphery and knowing just how much light to give them, buying his shooter a little more time. And if you're on foot and shooting at .22 ranges you need to do it all without talking. It can take time to build that teamwork. Personally, for walked-up, short range lamping I prefer to go alone.
If possible, it would be good to practice on some less important spot away from your main buries until you've got the hang of it. And, it goes without saying, know your ground intimately and know it in the dark. Don't blunder into obstacles or stray too close to hedgerow tress and send dozens of pigeons clattering into the air. Avoid walking under ash trees, the twigs snap like fire crackers. And know your distances and where the rabbits will be. Don't blunder into the quarry before you're even got the lamp on and don't announce your presence by flicking light around the field from 200 yards away.
Wear silent clothes and make sure you are on top of your sticks or whatever type of shooting support you're using. Get in a tangle with a clacky tripod with rabbits all around you and its game over.
And one piece of kit I never go night shooting without is my Fenix headtorch. Its got a very small single red light which is operated by its own button which means I can switch on without having to cycle through glaring white lights to find the red one. Brilliant for discrete reloading. With the NV I can dip my head with rabbits 30 yards away and reload on the red light without them knowing a thing about it.
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FrenchieBoy
Well-Known Member
An excellent and very comprehensive reply.
The only thing that I would add is that an amber filter works as well as a red filter, especially if the rabbits are starting to get a bit "twitchy" with the red filter.
Cooter
Well-Known Member
Google T50 LED torch.
I got mine from China off the bay and it came as a hunting kit with rechargeable battery, a gun mount, remote switch and charger.
The T50 has three mode settings, changed by touching the tail switch, and a focus able beam.
Check that you are ordering the correct LED pill for your requirement as they are mainly IR, with white as an option.
What this gent says .... you can buy T20 T38 T50 etc the number meaning how big the head is therefore heavier as you go bigger
I use a T20 & find it enough and you hardly notice it’s on the rifle ... as also said you can buy one with different colored led .... they are way cheaper than other branded manufacturer and I find them as good .... cheap enough to actually buy 2 or 3
1x white 1x amber or red so you do not have to faff about changing heads or led pills in the field .
There are Uk guys selling these now so should gone with decent batteries & chargers , be aware of direct from China as the 18650 batteries will most likely not be as claimed and will have been ripped out of broken laptop batteries and re shrink wrapped
Buy good batteries , few spares ... but good charger ... nitecore is very good great reviews by the guys way more in the know. & it does AS & other types
Buy a good head torch . Buy decent small knife for gutting & get ready to make yourself some cracking bunny burgers
I still think a good night on rabbits with lamp or NV is highly underrated !
Love it
Folk for torches etc
IR light builds on Facebook recommended
Torch Factory - High power hunting lights for lamping and night vision
eBay etc
Paul
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Co1
Well-Known Member
Well had a quick hour last night, didn't go well! I don't know about the rabbits but the cows weren't lamp shy!! They were supposed to be in by now, and I scanned the field when I went in and couldn't see them. Anyhow got gear together and set off, got about 50yds, stopped and had a scan, nothing showing but the area I was on was always quiet, so many surprise.
About 2 minutes later I hear an odd rumble and turn to scan with the torch to find 40 excited young bulls running my way!! In the light these boys are placid and relaxed, but I swear they were happy and excited to see something new in the night! I'm not so keen on cows at the best of times (they're so big!) so after changing my pants I set off again, but I reckon the crowd of cows about 10yds behind all night long might have blown my cover.
Spoke to the landowner who who said they will definitely be in this weekend, so I'll have another go next week.
About 2 minutes later I hear an odd rumble and turn to scan with the torch to find 40 excited young bulls running my way!! In the light these boys are placid and relaxed, but I swear they were happy and excited to see something new in the night! I'm not so keen on cows at the best of times (they're so big!) so after changing my pants I set off again, but I reckon the crowd of cows about 10yds behind all night long might have blown my cover.
Spoke to the landowner who who said they will definitely be in this weekend, so I'll have another go next week.
You’ll get over them, they’re usually friendly enough. If you stick a finger or a thumb or thumb in their mouths they will suck on it and you can make friends. Moving around as a mob is normal behaviour at night and will not spook rabbits too much, at least doesnt round here. Main thing with cattle is always the commonsense stuff that is just stay calm keep walking no need to shout at them, chill out. They are actually quite entertaining animals and quite curious, go silently they just like to follow on behind maybe a little closer than you’re comfortable with but you’ll be fine. I don’t think twice about hopping into a paddock full of heifers, cows with calves or and steers and/or young bulls.
BUT
Do not under any circumstances go into a paddock with big bulls, espcially if one is on his own or maybe with a mate. Do not go into those paddocks. You have been warned. These will be the big breeding stock bulls and they don’t mess around. More often than not they are cantakerous old buggers.
BUT
Do not under any circumstances go into a paddock with big bulls, espcially if one is on his own or maybe with a mate. Do not go into those paddocks. You have been warned. These will be the big breeding stock bulls and they don’t mess around. More often than not they are cantakerous old buggers.
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
Ur a braver man than me, I wouldn't get into a field with cows and calf's, more folk are killed in UK by cows and calf's than by bulls every year.
Just be cautious at night, some animls won't be used to the light and get spooked easily and can react very differently to how they do during the day.
Just be cautious at night, some animls won't be used to the light and get spooked easily and can react very differently to how they do during the day.
Only if you've got a dog with you. Suckling cows with followers are the most dangerous. They're herd animals and their natural instinct is to act as a herd against predators, especially when they'll got young with them, and a dog to them is a predator. An unaccompanied human being is just a curiosity.
Cattle can be a nuisance to the rabbit shooter though. I've been sitting motionless in a hedge waiting to snipe rabbits as they surface and a herd of heifers in the neighbouring field have winded or spotted me and they all crowd along the hedgeline for a look, stamping and shuffling and generally kicking up a rumpus that sounds like an earthquake to the rabbits underground. The worst thing to do is react or try to shoo them away because that just fascinates them even more. Ignore them completely and eventually they'll get bored and go away.
Walkers, on the other hand, do not. They seem to think that finding someone camouflaged and hidden in a hedge with a rifle amounts to a social occasion that calls for a nice chat.
At least you've generally got the place to yourself at 1:00 in the morning.
FrenchieBoy
Well-Known Member
I faced one of what could have been the most worrying of things whilst out shooting on a farm when I rounded a corner and came face to face with the farmer's Hereford Bull! As luck would hav it I always make sure that I know where the farmer's livestock is and which could pose a threat. This bull I knew to be a "right softie" and liked nothing more than having his ears scratched so after a couple of minutes chatting to him while scratching his ears (Something I would not chance doing unless I knew the animal fairly well) we both went our own different ways.
The moral of this is - Always make sure you know what livestock you might come across and where you are likely to find it - Doing so can save a "fresh underpants moment!
As has been said, in general most cattle are inquisitive and gentle creatures but beware of cows with calves or a bull with his "harem", you could be courting trouble.
The moral of this is - Always make sure you know what livestock you might come across and where you are likely to find it - Doing so can save a "fresh underpants moment!
As has been said, in general most cattle are inquisitive and gentle creatures but beware of cows with calves or a bull with his "harem", you could be courting trouble.
If the cattle are gone and you need to get numbers forget lamping. I know it's good sport but to kill numbers bait for a few days with sliced carrot, then cage trap them using carrots as bait. We got 3200 in two and a half years, Now easy to control what's left by occasionally sitting out in the evening with the .17 HMR and still provides more sport than lamping..
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
I mind I got a right good chase as a youngster of a hairy hill coo (think it was a blue grey or galloway) walking throu some rashes and never realised she had hidden a young calf in there and got in between them, not a good idea.
Another time I had a massive holstien/friesen bull roaring at me throua scabby patchy hedge with a knackered fence, I was trying to scan ahead to make sure it was all still intact and no gates open between the 2 fields, at 1 point u could smell the silage on its breath.
generally most beef bulls are quietier than dairy bulls which can be a nightmare
I would not be just as confident as some of u are, even bullocks or heifers can get very excited and knock u over by accident (a mate lost his spleen when something spooked some bullocks on a shed as he was bedding them down), esp some of those contential X breeds can be very highly strung and on many farms now it is very unusual for someone to walk round cattle which can make them worse, most are as quiet as mice if u drove throu them with a quad/pick up or tractor thou, but many are just not used to humans any more
You want a bad bull try a Jersey, evil and a lot quicker than others,even if smaller. An Ayrshire comes second.
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