Hello all. Been lurking around these parts for a while now. I've been enjoying all the hunting stories posted by LongIslandhunter, Shadow and all the others, I must say.
I've been airgun hunting in my back yard for about 4 years now. When I moved into my rural home, my neighbour informed me of the rampant squirrel population that was regularly getting into his shed and destroying sails on him. He'd been shooting them with a bb gun (literally, bb's) and not having much success in limiting their population, so I figured I'd join in the fun. I started with a Crossman Springmaster, certainly no powerhouse, but I learned to shoot it accurately and took dozens of nutters out of my back yard. Most shots are a hair under 20 yards from my back door to the shed and wellhouse, and so long as the wind stayed reasonable, and I did my part, the little crossman dispatched the critters without much fuss. Now I only see one or 2 every couple of months. That's somewhat disappointing to me, but hey, that was the goal, wasn't it?
Recently I upgraded to a Daina 34 .177 with a Bushnell 3-9x32 scope. Oh, what a difference! This is a beautiful airgun, accurate as the shooter, and a beauty to handle. I don't think it gets it's due online!
We've been pretty much overrun by showshoe hares in our area for the last 2 years. I suspect next year will be different, I've been seeing alot of bobcat and coyote lately, and they used to be pretty scarce. The hares make a mess of our gardens and flower beds, not to mention decent targets! So a little more population control was initiated.
'Twas a Saturday night and the wife and kid had gone to bed about 1/2 hour earlier. I peered out the back porch window into the night gloom. Something caught my eye. There it was again.... Behind the old log at the back edge of the lawn.... And again, a rabbit's head kept popping above the log before dipping down again for another bite.
I grabbed the 34, cocked it and slid a CP hollowpoint into the breach. This gun likes these hollowpoints out to beyond 40 yards, as far as I'm likely to take a shot. Stepping out onto the back porch, I realise I have a problem. It's pitch dark out except for the porch light, which illuminates the target area sufficiently, but the glare on the scope is blinding to me. I quitely slip down the back stairs, heading away from the rabbit, and slip into the shadow behind the porch. Now I'm about 30 yards from where I spotted Thumper. Crap, no rest is available here. Oh, well, we'll see what we can see.
I hoist the mighty Diana to my shoulder and find my target with the scope. Seems strangely sensitive to my head position, the scope wants to black out..... THERE HE IS!!!! Still bobbing away, 2 seconds he's visible, then 10 he's not. I watch for what seems an eternity, feeling my excitement build, struggling to slow my heartbeat, and thus the dance of the crosshairs on the target area. I'm gonna want more than 2 seconds to make this shot, I think... Calm now, steady. Up pops Thumper's head again. I make a quite squeak/kissing noise with my lips and he freezes and stairs in my general direction, blinded by the porch light 10' to my right. The gun pulses *THUD..WHAAaaP*, unnaturally loud in the still of the night, and Thumper leaps up clear of the log and falls back into the brambles behind. I hear Thumper thrash for maybe 5 seconds and the still returns, broken only by the barking of the neighbour's surprised dogs a few hundred feet away. I grab my flashlight and go to inspect my prey. A nice male hare, about the size of a fat 10 pound housecat (though I doubt he weighted that much...), marred only by a .177 cal hole just under the inside of his left eye. Not bad at all for a 30yd offhand shot, I think!
Wish I'd taken a photo, but no such luck.
Great little forum here, lots of knowledge to absorb. Hope you all enjoy this little story,
J
