It's an Ambush!

Who’d be a rabbit, grey squirrel or rat? Or even an antelope or warthog? Just about everything wants to kill and eat you. And yet, in the animal kingdom, six out of seven leopard hunts are unsuccessful. Tigers are even worse – one on 20. In fact, it seems that hunting in packs is best; African wild dogs and grey wolves are successful around two thirds of the time.

I have no idea what my success rate is, but when it comes to stalking, I imagine I’d make Tigers look pretty good. The simple fact is that airgun species have evolved over thousands of years to avoid predators so its perhaps not surprising that most of my attempts to stalk rabbits and pigeons result in disappearing fluffy backsides and flapping wings.

African wild dogs and grey wolves are successful because they run their prey down to the point of exhaustion. I’d pay good money to see it attempted, but airgunners hunting in packs to chase a bunny across a field just wouldn’t work.

Of course, ambushing is the answer. Not only for predators in the animal kingdom but for us airgunners as well. Be it sitting in a hide covering decoys in a field or peanuts in a feeder, I am infinitely more successful when it comes to waiting for pigeons, corvids and grey squirrels to come to me.

Rabbits though present a different ambushing challenge and, with spring upon us and the promise of long summer evenings getting closer, now is the time to start planning your tactics.

Successful ambushing takes a lot more effort than simply lying down in a sunny field, pleasant though that would be, and hoping the rabbits turn up. Done correctly, you can overcome your quarry’s instinctive caution and make a decent bag for the pot.

The right gear

It really doesn’t matter how good your planning is and how many bunnies you find yourself surrounded by, you will only be successful if you equip yourself with the right equipment, and of course that starts with the rifle and scope.

I’m fortunate enough to have a firearms certificate and several permissions on which to use the rifles it permits. As a result, one of my favourite rifles when it comes to ambushing is a Brocock Commander XR Magnum. In .25 calibre it generates 55 ft/lbs of energy which is enough to propel a 34 grain pellet at around 850 feet per second. When hunting with it, I limit myself to a maximum range of 60 metres and know that at that distance the Commander XR will stack the pellets thanks to its Huma-Air regulated action.

When Brocock transitioned from a bolt action to a sidelever cocking system across its range, it transformed good rifles into great rifles. The sidelever is as smooth as silk and drives a new gated magazine. It’s quiet too, even at 55 ft/lbs, thanks to a 0db silencer, and the 50 odd shots I get from the 480cc carbon bottle is plenty.

Accuracy and engineering are, of course, vital in a rifle, but for me, it’s the Commander XR’s telescopic stock that makes it the perfect ambushing rifle. Most of the time I shoot from prone when waiting for rabbits to appear. The ability to adjust the length of pull thanks to the stock helps me find the perfect shoulder position and eye relief no matter how I contort myself and how many layers of clothing I wear.

The Commander XR Magnum demands a decent scope to exploit its potential for extreme accuracy. I’ve paired my rifle with an MTC Mamba Pro 5-30×50. I zeroed the scope at 40 metres using the ¼ mil turrets, and make full use of the side parallax to focus on targets from as close at 10 metres.

The image is crystal clear, even at extreme ranges on maximum magnification, and excellent light transference to the eye thanks to a combination of lens coatings, the 30mm tube and a 50 mm objective lens enables me to shoot well into dusk.

Reticles are a soapbox topic for me. The SCB2 reticle is one of my favourites; plenty of aim points in half mil increments allow for precise shot placement without being cluttered or overly fussy. And when it gets too murky, there’s an illuminated reticle feature with plenty of brightness settings and a separate on/off control.

Preparation and getting into position

Even the best rifle and scope combination won’t help if you set up ambush in the wrong place. There’s nothing like spending time on a permission to build familiarity and you will soon get to know the most populated areas. But its also worth keeping an eye out for signs. Fresh droppings and holes are easy to spot but keep an eye out for shallow scrapes and in the earth and tunnels in the undergrowth.

When you have decided on your ambush location, make your approach from a direction that won’t blow your scent towards the rabbits. And when you get into position, make sure your scent is being blown away. Don’t be put off by the sight of rabbits scurrying off when you approach. I’d rather see rabbits hop into the hedgerow from a distance out of a sense of caution as I know they will likely be out again before too long. Better that than spooking them close up so they dash underground in a panic and stay there for the rest of the day.

It goes without saying that if its available, make use of any cover, even if it is a tuft of grass, and try to get a position directly facing the hedgerow so you can cover an arc left and right. If no cover is available, simply keeping low off the skyline and wearing camouflage, including a face covering and gloves, will often suffice as long as you keep still.

One of the advantages of ambushing is that it enables you to shoot from a prone position which, personally speaking, is when I am at my most accurate. A bipod will make your position even more stable and I fit one to the Picatinny rail on the underside of the Commander XR Magnum. If you don’t have a bipod, a backpack or even a rolled jumper will help. Sometimes the terrain simply won’t allow you to shoot prone and you’ll have to adopt a different position. The farmer on one of my permissions lets the grass grow long and laying down I simply can’t see the rabbits, let alone get a clear line on them.

The positive is that the grass affords great natural cover and in such situations, I take a set of tripod shooting sticks with me. Sitting down behind them in the long grass dressed like Rambo, I have accounted for as many rabbits as I have shooting prone.

Leave them be

I’ve been ambushing rabbits for nearly 40 years. Back then I used to rush in as soon as I hit one to claim my prize and examine the entry and exit wounds with all the ghoulish relish of a young boy.

Fortunately, I’ve managed to hang on to you the youthful enthusiasm but over the years have come to realise that leaving the rabbits where they fall, assuming a clean kill of course, is much better. Rabbits have acute sensitivity to vibration and tromping above their warren to reclaim a dead rabbit will make them stay underground longer.

I’m not saying I’m an expert and my opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it – nothing. But I have learned from several decades of making mistakes and hopefully, you will too. So with lockdown beginning to ease and spring and summer around the corner, try some ambushing for yourself.

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