Hunting
While hunting live quarry is very challenging and exciting it must only be done when the hunter is capable of consistently making a clean kill.
There are no exceptions for this. If you cannot consistently hit a £1 coin sized target at the range you intend to shoot, then you have no business pointing a gun at any living creature.
Sorry to start a section off with such a negative message, but all too often you hear or read in the news that some idiot has taken a pot shot at something and injured it. People like that will ultimately get the practice of vermin control with airguns banned.
Unlike paper and steel targets, live quarry DO have a mind of their own. They do not stand still waiting to be shot. They are constantly moving and checking for danger. If you are only hitting the kill zone of a static target once in few shots then the chance of hitting it (the kill zone) while it is looking around is even less. Sadly this means the chance of injuring the quarry is much much higher.
Having said all that, once you are proficient at hitting the kill zone every time (at your chosen range) you are nearly ready to venture out and control vermin.
Being able to shoot straight is only part of the challenge. Other skills that are essential are fieldcraft, knowledge of the quarry, accurately judging range and judging wind speed are to mention just a few. Mess up any of these and you will either have no target to shoot or you will miss the tiny clean kill zone.
Fieldcraft
This is the general term used to describe the skills need to get to within range of your chosen target. I believe the phrase "to see without being seen" is used by the military
Skills required include..
- Camouflage
- Concealment
- Use of terrain to conceal movement
- Selecting good shooting positions
- Construction of hides
- etc
Range finding
Ohhh it has to come up... which calibre? .22 or .177??(..or .20 or .25!!!)
I'll try not to take 'sides' here and put an unbias argument forward
Judging range is an essential skill when shooting a airgun. The pellet
is affected by gravity the moment it leaves the gun barrel. The greater the amount of
time gravity has to affect the pellet, the more it will drop.
Things to consider..
- .22 pellets will be travelling at very approximately 600 feet per second when it leaves the barrel
- .177 pellets will be travelling at very approximately 800 feet per second when it leaves the barrel
- .22 pellets will retain more energy further down the field, but will drop more requiring greater skill estimating the range
- .177 pellets loose energy quicker further down the field, but fly "flatter" requiring less skill judging range (or it is more forgiving for a misjudged range)
So the .177 pellet will be less affected by gravity than .22 pellet. When a pellet hits the target a .22 pellet will generally "pack a greater punch" but that punch is no good if the pellet hit the ground 6" in front of the target. Putting a .177 pellet through the brain of your quarry will kill it every time.
Windage
The wind will affect the flight of you pellet regardless of what calibre you have chosen to use. The direction and strength of the wind will affect the pellet in a way you cannot explain on a web page. Practice - with non living targets is the only way to gain experience and make appropriate adjustments to your aim point.
Know your quarry
There is a brief summary of the important things to know about the various quarry species airgunners can hunt. This is not a complete knowledge base, it is simply a starter\reference point. Further research will do nothing but improve your understanding of your chosen target... and improve your chances of a good bag!