Modern pre-charged air rifles are capable of blistering accuracy and the electronic Daystate Red Wolf really does take precision to another level.
Match it with the right ammo and a bipod and this airgun is more than capable of landing pellet on pellet at 30 metres and beyond.
The Red Wolf’s sophisticated internals result in an extremely fast lock time, greatly reducing the lag between the shooter pressing the trigger and the pellet leaving the barrel. A faster lock time means there’s less chance of the tiny wobbles from your body affecting your aim, effectively making it easier to shoot accurately.
This enhanced potential for precision is easy to exploit when you’re shooting on a range but, even with all the benefits this gun brings, it’s not quite so simple in the field. The fact is that the shooter is almost always the weakest link in the accuracy chain. Whether standing, kneeling or sitting, it’s very difficult to completely overcome the tiny movements caused by the swaying of your body, your breathing and even your pulse.
To fully exploit the accuracy potential of my air rifles when I’m out hunting, I take full advantage of any opportunity to take leaning shots; using trees, gates and fences for added support whenever possible. To really get the most of a gun like the Red Wolf at long range, you can’t beat shooting from the prone position with the support of a bipod. Shooting prone gets your centre of gravity as low as you possibly can, making it virtually impossible for your body to sway, and the stability provided by the bipod makes it a lot easier to hold the crosshairs dead on target when using a scope at higher magnification.
Unlike the Daystate Pulsar, the Red Wolf doesn’t come with an integral accessory rail for bipod attachment. Fitting the stock with a quick-release stud is a simple job, though, and creates a secure fixing point for a bipod and also a sling.
With the rabbits on one of my permissions getting more and more wary as they grow older, long-range sniping from the support of a bipod is by far the best way to bring them to book. My favourite approach is to lay in wait and pick off unsuspecting bunnies as they emerge to feed at the end of the day.
You have to set up in the right place for these tactics to work. It’s important that rabbits venture out within range because all the stealthy advantages of setting up an ambush will be lost if you are forced to create noise and movement by trying to creep in closer for the shot.
Look for places that you know are frequented by rabbits. The obvious sites to target are those where you have actually spotted rabbits but there are other clues that can steer you in the right direction. Rabbit burrows are a clear sign of their presence – you want to find ones with clear openings and plenty of excavated soil to confirm recent activity. Droppings are another useful calling card to guide you to the right place – fresh ones are dark and moist. Other, subtler signs include runs through brambles and other undergrowth, and very close-cropped grass where rabbits have been feeding around field margins.
Once I’ve located a place where I expect to encounter rabbits, I try to set up within striking distance and with the wind blowing towards me. This ensures that any scent I am carrying from the human world is carried away from the rabbits rather than towards them.
If there are rabbits out when you arrive, try to resist the urge to stalk them. Instead, simply stroll across the field to your chosen position. Moving in this way, you will look more like a walker than a predator, and the rabbits are more likely to have the confidence to venture back out as a result.
You don’t need a hide or a blind for this sort of ambush because shooting from the prone position keeps you down off the skyline. I sometimes wear a camouflage head net for added concealment but it is not essential. The vital thing is to keep still and quiet.
This approach takes patience but you should be rewarded with relatively straightforward shots. More often than not, the rabbits won’t even know you’re there, and shooting from a fixed position means you can work out ranges to set markers such as trees, gates and fence posts as soon as you arrive so you can use them as reference points when chances come along.
One problem with shooting from the prone position is that shots can sometimes be hampered by low-lying cover, especially when rabbits have their heads down feeding. If I can’t get a clear shot at a rabbit that has its head down among the grass, I either make a squeaking sound through pursed lips or click my tongue against the roof of my mouth. The noise is usually enough to make rabbits sit bolt upright with ears pricked. In this position, they tend to offer a very clear target.
These tactics work best in relatively calm conditions, as a stiff breeze will make it difficult to judge where the pellet is going to strike at longer range. It’s also important to put in plenty of practice. Perfect your prone shooting on paper targets on the range, and you’ll know exactly which aim-points on your scope’s reticle you need to use over varying distances.
