Rabbit shooting: bagging your first bunny

Today, we cover one of the most popular ways of keeping your eye in—rabbit shooting. Here's our complete guide to bagging your first rabbit if you're looking to move away from just hunting pigeons. 

The gun

There’s no better place to start than with the gun you’ll use. We would steer well clear of air pistols. Despite being easier to transport, they often don’t have enough power to consistently ensure a good shot. Let’s be clear, the aim with any rabbit shooting is to get a clean kill, not just to wound. There’s no cruelty here. With that in mind, there is only one suitable suggestion – an air rifle.

If it’s your first time going rabbit shooting, a bolt-action rifle is your best bet - preferably a fixed-barrel .22 or .17. Lever and single-shot rifles are also fine, but perhaps once you’re a bit more experienced.

The cartridge

Debate rages to this day between a .22 and .177 calibre. Some allude to the old adage of “.22 for fur, .177 for feather” but again, it comes down to preference and experience. When first starting out, there is no doubt that the .22 has more weight and impact, increasing the chances of a clean kill. Along with this, however, comes a slight increase in difficulty. The .177, meanwhile, has a flatter trajectory – meaning it is a touch easier to keep up your accuracy. Try both, but if you have practised on a range and can keep your pellets on target, go for the .22 first.

The clothing

To camouflage or not to camouflage? It depends whether you want to splash out on new gear on top of your gun and pellets, but either way – you need to be wearing something that breaks up your outline. If not camo, then at least a checked top or similar.

The weather

This time of year is perfect for rabbit shooting since it’s not yet too warm but there’s still more and more light in the day to shoot with. Later in the summer months, it can be more of a juggling act between layers of camouflage and getting too warm while belly stalking. That’s where the additional consideration of time of day comes in.

The time of day

Early morning is your best bet if you want a consistent pattern throughout summer. Again, it’s not too hot – but the shooting is still good and more than light enough to see clearly. Alternatively, if you’re prepared to be patient – there is some good shooting to be had in the evening, even if it takes a while for the rabbits to emerge.

The insurance

If you’re a newcomer to rabbit shooting, or any type of shooting, you may want to consider protecting yourself and your equipment through specialist shooting insurance.

At Ripe Shooting, we arrange cover that protects you, your equipment and those around you for just £25 a year. Get your instant quote online today.