EVENING RABBIT AMBUSH

This ground has produced some good shooting through late spring and early summer. Short stalking sessions regularly yielded bags of five or six rabbits, but the bunnies are starting to wise up and it’s getting difficult to creep within range before they spook and bolt off into cover.

Following a successful breeding season there are still plenty of rabbits around – enough to cause significant damage – but my tallies are beginning to dwindle as they become more educated. The change in the rabbits’ behaviour means that I need to change my approach – and that means a switch to static hunting.

Stalking rabbits is one of my favourite forms of hunting: I enjoy the challenge of pitting my wits against their survival instincts, plus it’s a tactic that enables me to cover plenty of ground so I can see what’s going on around the shoot. Mobile hunting does have its disadvantages though, and the main one is that a shooter on the move tends to cause a lot more disturbance than one who is keeping still. You’re far more likely to create