Nice guns Mattie and Chasseur.

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I learned to shoot a shotgun, self taught, with my Dad's .410 side by side shotgun. I purchased some shells for it last week, god they are tiny little things.

I haven't shot this gun for many many years.

I think I had it repaired eight years ago by Kevin Sharp in Victoria, and haven't used it even years before then. It needed the extractor replaced, and a trigger fixed. One hammer also no longer cocked. He fixed all of these plus gave it a coat of oil on the stock. I know I had sanded back the stock when a kid, but not the checkering to remove old stains but never rubbed any wood oil back in to it. Kevin must have done this. I asked him to generally clean it up. It wasn't worth a lot of work, but as the shotgun was my Grandfather's I wanted it restored to a reasonable level.

Now I wanted to post some photos tonight, but alas the light was gone before I could take any. Planned a massacre on the pest rabbits in my vineyard and hay crop. and to photograph the gun with the harvest.

The plan
Now the creek level has dropped I can cross it without getting soaked, and sneak up to the river bank. Most of the rabbit holes are on the North side of the bank so in theory I could sneak up to it, crest the bank and wreak havoc on the bunnies in multitudes on the other side.

Loaded the gun. The 3" shells are a bit tight ... mmmm ... maybe should have bought the 2 1/2" ones ???? Oh well probably shot 3" ones as a kid so will again. The gun closed on them OK and they could be extracted by finger OK. The extractor only levers them out two or three millimetres.

Dogbert (Blitzen) faithfully followed in excitement. He senses when I am hunting and usually is much more obedient. Probably because I cuff him around the head much quicker if hunting if he misbehaves. He also of course loves hunting so is very attentive.

Cross the creek. Three wood ducks are floating in the shallow water. One is an adult, the other two younger. One flaps away in the water but can not fly. The adult stays in the water, even though I cross only five metres away! Bloody hell, in season it would fly if it saw me two hundred metres away. Blitzen ignores them, he is watching me. This time I like this, as I don't want him self hunting down the ducks and killing the ducklings. My previous GSP Siegfried did this a lot. A fox will probably do it anyway, especially once the water dries up. Though Blitz SHOULD have shown interest in the ducks, he has never been a great duck dog.

Approaching the bank, one small rabbit was sitting guard and popped down the hole. Didn't shoot him as hoped to get several in a second or two.

Crested the bank and ....... several tiny bunnies scattered, no bigger ones, damn. There is a big one much further away, but down a hole he goes, then decided to shoot one tiny baby bunny in a log pile about to pop down. Murderer! Blitzen will enjoy him. All the rest are gone. Checked down the rows, no bunnies. Obviously they had not yet scattered away from the holes on the headlands yet. Too early, but the light will go in thirty minutes.

Checked the hay crop, no bunnies hiding in there.

Checked the next vineyard. A rabbit or two made the wild dash across the headland into their holes. Blitzen decided to sit and wait for me. He thinks he needs to sit and even if I slap my side ie for him to come up and heel, he sits steady. No verbal commands when hunting like this, so let the good boy sit. He thinks he is doing the right thing. No more rabbits, so go back to Blitz and tap him releasing him. Crazy time, he runs madly around, thinking he has been released, which he has been.

Back to the original vineyard and check the other side of it, one larger rabbit sits by a burrow. Try a long shot at him with the left barrel but no luck. He is down in his hole.

BTW I shoot the rabbits as pests, to reduce their numbers, but also for sport, for human consumption or Blitzen meat.

Retrieved the tiny baby bunny which Blitz thought was very exciting and a mouthful for him for dinner.

Two ducks take flight from the creek below me. A ha the wood ducks have finally taken fright, but no, two black ducks circle past me.

Maybe some photos tomorrow.