Well, after many months of trying to get time off work, my hunting buddy has finally managed to secure a week off, so we are going hunting for a few days. Nothing serious...just some good old fashioned bunny busting.

I will take my camera, however, depending on the weather (rain expected) I am not sure that I will be able to get any decent pictures...but I will certainly try.

Whichever way...I intend to enjoy a few days in the bush with me mate, relaxing and enjoying a beer around the fire at night.

I'll be back.....

Cheers, Vince

Sounds promising Vince. Enjoy your trip!

Vinnie have fun!! stop some hearts!! then you can feed your "pig".

I'm turkey
stupid
today
Suz

give them furry little varmits heaps my good man.

Have fun Vince. Sounds like you are more than overdue for a good outdoor adventure with some good friends. Will enjoy hearing some tales and seeing some pics. Good luck to you.

Vince, check that cooler before you go! You've been handing out a lot of brews, lately. Enjoy yourself, rain or shine!

Well...I back. Had a magnificent 3 days relaxing...wandering around the paddocks, tapping bunnies and generally enjoying ourselves.

Not a many bunnies around as I have seen in the past, but those that were there were nice and fat and healthy looking. We got a few, but didn't bother with collecting them...had too much beer and steak in the fridge as it was. This trip was really more about relaxing.

I left my Pig at home and the mate took his along...it was brilliant...even when the temp got down to 10*C at night it still warmed us...or was that the beer.

I took the wrong rimfire rifle with me...of course. The little single shot, although a nice accurate little rifle, just wasn't delivering the goods with the sub sonic rounds. At least three rabbits I hit...I could hear the strike...just got up and hopped away to their burrows, to no doubt die an uncomfortable death. Not happy about that, nothing I could do about it though. Next time I take my Krico and the Winchester Power Point rounds...now they do the job nicely. Also had my 12g O/U with me, but the rabbits were a bit out of reach for that. Also took my Weatherby .243, but realistically didn't have a use for it.


So, overall, not the greatest hunting weekend...but a truly magnificent weekend for relaxing and soaking up the bush.


Looking NE out across the 70 acres we hunted...plenty of green pick for the critters.

I remember someone asking me about the setup of my mate's tray-back 4WD. He has it set up nicely for camping. All electric, except for cooking (cook over a fire, use the PIG and a small butane burner for tea or coffee), with a fridge freezer, lights (also use a Coleman Duel Fuel pressure lamp) and the ability to run implements up to 240V (using an Inverter). The solar panels keep a deep cycle battery (not sure what capacity) fully charged (also the main car battery) which powers everything.


This is my mate's 4x4 Holden Tray Back (with a Canopy) Rodeo and his roof top tent...note the ladder to enter the tent. It all folds down for travel.

The first pic shows the two solar panels out and the last pic shows the tray back of the vehicle from the rear with the fridge and drawers for bits and pieces. Behind the drawers is more storage boxes and a secure metal storage container. There is also room for six 20 litre jerry cans of water or fuel. The white "box" behind the LH rear wheel is actually a 20 litre water container with a tap.

My biggest concern now is my right eye...do we have any budding Ophthalmologists amongst us? The following is what I see when looking through my scope with my right eye:


Using my left eye the cross hairs are perfect. I drew this pic by looking through the scope and putting in each little aberration at a time so that I got it accurate. My shooting buddy, who is a left-hander, had a good chuckle as he said...looks like you are gonna have to become a "Lefty" now. BUGGER !! I am booking in to see my Optometrist ASAP so that he can have a look and see if he can identify the problem.

Cheers, Vince

Vince, looks like you had a great time!! Wonderful pictures!! What a hunting and camping rig!!!!! Does your hunting buddy use his vehicle for anything else?

Why do you have to become a lefty? Don't the bullets still go through the cross-hair intersection? Let us know how your visit to the eye doc goes.

Gidday Slim...yep...my buddy and his wife also do a bit of Outback touring. If you have a look at Australia on Google Earth you will see that far Western Queensland actually is part of the Simpson Desert.

The Outback is very isolated and the sort of country where people regularly die if they don't have the right equipment with them. This includes enough water and food to survive for at least a week (no water or shops out there), a satellite phone (no landlines or mobile/cell phone coverage), a HF radio is a bonus if you have one, maps of the area, a GPS is also a boon ...and of course sufficient fuel for your vehicle to cover a loooong drive. You also need to carry recovery equipment (snatch block, snatch strap and a winch) and also at least two spare tyres as well as tyre repair gear and a suitable compressor. If you have an accident or injure yourself, the only way you will receive any sort of help is via the Royal Flying Doctor Service...hence the HF radio. The RFDS monitor set HF frequencies 24 hrs a day in case of accident.

I will know more about my right eye once I see the Optometrist. I noticed the cross hairs a little "wonky" last time I went to the range, but just put it down to a bit of gunk in my eye or something like that. But if there is a problem with my eye, and they can't correct it, then the best option might be to try left handed shooting. Have to wait and see.

The bullet still goes to where the cross hairs intersect, however the point of intersection is not clear to my eye and over say 100 yds could well be 4" - 6" out because of the sight picture I am getting. The "view" is not static...it actually moves as my eyeball moves. To say I am not happy with it is the understatement of the century mate.

Cheers, Vince

Vince, next time you go rabbithunting with the .22, just try it with 'flat-nosed' bullets. Just take the same subsonics and give them a flat nose (with a file and such a little tool Slimjim showed in his .22 test). I think you will see the difference.

Now, did the cross-hairs look like that before or after the beers?

Seriously that looks like a great camp and sounds like a pretty nice weekend. The issue with the cross-hairs seems odd and I hope you can get that straightened out (no pun intended).

Glad you had a good time, thats what it is all about, getting out and enjoying yourself and nature.

man that looks like a sweet set up. glad you had a break and got to fire a few rounds. hope the eye comes right mate if not shooting lefty is not that hard I often do it out the passenger window..

Its good to get out and about.

Bummer to hear about the optic.
If you have to go left, just practice, practice, practice.
Thats practice on your left side and practice closing the right eye.

Tiks wrote:

If you have to go left, just practice, practice, practice. Thats practice on your left side and practice closing the right eye.

That is the exact advice my shooting buddy gave me...practice, practice and more practice.

I am one of those weird guys that does some things right handed and some things left handed. Anything that involves a bat/club and a ball...I play left handed...everything else is right handed.

I reckon if I have to, I can make the adjustment...I am just a bit concerned why all of a sudden my eye has gone like this. It has only happened over the past couple of months.

No Punkin...can't blame the beer mate...wish I could, it would be an easy fix.

Cheers, Vince