I’m embracing the old-school vibes tonight, taking a shot at some rabbits with a lamp instead of modern night vision. Just like the good old days, learning the art of lamping from the countryside veterans.
Sure, it might not be as stealthy as the latest night vision tech, but there’s something delightfully nostalgic about it. If it doesn’t work out, at least I’ll get my nostalgia fix!
Tonight’s lamp of choice is the LED Lenser P7 QC, a nifty little flashlight that I can slap onto my rifle scope and control with a single button click. The “QC” stands for Quad Color, which is a slick feature. Instead of fiddling with filters, I just twist the collar at the front to switch between white, blue, green, and red light. If the rabbits start getting jumpy from the bright white light, I can easily swap it out for a different color.
With a bit of time before full darkness sets in, I load up my Weihrauch HW80 .22 FAC and start scanning the area. I’m sticking close to natural cover, using my camouflage gear to stay out of sight. The conditions aren’t perfect—it’s a clear sky, so there’s ambient light from the stars and moon. Plus, it’s a still, windless night. I usually prefer a bit of breeze to help cover the sound of my approach.
Rabbits often pop up while moving from one field to another, and that’s exactly what’s happening here. The challenge now is to get them to stay put long enough for a shot. I had a good opportunity with a rabbit close by, but whether it heard or scented me, it wasn’t sticking around and bolted. Looks like I’ll have to rely on the lamp and hope they get braver after dark. My dusk stroll ends empty-handed, but now that night has fallen, maybe my luck will change, though with this clear sky, it won’t be a cakewalk.
As the light fades, I switch to lamping mode. I try to keep the lamp off while crossing the fields to avoid spooking any rabbits. When I do switch it on, the first scan turns up nothing. The trick with lamping is to avoid leaving the light on all the time. I move around in complete darkness, turning on the lamp every so often to scan the fields. If I spot rabbits out of range, I turn off the light and inch closer, hoping they’ll stay put when I turn the lamp back on. With no breeze to mask my footsteps, I’m moving as quietly as possible.
Shining the lamp across the field, I’m searching for the glint of rabbit eyes, but no luck so far. I switch off the lamp and keep moving. Still no rabbits, which is surprising because there are usually plenty around here. But I press on, hoping for a break.
Finally, I spot two rabbits munching on grass, completely unaware of me. I inch forward slowly, knowing any noise will carry tonight. I drop into a kneeling position and flick the lamp back on. They’re still there, and the shot is on. The impact is precise; the rabbit’s jumps before it collapses onto the grass, barely twitching.
The second rabbit bolts while I’m reloading. Still, one in the bag is better than none. I retrieve the rabbit and add it to the bag. One clear advantage of lamping over night vision is that it makes picking up the shot quarry much easier.
The nighttime hunt continues, but conditions remain tough. Another rabbit was out there, but it didn’t stick around. My spirits lift briefly when I spot a pair of eyes in the lamp light, but it’s just a confident badger going about its business. If only the rabbits were as bold!
Eventually, I get another shot at a rabbit. It’s fidgety but not spooked. A quick squeak makes it freeze long enough for me to line up the crosshairs. The shot lands true, and the rabbit’s body shudders as the pellet strikes behind its eye. In these challenging conditions, every successful shot feels extra rewarding.
I won’t sugarcoat it—it’s been a tough night. The clear sky makes for a lighter night than ideal for lamping, and with a lack of breeze, every sound carries. But despite the challenges, I’ve bagged two rabbits and am pretty pleased with that.
Lamping isn’t the easiest, but it’s still a solid way to catch a few bunnies after dark, if you don’t want to shell out for the latest night vision gear.
Atb,
Paul
