How to Hunt Rabbits With an Air Rifle

Last Updated: March 3, 2023 References

The following wikiHow is designed to give users a brief oversight on how to shoot rabbits, and the most humane ways of going about this. Please note, you should also learn how to clean and skin a rabbit before eating your catch.

Steps

1
Buy an air rifle (.22 or .177) with a little under 12pcf (pounds per cubic foot) (12lbs is the legal limit before a license is needed in the UK).^{[1]
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2
Find some rabbits.^{[2]
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3
Ask the landowner for permission to shoot his rabbits, and accept the answer if he says no.
4
Zero your gun sights, get two old pillows and a target. Many decent ones can be printed off the internet, either a standard ringed target or a rabbit picture.
5
Now make sure you are more than 50 feet (15.2 m) away from the centre of a road or public area (closer is illegal - UK) and put your pillows down 30 yards (27.4 m) from your target.
6
Rest the gun on the piled up pillows, or better still use a bipod, and lie down and hold with both hands.
7
(If you have a telescopic sight set it to 30 yards).^{[3]
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8
DO NOT hold the gun tight if you are using a rest or if standing, simply support the rifle wait on your forward hand and keep loose. Allow your shoulder to move and the full recoil movement is complete. Holding tight can mean you're not always on target.
9
Aim for 5 seconds, breathe deeply in, relax all your other muscles (apart from those holding the gun) and exhale slowly. Halfway through, stop and hold for 2 seconds and slowly pull the trigger. Count to 5 before moving the gun away.^{[4]
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10
Change the sights a little and repeat. Keep moving the sights until you can successfully hit the point of aim 5 out of 5 times. Or until you can put 5 shots in the space of a 5 pence piece (about 10mm, half-inch, diameter)
11
Practice under different conditions, in different positions. Don't rush out and wound a creature. The purpose is to humanely kill it for food, not to torture it to death.
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OPTION 1, TAKES AGES BUT WILL GUARANTEE A KILL.
13
Get on some warm clothes and maybe a thermos flask of tea or coffee and go lie down about 20–30 yards (18.3–27.4 m) from the target rabbit hole.
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(load your gun at this point).
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Wait until a rabbit comes out and then study it through the sights for about a minute.
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Try not to move at all at this point.
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Aim behind the eye just in front of the base of the ears, NOT THE BODY as this is more likely to wound the rabbit, causing it a lot of unnecessary pain. If going for a headshot, ensure that you aim for the space between the rabbit's eye and the base of its ear as this is the weakest part of the skull and will ensure a kill shot.^{[5]
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Use the process as for ZEROING, count to ten, relax...
19
Make sure the bunny is more than 2 yards (1.8 m) away from a hole or it may get nervous and jump into the hole.
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Take your shot.
21
Now wait for a minute, then, hold the rabbit in both hands for 5 seconds and if you feel any movement fire point-blank into the brain (mind your foot!), or if you have the nerve, hold it upside down by its rear legs and break its neck by a swift chop to the base of the skull. This requires a slight amount of force but ensures instant death by snapping the neck.
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Now you have one very dead rabbit! Remember to properly skin and clean it before eating.

Community Q&A

Question

How far does an air rifle shoot?

Christopher Jett

Community Answer

The effective range of this caliber is around 45-50 yards, depending on the pellet. However, you can get within 50 yards of most varmint, so range should not be an issue.
Question

What air rifle can I use for rabbit hunting?

Community Answer

Most are good; I use a .22 Gamo Big Cat Whisperer and it works great!
Question

During what time of the year can rabbits be hunted?

Community Answer

Check the small game regulations in your area, usually in the fall and winter.

Warnings

Always go for a kill shot. If you wound an animal, make sure you ease its suffering as soon as possible.

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Make sure you don't shoot other animals or people!

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Only shoot a rabbit if you are planning to eat it. Killing for sport or pelts is cruel, and there are many humane alternatives to such activities.

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Always ensure that you inform the local landowner of where you will be hunting.

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