[wildbill]

Well a couple of years back this idea of a Rabbit hunt with an Enfield in a popular aussie hunting magazine didn't eventuate.  A couple of days back I again pitched the idea to the Editor and got the thunbs up!
He even suggested the title too...The Mighty Enfield and providing I produce the good it will be the months feature story.
Busy now lining up the spots to do this bike justice and also where I can secure the underground mutton.
Pretty confident this time I can put it all together. Started work today removing one saddle bag and fitting or about too fit a horizonal  bar etc to hang the downed game.
Also removed the sports muller as I will require a stealth approach too.
Rabbits are not bad eating really and have consumed then plenty of times so they won't go to waste

[mike_bike_kite]

I think you need to explain what a rabbit hunt is.
Is the aim to shoot the rabbits then hang them on the rack, slowly cooking them over the exhaust?
Or are you aiming to kill them by running the poor things over?

[High On Octane]

I've been rabbit hunting.  And I've been dirt biking.  But, I've never tried combining the 2.  Sounds like a good time!  Interested to see and read the story.

[Richard230]

I never thought about it before, but I bet there is a law against killing rabbits in California and for sure you would be shamed on social media if you ever actually ate one.   

[wildbill]

Here in OZ -  Rabbits-Pigs-Goats -Deer to name a few are intruded species and are not protected by law. if you look bact to the depressing years many a family kept themselves alive by eating the humble bush bunny,  What may surprise some -our government introduced several mosquito type viruses to hopefully wipe them out. plus they poison them in vast numbers using the bait 1080 and fumigate their burrows BUT still they persist. I plan to either use a 22 or a 22mag or maybe a centerfire caliber to do the work. if you had to put a count on the rabbit population in Australia  it would definitely be in the many millions 

[heloego]

Rabbit is for sure good eating if nothing else is around. Had my eye on a neighbor's cow, but...laws, y'know. 
In Idaho many years back the rabbits were so ubiquitous the coyotes couldn't keep up with them. To cull the population a bit, a LOT of people lined up walking beside each other and as they walked forward they were killing the beasties with baseball bats until the rabbits disappeared or their arms wore out. Shoulda heard the hue and cry from the tree huggers when that hit the news. But the people had to do something about the problem. Those rabbits were eating EVERYTHING, and the goats, cattle and sheep couldn't find much to graze on.
Good luck on the hunt! 
BTW, that's a dandy set of pannier racks you've got there! Did they come with the bike, or are they 3rd party?

[Arizoni]

Use the .22 rimfire wildbill if you want to have any rabbit to eat.

Even the .22 mag will blow large hunks of rabbit away and what is left will be too blood-shot to be good eating.

Now, if you want to just kill rabbits and end up with some tattered pieces of pelt for your efforts then go with the .22 mag or a .223 (or equal) centerfire.
Of course, the .22 mag will leave larger pieces of rabbit pelt.  The .223 (or equal) will pretty much vaporize them.

[hpwaco]

Surprised that THEY still let you have a .22 there in Auz!

[9fingers]

I vote for the 22lr or even 22 shorts, but 22 mags are a lot of fun to shoot!.......my other hobby, collecting and shooting.
9fingers

[wildbill]

Jim
those are the factory saddlebag brackets which came with the bike, pretty well made too. the section which attaches to the rear mudguard stay is encased in double side rubber. no worries about paint damage upon removal.

as to the hunting. I think I will go the .22

just in the process of lining up a camera. shots must be crisp/sharp or I am wasting my time.

I don't mind the bridge cameras so I am thinking of buying a sony rx10 -1V

[wildbill]

camera purchased so now its onto the game side

[wildbill]

out in the aussie bush today for a test shot of a wild bunny

[mattsz]

Wait... what kind of shooting are we talking about here?

[wildbill]

just a camera test for the live shots...it appears I got my monies worth. reports say this is the best bridge camera you can buy. if my photos are not up to scratch - no magazine story for me....lol

[mattsz]

A camera for the "live" shots, a .22 for the others...

Yum!

[wildbill]

well in a hunting story I would call the live photos...the money shot!...LOL

[wildbill]

actually found it pretty rough going on the Pegasus in the local paddocks but some-one has to do it...LOL

[mattsz]

She'll never line the shot up bracing against that mirror if the engine is running... 

[Arizoni]

Now, THOSE are rabbits! 

Looks like several good meals hanging there.

We have Jack rabbits that are about that size but their so tough, without par-boiling them for more than a few hours, eating them burns off more calories from chewing than they give you.

About the only way to really cook them right is to throw them into a crock-pot and let them simmer for 8 or more hours.

[tooseevee]

actually found it pretty rough going on the Pegasus in the local paddocks but some-one has to do it...LOL

      I LOVE that girl  and all the others like her.

       To hell with Kalifornya; shoot them wabbits 

        Be vewwy vewwy kwiyet

[wildbill]

here's another photo. note how the earthy tones of the countryside blend nicely with the bike.

[mattsz]

There's a bike in that photo?

[Blairio]

Jesus Christ, a thread on a motorcycle forum extolling the virtues of shooting animals for fun. How did any of you think this was acceptable, other than in your own sick minds? Hang your heads in shame.

Signing off.

Blairio.

[High On Octane]

Jesus Christ, a thread on a motorcycle forum extolling the virtues of shooting animals for fun. How did any of you think this was acceptable, other than in your own sick minds? Hang your heads in shame.

Signing off.

Blairio.

To assume these varmints were shot for sport is kind of ignorant.  I'm pretty sure it was stated at the very beginning of this thread what type of rifle to use as to have as much meat as possible.  Whether you'd like to believe or not, thousands upon thousands of people still hunt to put food on the table for the family.  In absolutely no shape or form would I ever hang my head in shame nor BE ashamed of providing food for my family.  My 2 cents.

[Warwick]

Hi Guys
just clarifying that in Australia rabbits are an introduced species and are in plague proportions and are considered an Extreme pest. The Australian Government even introduced a disease to try and wipe them out. Whole landscapes in the snowy mountains are ruined by them and they have destroyed the habitat of native animals and it is illegal to own them in some Australian states as pets. Just putting it in perspective. cheers Warwick
 

[wildbill]

bit of trivia

do you guys have any idea on how hard it is to get one of these bikes in a magazine...not easy...LOL but its now gonna happen as a feature story...THE MIGHTY ENFIELD. now to the rabbits. given the choice they could either be shot in a humane way OR the local rabbit contractor. now if he comes in this is how its done. first they lay a carrot bait called 1080 for two or three nights then they add a poison to the bait to wipe them out. after that they fumigate or gas out their burrows . they then rip their burrow and after all that if any survive -they shoot them. now that's a private contractor. lets look at the government. there more scientific. they use a virus to wipe them out. this start on their eyes and eventually they can't see at all....see photo. then the poor bunny loses weight /can't see stumbles about for WEEKS and eventually dies. any for those who complain remember this is out aussie governments way to handle it. what way is best? 

[wildbill]

just to clarify - I am putting this enfield in a hunting mag in aust as the feature story and it will be viewed by well in excess of 20,000 buyers- now if you can beat that..your quite welcome to try yourself. this could be nothing better than a bonus for royal enfield...lol

[Bmadd34]

just to clarify - I am putting this enfield in a hunting mag in aust as the feature story and it will be viewed by well in excess of 20,000 buyers- now if you can beat that..your quite welcome to try yourself. this could be nothing better than a bonus for royal enfield...lol

Excellent work Sir, that's a great thing. Thank you for that. As for the "Hunting for food", I live in the Southern US. My freezer stays stocked.

[JVS]

Going to stir the pot here a bit more. I tend to agree with Blairio in this matter. As we all know and wildbill can confirm, there is more than enough food on his table to support his family, which he can comfortably source from the local shops/supermarkets and other places. There is no food shortage where he resides and meals are reasonably priced. That being said, he can surely have a rabbit or two if that's what he likes

At the end of the day, this was just for some mere entertainment and a few bites of this 'meat' here and there by the crew, for a vaguely known 'magazine' that will be forgotten in a few days/weeks time after its release. IMHO, the PR from this is barely going to make a ripple in Enfield sales here. Wildbill has bought more units than what will probably come out of this. I can be wrong though

In any case, I don't have anything against recreational 'hunting'. But to be neutral, this thread/topic should have at least gone in the Campfire Talk section.

[wildbill]

lets face it- enfields are really shit bikes...period!....LOL and if there was a better bike I liked i'd buy it  that said the Pegasus I had was rubbish! lucky for me I have a ready supply of cash and again ready to bite the bullet. I think this time I will buy a redditch 500 in red. if its no good then I guess I will try again...lol but I can say one thing as I have 30 years of hunting experience behind me and doesn't matter if you like it or not just one gun I had a sako 22.250 I fired 10,000 rounds through it and not at targets!

[wildbill]

forgot to mention the honda cb500x was a good bike and far better than the Pegasus but I didn't like the riding position or should I say handlebar position.so both bikes are gone within 6 weeks and I dropped roughly $4,000 on the venture. don't care much as compared to my very heavy loses on cars...buying bikes is a picnic. next test will be the redditch 500 in red and faster ..lol 

[wildbill]

jvs
just saw your thread. its true some may read the upcoming article on the bike and after that toss the idea away. now what you all don't know is I was told the photos must be top quality. now just to give this bike the chance to succeed I had to buy a top quality sony camera  at $2200 to do the job. I bet there wouldn't be a member on the forum who would hand out a $1000 let alone $2200. a while ago I was prepared tp help out bmadd on his 4 day trip and again apart from one other member......all was silent 

[Richard230]

You guys need to live in California where buying a new gun is like trying to purchase an atomic bomb.  My recollection (which doesn't always keep up with the latest gun laws since there are so many of them passed every year) is that a law was passed recently that required ammunition manufacturers engrave registration numbers on each bullet sold so that every one that is fired could be traced back to the person who bought it.    Right now I am trying to kill the rats in my backyard using a slingshot and glass marbles.    If I tried to do that with an air rifle, much less an actual gun, I would quickly get reported by my neighbors and then I would get raided by the sheriff's SWAT squad.   

At least the mountain lions around here are keeping the local domestic free-roaming cat and pet dog populations under control. 

[heloego]

Let's say you did buy an atomic bomb in california and did it legally...
If used as intended, just how the hell would they trace it back to the owner? 
For that matter, never mind. 

[Arizoni]

Richard230
The California law you are talking about does not require that each bullet be engraved with some number or identity.
It requires the firing pin, breech face or chamber of all semi-automatic handguns to have a type of micro engraving so it will mark the shell casings or primers of the cartridge when it is fired.

Although the law is on the books, it has not provided any useful information and it has served no purpose other than to cause at least 2 semi-auto handgun makers to stop all shipments of their guns to California.

As for anti-hunters, I disagree with them but if they are truly against killing I hope they never eat a single bite of meat, swat a fly or mosquito, or poison a cock-roach or ant.  After all, those bugs are living things.

While they are eating their, hopefully bug free vegetation (we wouldn't want to eat a poor little bug now would we?) they should remember, the plants they are eating were also once alive.  Some of those plants still are alive, even as the person is biting into it.
Even the seeds they eat were once alive and many still are as the persons teeth grind into them.

Then, while their at it,  they should consider the terrible effects of chopping, dicing, blenderizing, scalding, boiling,  baking and microwaving all have on that poor, defenseless,  living plant.

As for the anti-hunting meat eaters, why is it OK to pay someone else to kill your beef, pork, chicken or fish but it isn't OK for hunters to kill it?

Yes.  I know.  I shouldn't start something like this on a motorcycle forum but I figure someone should point out the facts of life.

All creatures with more than a few cells survive by eating other things that are/were once alive.

[JVS]

lets face it- enfields are really shit bikes...period!..

...buying bikes is a picnic. next test will be the redditch 500 in red and faster ..lol

May I suggest something. They are fine bikes. Unfortunately negative connotations are perpetuated by certain individuals who have a personal agenda of these bikes not meeting today's 'standards'. We all know these bikes are not supposed to be top notch. But does that mean they are really crap just because one can't handle a few vibes on a single cylinder trying to emulate something from the past?

In any case, with all due respect, the number of bikes shown in your signature is probably equivalent to one Enfield. Almost all of them have basically been 'test bikes'. You chew them and throw them away like bubblegum. Although, you might've put about 10 or 15k km on a few earlier bikes - but other than that there's nothing special about it. Just depicts a weird sort of addiction lol

So, rather than purchasing the Redditch 500, just borrow it for a few days from the dealer since you'll end up selling it in a few weeks. Let others have them.

jvs
just saw your thread. its true some may read the upcoming article on the bike and after that toss the idea away. now what you all don't know is I was told the photos must be top quality. now just to give this bike the chance to succeed I had to buy a top quality sony camera  at $2200 to do the job. I bet there wouldn't be a member on the forum who would hand out a $1000 let alone $2200. a while ago I was prepared tp help out bmadd on his 4 day trip and again apart from one other member......all was silent

One can get a decent entry level DSLR with an integrated lens around $900-1000 and it will do the same job if not better. Why would anyone want to fork out $2200 on a camera to put a bike in a magazine that doesn't appeal to mass audiences. This defies some logic (to me anyway). I can get decent photos with a cell phone camera and can enhance it in Photoshop to make it look equivalent to a shot from a DSLR.

Again, with all due respect, at the end of the day, it's not about money. There's plenty to throw around here as well - rather do it for a noble cause than for a minor road trip where the gentleman was willing to do it on his own accord. If it was an emergency situation or if someone needed legit financial assistance, I am always more than willing to help and have in the past and will continue to do so. Picnics don't last forever 

Yes.  I know.  I shouldn't start something like this on a motorcycle forum but I figure someone should point out the facts of life.

All creatures with more than a few cells survive by eating other things that are/were once alive.

Would like to clarify again I have nothing against hunters. I love my chicken and lamb as well. Everything should be done in moderation. That's all.

Apologies if it came across as being rude.

[wildbill]

jvs
I wouldn't lower myself to borrow a bike from a dealer when I have an endless supply of cash!...lol

heres what a $500 camera cant do

sony rx10-4 on a wild rabbit at roughly 100 metres hand held with image stabilizer. focal length 900 and I will repeat again 900mm in porn this would be called the ...money shot. I expect to make an easy $500 on this story.

 

[Bert Remington]

wildbill -- maybe I missed it but when and where are you being published?  Took a look -- all your magazines seem to be quarterly.  Do we have to wait until December?  In the meantime I guess there's this AU rabbit hunter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wynx1ukwdVA).  Must be something in the water or being upside down all the time.

[wildbill]

the story will be in the aussie magazine -sporting shooter. it's a monthly hunting magazine.
they usually run on a 3 month lead time so possible from December on or when the editor decides to run it.
the other I asked him via email what are the chances of the story being run and be replied 110%
not exactly sure if that result was from that great looking bike or just the girl...LOL

[wildbill]

I received an email today and according to the editor of the Aussie hunting magazine the Enfield hunting story will run in the Jan 019 edition.
The mag in question being Sporting Shooter and should be published and in the newsagents etc  i'd say some-time in early/mid December

[Fragman]

here's another photo. note how the earthy tones of the countryside blend nicely with the bike.

Nice work on the bunny blast wildbill. I use a CZ 455 & 452 Scout fer pest critter removal, especially feral cats. Keep up the good work mate.

[wildbill]

update

[wildbill]

hunting story

[wildbill]

hunting story

[9fingers]

I believe I read that those rabbits were shot with CZ 452 and 455 rifles............we must be a bit strange........I own approx 14 CZ rimfire rifles, incl many 452's, a couple of 511 semi autos, and one BRNO 611 22 magnum. And then there are the handguns.........If I read that right, Wildbill, you have good taste in bikes AND guns!
9fingers

[wildbill]

in a matter of days tan bike 464 will soon be the most recognized bike in Australia

[9fingers]

RE should send you a free bike just for all the good advertising! Maybe a 650 or a Himalayan!
9fingers

[SimonT]

Good stuff Wildbill. Look forward to the article.

Im a hobby hunter and gun owner myself (i like the interesting and quirky)... would be cool to combine Enfields and shooting...

Attached is my Enfield with my Enfield.

[SimonT]

is the magazine the one that comes with SSAA membership?

[wildbill]

mine was only a .22 cal.....your in the big game section...lol
its in the mag aust sporting shooter. mine is an advanced copy but it should be out in the news agencies shortly

[SimonT]

haha... not quite big game for that one... but it would vaporise a bunny.

my biggest is a 54cal.

Ill look out for the mag in news agents

[Arizoni]

Speaking of Enfields and big calibers, I have three reproduction Enfields in .58 caliber.
The ones I have are the 1853, 3 band rifled musket, the 1858, 2 band rifle and the 1861 Royal Artillery Carbine.

They were all made by Parker Hale in England back in the 1970's, using the original Enfield gauges to assure authenticity.

[Stanley]

I was into a Zouave 58 calibre rifle in my teen years. I would install a 22 blank in the nose of the Minie bullet so it would pop on the target. Silly stuff!   

[SimonT]

haha classic!!

[9fingers]

Sadly, I have no Enfield rifles.......but easy enough to remedy. I do have a near pristine 1906 Swedish Mauser (6.5x55) and another one that was sporterized. I love the caliber.
9fingers

[heloego]

Mosin-Nagant 7.62 x 54 here.
Ammo's CHEAP, yet corrosive as hell, but as long as I clean and oil it after every use it's a hell of a rifle.

[wildbill]

email today from the publishers...pay dirt!  not a great deal considering the effort but better than nothing

[wildbill]

i wouldn't like to just post any photo here so in case any-one is wondering -here's a photo of the new ABS light on the euro 4 bikes. it goes out when you hit 5kph



now for something different - Im NOT into tattoos but it appears my younger brother is...LOL

[Fragman]

Good stuff Wildbill. Look forward to the article.

Im a hobby hunter and gun owner myself (i like the interesting and quirky)... would be cool to combine Enfields and shooting...

Attached is my Enfield with my Enfield.

Enfields just go together well. 

Here's my ones.

[Carlsberg Wordsworth]

I'm not sure what old Benji would have made of all this

[Dalmatian man]

Wouldn't be a happy bunny.