Finally I have my new FX Impact M3 .22 caliber into the field for some BULK pest control shooting. This contract is part of a professional pest control program with a local rabbit problem. Rabbit hunting at night is an Aussie pastime, add in a modern twist of PCP hunting with thermal equipment. You can envisage good results if the rabbit numbers are prevalent. There is plenty of air rifle hunting and shooting action in this YouTube video for you all to watch.
FX Impact M3 is shooting on song in .22 caliber with 23gr slugs. Scope of course is my Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XP50 Pro. Thermal hand scanner duties went to a Pulsar Axion 2 LRF XQ35 that I will be reviewing soon. For those interested, the FX Impact M3 is running no power mod upgrades. It has a standard 600mm barrel with superior liner (not heavy). I'm firing the 23gr slugs at about 930 fps for sub MOA accuracy.
Some rabbits shot are utilised for the pot or pet food. But with a large cull like this many just go into landfill as we are paid to shoot and tally numbers. There's no time on the clock so to speak for processing animals.
Notable mention to the other pro shooters working this job. Fantastic to see the dedication and professionalism displayed on the program. There was a very visible drop in the rabbit numbers by the end of the shoot. Satisfying to see the direct impact a coordinated shooting cull can achieve. The nights I recorded this footage we combined shot around 300 rabbits.
Some of the other guys shoot fully suppressed which is legal in Australia if you hold the applicable permit. Tools of the trade were PCP air rifles (obviously) and .22 cal rimfires. Thermal is nearly mandatory with the long grass and proximity to property, livestock and infrastructure.
Finally away hunting big fallow bucks with my mate Rodney @RJM Hunting Australia. This trip we have paired up for some epic buck hunting action chasing these dynamic animals in the rut. We hunted on foot, stalking in the beautiful mountains of the Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia. Rod took two fantastic bucks while I filmed.
I was fortunate enough to return to the same area the following week for a second crack myself. This time with my little boy who experienced proper deer hunting for the first time. He's definitely hooked now!!!
Experiencing the fallow buck rut is something every hunter should try to do. They are amped up, croaking for dominance, stinky and keen for a fight. It's often extremely fast paced hunting of what is normally an elusive, shy animal.
This trip Rod shot his custom 308win and my ultralight mountain rifle. A Tikka T3X chambered in 30-06 with a carbon fiber stock.
The deer taken are free range, wild animals. Not world record breakers by any means. But we both had an amazing few days and are already planning to do it all again next year.
This shooting trip I'm out hunting invasive feral pigs and foxes on private property. I've got the ATV Quadbike and my mate Rodney from RJM Hunting Australia. Lets go shoot some pigs !!!
There's plenty of action packed killshot footage video with the thermal scope !!!
These feral invasive animals don't stand much of a sporting chance with this type of pest control / shooting / night hunting. But that's the idea......... Critters on the deck and not killing native animals and damaging agriculture is the aim of the game !!!
I'm shooting the following rifle in this video:
* 308 Winchester - Ruger American Predator 18". Fitted into a MDT Gen 2 LSS chassis and running reloads with 150 grain Hornady SST projectiles. My thermal scope is the new Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XP50 Pro.
This trip is two fold, I'm doing a bit of feral animal control via ground shooting, Pigs / Hogs and Foxes are high on the target list. Plus I'm gearing up for the Autumn Fallow and Red deer rut in Australia, setting some trail camera's to see what's about.
With the abundance of grass and feed crops for these feral animals to raid and hide in. Pest control via shooting is a successful measure. Using an ATV and thermal equipment is a huge asset in gaining an advantage and having some success on the ferals. Join me on this shooting trip where I put a dent in the population of an area I regularly frequent.
This trip I'm shooting my custom Tikka T3 chambered in 6BR. Thermal scope is a Pulsar Thermion 2 XP50.
All the animals shot in the video are introduced, invasive species in Australia. These animals are being culled for pest control purposes. Whilst this is labelled a hunting video a lot of this footage is purely pest control shooting. There is no "fair chase" other than shooting straight and true resulting in the most ethical kills possible. I'm performing this role with professional equipment for property owners who grant me access and require assistance.
This is my user impressions and review on the new InfiRay Finder FH35R. I've had this device in real hunting usage conditions for around 25 hours so far. It's an excellent little thermal scanner and well worth considering if your in the market for a device with an inboard laser rangefinder (LRF). This isn't a "how to" video with boring unboxing and basic menu function explanations. This is my handle on the FH35R as a shooter and user.
Wild dogs - The plan was a sit and wait in a location the wild dogs have been spotted on a dead cow. I have had my 4G trail camera on this pile for a few weeks. In the week prior to this hunt I had regularly been seeing a few younger dogs on a cow carcass each afternoon. The week before I had shot another dog here with my 6.5PRC. My son in tow for his first experience.
This time I was back with my 6mm BR with intention to remove another or two of these troublesome predators. Watch the video and you'll see how everything unfolded to plan, which is rare but no complaints.
The European red fox was introduced into Australia in 1870s for recreational hunting. Fast forward to 2022 and they are one of our worst invasive pest species. Foxes have contributed to regional declines and extinctions of a wide range of native animals, particularly among medium-sized ground-dwelling and semi-arboreal mammals, ground-nesting birds and freshwater turtles. As a result they are a targeted animal for a vertebrate pest control contract shooter such as myself.
The black fox shot in this video is a European red fox. But they can revert to a trait of the silver fox this being a 0.1% chance. It is not a cross breed with a domestic dog or anything odd like that. This is just a very rare genetic throwback making the animal black.
This is an educational video displaying the effectiveness of thermal hunting equipment used during professional night hunting on controlled private property.
On this particular night I'm running my Lithgow LA101 chambered in 17HMR, 20gr Hornady XTP ammo. The device on the rig is a HIKMICRO TQ50
An amazing season in Australia is resulting in higher than average invasive feral pig / hog numbers. With the abundance of grass and feed crops for these feral animals to raid, pest control via shooting is a successful measure. Using an ATV, 308 Winchester rifle and thermal equipment is a huge asset in gaining an advantage and getting hammer down on the pigs. Join me on this shooting trip where I put a dent in the population of an area I regularly frequent. I also filmed a few fantastic long-range killshots with my 6.5PRC on feral goats to use as trail camera bait for foxes and wild dogs.
I'm shooting the following rifles in this video:
* 308 Winchester - Ruger American Predator 18". Fitted into a MDT Gen 2 LSS chassis and running reloads with 150 grain Hornady SST projectiles. My thermal scope is a Pulsar Thermion 2 XP50.
* 6.5PRC - Bergara B14 HMR Wilderness, Athlon Cronus BTR Gen 2 4.5-29x56mm scope.
All the animals shot in the video are introduced, invasive feral species in Australia. These animals are being culled for pest control purposes. Whilst this is labelled a hunting video a lot of this footage is purely pest control shooting. There is no "fair chase" other than shooting straight and true resulting in the most ethical kills possible. I'm performing this role with professional equipment for property owners who grant me access and require assistance.
I'm often questioned on why don't I do pest control shooting with smaller, non centerfire cartridges. Well I do, I just don't post many videos with them because it's mainly small scale shooting. This contracted shoot was all about bulk numbers, part of a professional pest control program with a local rabbit plague. Plenty of shooting action on this one for you all to watch. The little Lithgow LA101 rimfire rifle chambered in .22LR was on song with the Pulsar Thermion 2 XP50 thermal scope.
Rabbits shot are utilised where possible for the pot or pet food. But with a large cull like this many just go into landfill.
Notable mention to the other pro shooters working this job. Fantastic to see the dedication and professionalism displayed on the program. There was a very notable drop in rabbit numbers by the end of the shoot. Satisfying to see the direct impact a coordinated shooting cull can achieve.
Some of the other guys shoot fully suppressed which was cool as. Tools of the trade were obviously .22 rimfire rifles shooting subsonic hollow points. And a few high powered air rifles for locations more noise and impact sensitive around structures etc. Thermal is nearly mandatory with the long grass. Running lights or night vision scopes is a real problem with this amount of ground cover.
Foxes were regularly sighted and being pests on this local property. So out I toddled for some thermal night hunting. I'm shooting my trusty Lithgow LA101 17HMR fitted with a new thermal scope I'm testing from HIKMICRO, the TQ50.
This is an educational video displaying the effectiveness of thermal hunting equipment used during professional night hunting on controlled private property.
50 invasive feral pigs, wild boars or hogs - Whatever flavor you wish to call them. They all fall in this precision kill shots compilation video I've put together. As usual I'm running a bolt action rifle chambered in either 6mm BR or 308 Winchester (un-suppressed) fitted with my Pulsar Thermion 2 XP50 digital recording device thingy. No spray and pray in this video, aim (excuse the pun) is to make every shot count and be an ethical, clean kill. Not always that simple with running targets but us poor old Aussies get a bit of bolt action practice and I think we shoot pretty well - What do you think ??
All the animals shot in the video are introduced, invasive feral species in Australia. These animals are being culled for pest control purposes. Whilst this is labelled a hunting video a lot of this footage is purely pest control shooting. There is no "fair chase" other than shooting straight and true resulting in the most ethical kills possible. I'm performing this role with professional equipment for property owners who grant me access and require assistance.
Fantastic shooting trip away with my mate Rodney hunting feral pigs. Off we went on the ATV and the digital night shooting gear (
