Hunting back in the 70's and 80's .

[rws45user]

As I was looking around on this forum I had a flash back of when I got my first break barrel . Its a 1987 rws model 45 . I still have it and still shoot it . I bought it new in 87 .  I bought a 3-9 x 50  front parallax tasco thats made in Japan and I still have  to put on top of it  . It has the raised turrets with numbers marking the rotations  as well as the turrets . I shot that gun every day and made a click chart and marked the parallax out to 100 yards . I would go out squirrel hunting with my buddy's that all used shotguns . For the first  times I went with each of my different buddy's I would always get smart remarks about taking a toy bb gun on the way .  I would pick a spot on the side of the hill while my buddy's would shoot and walk , shoot and walk all the way around the mountain . I would get my limit in about a half hour most of the time . After I gathered up my squirrels  and listened to all the gun fire going off around the mountain . I remember setting there wondering if hunting with a air gun would catch on in the years to come . I was the only person I knew  in my county  that even had a springer . It all started with me at a early age of around  10 or 11 because my dad got tired of me begging for the crosman 760 with a 4x15 scope the hardware store  had mounted on top . They knew what they were doing . My best memories was waiting till the snow covered the mountains of Eastern Ky and I would head out down the mountain and follow the rabbit tracks in the snow . I learned the value of a quiet shooting gun and how to pump the gun up again after a miss without making any noise . Sometimes it would take  a few shots to zero in on 4x15 scope .I remember thinking  I am so glad the air gun and airgun hunting  caught on in other states like it has .One of the biggest Ky hunting forums still don't have a air gun section . The members feel its a gun for felons and they still call them BB guns .Some states are slower to come around than others . Are there any other members on this forum  that used a air rifle to hunt with in the 70's and 80's ? If so do you have any good stories ?  I have a good crow story from when I was young with the 760 If anyone wants to hear it . Crows are very smart .

[KWK]

Never had an RWS 45 but know they are a very good rifle. UK shooters often weighed them against the FWB 127. And more power than the HW35. Unlike here in the US, the 127 is more abundant in UK. I've never seen a 3-9x50 Tasco Airgun scope but their 3-9x40 was made by Hakko and I have 2 of those but they've gone a little foggy. Sadly. Sit and wait for squirrels is an excellent way to hunt. You can range find your perimeter with an AO scope when you first sit down and now you have a very good idea of distances. And how many times does another squirrel come to see what the racket is when you shoot? I never pick up shot squirrels until I'm ready to leave. Wait for that inquisitive one to show up. And they often do. Even with a rimfire.

[splitbeing]

Squirrel season starts in 10 days, Karl. Good chance to make new memories while remembering the earlier times.

What are the KY laws and how have they changed since you were 10, 45?

[KWK]

I didn't actually hunt squirrels much in the 70's. Rabbits were abundant and I had a good beagle to hunt with. Raptors and fox are what's abundant now. You can't hardly find a single rabbit on our Pennsylvania family farm since the eighties. That's when I started getting serious about squirrels. Wouldn't you rather eat a rabbit? I would and they're simple to clean too.
Evenings were spent with a Redbone hound treeing coon.
If you never hunted with a dog you have never really had a real relationship with a dog. It's a whole 'nother level. It is.
I ought to get a squirrel dog......A feisty terrier.

[splitbeing]

My buddy's place where we hunt in New Hope (his mom's old place) used to have tons of rabbits. Now it's squirrels and foxes. Might have still been some bunnies in the 90s.

[rws45user]

10 to 65  . I think it was about 5 years ago they added  pcp's with 35 cal or bigger for deer hunting and 6.5mm for bear  and 6.8 for elk . Air rifle shot guns  are allowed for Turkeys   but no air rifles with  rifled barrels single shot  slugs or pellet . What they did was leave out the work firearm under the modern weapon  now its just the caliber size so if you don't see firearm or center fire  you can use a airgun with the correct calibers  .

[sicumj]

Purchased a FWB 124 in 1979.  Shot squirrels but the large fox squirrels were hard to kill with it. 

[splitbeing]

Yeah, those foxes are bigger.