Rabbit Control

[jamietaylor]

if I was closer, I'd sort your bunnies out. sounds like a cracking bit of permission. just not so good for you unfortunately.

 

[davnig]

?

I said "inspect daily". It is cruel.

my reading of your post was different to your meaning by the look of it, glad we agree

 

[Ian Howorth]

SWMBO has asked whether any of you good folk have tried "G r a z e r s" and if it worked?
Our rabbit population was breeding all winter again and they now bump into each other as they dash away from our car on the drive at night.
Any other suggestions would be welcome.
Currently we have 2 strands of electric wire around some flower beds and chicken wire around the veg patches. The estate is starting to look like Colditz.
I do use lead injections from the dining room patio doors but it sends the dogs ape.

Tim

Hi Tim.

Have you thought of contacting a falconer for you rabbit problem, one that flys a shortwing Eg Goshawk or Harris Hawk.
Quick,silent and a site to behold, nature taking care of its self.
There are plenty of lads down your way and I would use the International Falconers forum to contact them. Ask for someone how is part of a club Eg British Falconers Club as they have a code of conduct to follow and have 3rd party insurence.

Hope this helps.

Ian.

 

[theeggman]

Ian,
Thanks for the idea, I hadn't thought of that route.

Tim

 

[Hivemaker.]

Have you thought of contacting a falconer for you rabbit problem, one that flys a shortwing Eg Goshawk or Harris Hawk.

Sounds like most of the bunnies are around at night, so maybe use an owl as well to catch them.

 

[Bee-Key-Pur]

I just shoot the little distrusters, but I only have a .308 Parker Hale with a scope which I use to shoot deer, thay do more damage than the rabbits.
The up side after shooting them with this, is that there is nothing left to pick up. That will teach them to eat my veg!

 

[theeggman]

HM.
We have a semi-resident barn owl but along with a dozen buzzards we still have too many bl**dy rabbits.
Tim.

 

[Hivemaker.]

HM.
We have a semi-resident barn owl but along with a dozen buzzards we still have too many bl**dy rabbits.
Tim.

Buzzard not much good at night, I was thinking more in terms of an eagle owl, barn owls are a bit small, better suited to catching mice.

 

[biglongdarren]

if your on facebook you should try asking on the page 'wood pigeon shooting", i see some lad has posted on it 20mins ago saying he was out today with the rifle and shot 183 rabbits,86 crows,5magpies and 8 rats.(and pictures to follow to prove it)
sounds like the man for you,if he cant help you i would call in the A-Team.
Darren

 

[Ian Howorth]

Sounds like most of the bunnies are around at night, so maybe use an owl as well to catch them.

Hello there.
I have heard of Euopean Eagel Owls taking rabbits at night but not with any degree of sucsess.
A Male Goshawk at the brake of dawn will take 5-6 a day.

Ian.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Hello there.
I have heard of Euopean Eagel Owls taking rabbits at night but not with any degree of sucsess.

Thank you Ian, do you think it is they are too big perhaps? I have a gamekeeper friend who has a couple of them, but he generally uses them on the odd cock pheasant which has not been caught up at the end of the season.

 

[SixFooter]

I had a rabbit problem in the garden. Everything I planted was eaten - we are next to a large field, so I bought an air rifle. I managed to shoot 2 or 3, but hit one in the foot and it screamed and screamed as it ran (hopped) away. Horrible!
I then set a few snares and once I got the diameter right, I caught lots and lots. 1 or 2 every day for the whole summer. I'm fairly sure they died quickly. You could tell by the way they were lying and the fact that the surrounding area wasnt disturbed. Myxomatosis killed them off 5 or 6 years ago and although the numbers have increased again, not many venture into my garden. Not sure why, but maybe It's me and my snares selectively breeding unadventurous rabbits.
Anyway. Snares are the way imho

 

[SixFooter]

I never caught anything other than a rabbit in the 2 years I was setting these traps.
I used cheap garden wire.
The snares were successful partly because the rabbit runs into and out of the garden were easy to spot. Thats maybe not always the case.

 

[Ian Howorth]

Thank you Ian, do you think it is they are too big perhaps? I have a gamekeeper friend who has a couple of them, but he generally uses them on the odd cock pheasant which has not been caught up at the end of the season.

Each to there own. I have a female Gos and she is a good all rounder, rabbits pheasants, ducks,and the odd partrage.But do understand why keepers dont like Goshawks and a EEO would do that job.
As far as flying at night there are to many fences and the sort, I can just see a vet bill coming.

Ian.

 

[GrumpyBunny]

If you are going to set snares make sure that they are free-running!

 

[milkermel]

snares must definately be free running, or as others have suggested get a good quality air riffle and snipe them off. Husband is a full time pestcontroller and spends two weeks a month souly on rabitts these days when there is no moon. He has top grade night scope and picks them off. however it is an increasing problem and there is no quick fix. If you can deal with them yourself that is by far the cheapest way. snares set correctly should not catch non target species often the rabitt will just squat once in the snare as it cant figure why it cant go forward and doesnt reverse out of it.

 

[porterswoods]

You need some birds of prey, last week I counted 14 red kites and 5 buzzards. They seem to be eating everything in sight, they even pin my chickens to the floor and eat them alive.

I haven't seen a rabbit for a couple of years.

 

[Black Comb]

I had a rabbit problem in the garden. Everything I planted was eaten - we are next to a large field, so I bought an air rifle. I managed to shoot 2 or 3, but hit one in the foot and it screamed and screamed as it ran (hopped) away. Horrible!
I then set a few snares and once I got the diameter right, I caught lots and lots. 1 or 2 every day for the whole summer. I'm fairly sure they died quickly. You could tell by the way they were lying and the fact that the surrounding area wasnt disturbed. Myxomatosis killed them off 5 or 6 years ago and although the numbers have increased again, not many venture into my garden. Not sure why, but maybe It's me and my snares selectively breeding unadventurous rabbits.
Anyway. Snares are the way imho

Ay chance of mailing me some more detail SF. I will make some to see if they work as we too are overrun with the little b's.