The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: marjories wee acres on June 13, 2022, 01:29:19 pm
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Help! We are overrun with rabbits - its gone past the cute little bunny phase. We have so many they are destroying pasture and I'm concerned my ponies or sheep may put a foot in a burrow. Daisy, our jack russell ,tries her best in catching some but now I worry she will go down a burrow. Is there no humane deterrant other than shooting ?(we are near a very busy road)- we have a burn through our land and that doesnt deter them,we also have a regular fox and badger who come through too. Thanks for reading.
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Have you got a local ferreter?
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Same problem. We have a shooter coming out this week.
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We have a shooter but concerned how close we are to the main road. I will ask about ferreter perhaps our lad with the gun will know - he used to have ferrets.
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I think all you can do is treat them like a crop. Anyone with a gun must know to watch their field of fire so would not aim towards a road or pathway. Make sure you keep all dogs shut out of the way while shooting is going on. If someone can work them with ferrets that is better as no-one has to pick bits of shot out of their dinner :bunny:
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Rabbits are best shot with a .22 silenced pneumatic air rifle. Shotguns should not be employed because of the noise and shot fallout. Had a friend in England used to shoot problem rabbit populations and could take 20 a day with his rifle because the rabbits were never disturbed. He just lay down near their favourite sun/ browsing spot and picked them off as they came.
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Thank you will chat to our "shooter"