The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: escapedtothecountry on July 12, 2013, 11:47:55 pm
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I love animals as much as the next person... But the amount of rabbits around are getting beyond a joke. I have an air rifle.... But they scarper more often than not. Tried snares, but I think they could be a tad cruel and have proved ineffective. Any other solutions?
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Get someone else in with an air rifle? There are people desperate for permissions
Ferreting? Purse nets? Lurchers? Shotgun?
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Get a Chihuahua :roflanim: between Cookie the Chihuahua and the cats we have very few rabbits left
They do the work then the wolfhounds steal and eat them ::)
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the problem is , they breed so fast.... do you know anyone you can trust to help you shoot them,
even when you use a air rifle , they will run off...but do come back after about 10 minutes....
I don't like snares, personally ...i would prefer the quick method
I bought one of these.... it increased my chances ten fold :innocent: no good for dinner and dances though
http://www.military1st.co.uk/products/11962020-mil-tec-ghillie-suit-4-pcs.-woodland.html?gclid=CKvlop-CrLgCFU3LtAod9woAXA (http://www.military1st.co.uk/products/11962020-mil-tec-ghillie-suit-4-pcs.-woodland.html?gclid=CKvlop-CrLgCFU3LtAod9woAXA)
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Creature feature, want one, good for those balmy summer evenings down the park :innocent:
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http://www.military1st.co.uk/products/11962020-mil-tec-ghillie-suit-4-pcs.-woodland.html?gclid=CKvlop-CrLgCFU3LtAod9woAXA (http://www.military1st.co.uk/products/11962020-mil-tec-ghillie-suit-4-pcs.-woodland.html?gclid=CKvlop-CrLgCFU3LtAod9woAXA)
Think I will give one of those a miss ::) The neighbours think I am mad now but if they see me on one of them they will be calling the men with the straight Jackets :roflanim:
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Get someone else in with an air rifle? There are people desperate for permissions
Ferreting? Purse nets? Lurchers? Shotgun?
Like the man said... Loads of air rifle people looking for shoots..where are you? Put a add on the airgun forum..they will be beggin to come and help
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I bought one of these.... it increased my chances ten fold :innocent: no good for dinner and dances though
http://www.military1st.co.uk/products/11962020-mil-tec-ghillie-suit-4-pcs.-woodland.html?gclid=CKvlop-CrLgCFU3LtAod9woAXA (http://www.military1st.co.uk/products/11962020-mil-tec-ghillie-suit-4-pcs.-woodland.html?gclid=CKvlop-CrLgCFU3LtAod9woAXA)
And the photo of you modelling it it where?
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Had a bad experience with people offering to come and shoot. Gave one chap permission. Then some months ,after see a random bloke with a gun clambering over my fence ... Thought head carte Blanche to come and go as he pleased... Which wasn't the case.
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I bought one of these.... it increased my chances ten fold :innocent: no good for dinner and dances though
http://www.military1st.co.uk/products/11962020-mil-tec-ghillie-suit-4-pcs.-woodland.html?gclid=CKvlop-CrLgCFU3LtAod9woAXA (http://www.military1st.co.uk/products/11962020-mil-tec-ghillie-suit-4-pcs.-woodland.html?gclid=CKvlop-CrLgCFU3LtAod9woAXA)
And the photo of you modelling it it where?
just for you :roflanim: not very good in the front room though :roflanim:
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee62/johningham/DSCF0777.jpg) (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/johningham/media/DSCF0777.jpg.html)
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Have you got a better picture ... we can't see you :eyelashes:
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`here is the result though :)
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee62/johningham/_DSF0008-3.jpg) (http://s228.photobucket.com/user/johningham/media/_DSF0008-3.jpg.html)
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yep - the wild ones that visit my meat rabbits every night has finally induced our large doe to leave her 12 kittens by leaping up about 4 feet onto the roof of their hutch, over the fence into the larger duck enclosure then under a fence to be with the wild rabbits. fed up of them as I had to put down 3 strands of electric fence around a large veg patch and keep them way from our buck by making a second fence. Too much work for some scrwaney little buggers.
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U need a ferreter to visit with his nets
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Thanks for that John. I hope I don't have nightmares tonight. :innocent: Good size rabbit you got though.
My ex used to shoot rabbits on a friend's smallholding as they were over-run. when I say 'shoot rabbits' I should have sais shoot AT rabbits. One day we were visiting and as we walked down their lane between two fields, he stopped us as he could see a rabbit in the first of their fields. He loaded his air rifle, crept forward, aimed and fired at about a 20 foot range. Nothing. He loaded and fired again. Still nothing. He was puzzled as he was sure he must have hit it but it didn't even jump a bit. All the others in the field had gone by now. In the end, he climbed over the gate and went up to it, bent down and found
it was a cowpat. :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
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:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: now that is one for should have gone to specsavers :roflanim: :roflanim:
agree with karl... when you have loads of rabbits and want rid quickly, get a ferret man in
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Ferrets are the way forward, one visit with the nets should sort you out for a long while!
No rabbits here this year (seen 3 in the whole valley since spring), bad year for mixy last year , air rifle gathering dust.
Regards
Moel
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Or a local falconer? My cats have ours under control - they hang out by the holes waiting for them to stick out their heads, them wham! Result is that the cats now have rabbit fleas - so bizarre because they cluster round their ears (took a trip to the vets and him taking photos before we worked out what they were!).
Oh, and my six year old has taken up rabbit 'fishing'. He's been sat by a rabbit hole with a carrot on a stick dangling into the hole for the best part of the afternoon. I did ask what would happen if the rabbit just ate the carrot (no hook) but that hadn't occurred to him. He's left the carrots up there overnight so we'll see whether they've been chewed by the morning (probably by the foxes who seem really hungry at the moment - have been eating spilled chicken feed).
H
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Yes agree ferrets and long nets are the answer. use a shotgun for the strays or a 22lr at night with a lamp.
I would expect to get between 50-60 a night just zip round on the quad.
Only use insured shooters, such as BASC members. If you contact the BASC local office they will put you in touch with someone in your area.
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We seem to be over run with them at the moment. We do live on a shooting estate and the keepers have started coming up here to shoot them. We do the odd bit:
(http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z384/HelenFoster1/canon019_zpsb90eab80.jpg) (http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/HelenFoster1/media/canon019_zpsb90eab80.jpg.html)
but it is only for dog food and a bit of fun.
Do you not know anyone by word of mouth who could come and help?
Helen
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Ferreting this time of year will mean diggin' to nest and kills underground! alot of ferreters will only work in months with an R in. But some accept that for pure pest control diggin' in some will get the job done, but the question is as the land owner are you happy to have the diggning? What is the land like is it hilly etc, would a more powerful rifle like a a 22lr. or 17hmr or even an FAC air be more suitable, longer range at night with a lamp or plenty of lads with NV scopes around. Get a shooter in, but set the terms, i.e only one night of shooting, or only shooting when agreed etc. pop it down in writing, then you both no what to expect!
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Helen where are you based?
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Lancashire
Helen
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Sorry i don't know anyone in your area.
The details for the area BASC office is :
reas Covered: Cumbria, Isle of Man, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Durham, Cheshire, Cleveland, North and North East Lincolnshire.
BASC Northern, 1 Shawwell Business Centre, Stagshaw Road, Corbridge, Northumberland NE45 5PE
Tel: 01434 632297
Speak to Chris Jenkins
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oops, I'm not the one needing help :-[ :-[ - I have my own way of catching the little blighters :roflanim:
Helen
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:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: oh well it might be of use to someone in your area :excited:
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I can't catch them but I can eat them if that's any help to anyone. ;D I don't mind skinning them myself.
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we have 60 acres and no rabbits. plenty of hares and foxes though. we are surrounded by a burn so wonder if thats why we have none.
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I am trialling a warren trap this year which consists of rabbit proof fencing and drop traps to catch the rabbits inside a pur[pose built pen over a month and then harvesting them for the local butchers
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Got any pictures Hex ?
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Yes that sounds very interesting
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still designing it getting quotes in from a fencer I will post pics when its getting built, sorry for the delay harvesting is going full tilt in the veg patch, hay making and clipping all at once!