GeoffG

Done.

As above, done.

Thanks for the explanation, that has cleared it up for me. I have always wondered about that. Geoff

As long as you have permission to stand in the middle of the road and shoot! The Law seems to have been mis interpreted over the years and many appear to understand you MUST be 50' from the road, that is not the case as you can see! My understanding was Must be 50ft from the road. Theoreticaly, if I owned the roadside land on both side's, then I own the land that the road sit's on, therefore permission wouldn't be a problem Doesn't the road come under the Highways Dept. and so they own the public road? Just curious. Geoff

Thanks Paulus and all the others. I guess taking all things into account the lack of evidence above ground that VHD must be the problem. Looking it up on the link supplied it would appear that for the last few years the conditons here are right for the disease to spread. Sounds a nasty way to go for the little bu**ers!, although some scientists appear to say that they don't suffer.......................... Hmmmmm. Anyway I am now believing that that is the reason. Thanks again people. Geoff

Maybe that is the case where you are silentrunner2011, but I am sure that is not the case here as the local crofters have hillsheep and are always out lamping, even this week I have seen them out twice. I have asked them and they are shooting a lot fewer foxes than of past and say that they are well on top of the fox population at the moment. As for flooding, we are on high rocky ground here and most of the fields are dry and the hillsides have enough topsoil to support burrowing, but none seen this year at all. So, no burrows must mean that there are no rabbits about. I still think

I live on a croft in north Highlands and 5 years ago the place was overun with rabbits. Over the last 4 years they have declined to the extent that I have seen maybe a couple so far this year and the same last year ! Even allowing for the local predators, fox, eagle, buzzards etc. this seems a rediculous decline. Not seen any sick ones either, so rule out mixy on any large scale. I just don't know where they have gone to. My large stew pot has not seen any action for months! Anybody any thoughts as to why such a steep fall in the rabbit population?

Hi, Just my two pennorth that may make your life easier. A trick that I often use (passed down from father) is to take a soldering iron (the bigger the better) to any old screws that seem impossible to move. Hold the hot iron on the screw head for a couple of minutes (it does take this long usually) keeping an eye on the surrounding wood (do NOT use on plastic materials) and after this time remove iron and with a screwdriver or socket that is a GOOD FIT keep downwood pressure whilst undoing the screw. I have used this trick over the years with nearly 100% success on all sorts of stuck screws

This country is Bl**dy lucky to have guys (and girls) like you. Keep safe. ATB Geoff

Well, put it this way, in addition to the lack of rabbits we do not expect to see many brass monkeys this year either!!

Up here in the highlands (Thurso way) there are VERY few. last year we had dozens running around the croft yard even. This year I see the od one or two in a day! Must be the cold winter. Geoff

Same up here in Highlands. No rabbits early part of year. A month ago saw a few adults frolicking in the sun (doing what comes natural!!) Since then I have seen maybe one or two at a time. Two years ago when I first moved to this croft it was alive with them. The land is not shot over (except for me recently), so I am at a loss to work out what is going on. Geoff

I was speaking to someone from Lairg (down south from me by a few miles) and he was telling me that he was seeing the same quantities as you found. Maybe it is just this area that is low on bunnies. I suppose that it could be "Myxe" causing it but the ones that I have seen looked pretty lively to me! So no bunnies on the menu for me yet. Nice shootiing by the way, do you freeze your haul when you get that sort of amount, or is there still a market for them with the local butcher? Geoff

Hi, whereabouts roughly in Highlands. I live near Bettyhill on an old croft and wheras last year we were overun, I have seen two so far this year. Even when the snow was on the ground there were tracks that were probably made by the same amount. Very strange! Geoff

I thought you might find this useful I have moved to Scotland and see so many new birds that I now use http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdidentifier/ It is great for finding out what it is that you have seen. Just follow the screens and it usually identifies it for you. Geoff