No rabbits

[Gimli 0]

Hi, am I just unlucky and the rabbit population has dramatically disappeared on my permissions, or are there far fewer rabbits around this spring? Perhaps as a result of the hard winter.

 

The last four outings to the farms have produced nothing. This time last year and the year before I was getting four or five each outing. But I've not shot one in two months and have seen perhaps 20% of the number I was seeing last year.

 

I know in the autumn there were several groups of totally irresponsible shooters on the permission, who were shooting at anything and everyhing and when there was nothing furred or feathered to shoot at were blowing lumps off the trees with semi-autos, but they seem to have been warned off by the police or the farmer. There was also clearance work going on at a derelict site next to part of the farm.

 

Would this have scared off whole warrens and made the remaining rabbits more timid than ever?

Edited May 8, 2010 by Gimli

[langouroux 14]

there was virtually nothing over winter in cornwall, all y mates found that same problem.... then is just exploed almost over night.

 

this is 2 laps of about 12 acres the other evening......

[jinxnjill 0]

I aint got hardly a rabbit on 600 acres different areas aswell.

iv only seen around a dozen rabbits in last 2 years on over 30000 acres of once great hunting land,

[Gimli 0]

Thanks guys - in a way it's good to know that it's not just my permissions.

[pest hunter 151 15]

I have had the same prob but now i see kitts about but were are all the adults?

[Deker 3,453]

I was out yesterday and talking about this, so far this year I'm 169 rabbits BEHIND where I was this time last year!!!

[ace32 4]

just the season is a week or 3 behind at the mo,they are still in there main breeding cycle,we still getting 30 odd a go,mainly young bucks,that have been chased off,by the big lads,still will get better,off to try for a few now,catch you later,ian

[Tobias 0]

I went out last night- evening on my local farm and had 15 all before dark with the 17Hmr i thought i had them down to a steady number back in in march/april in this field and was seeing nothing when lamping it and the farmer was impressed but last night was like id never been there at all, out again tomorrow for another go,Also my friend has some land we go on and we had just over 200 in 6 evenings/nights aswell with the nightsight on his 17hmr and my 22rf great fun.I dont normally go out for big numbers but this place needed cleaning out before he drilled the new maize and the hedges are looking like swiss cheese. Guess the people who owned the land before liked Rabbits or never shot the ground much.

[alimac 882]

On the estate where I work, which covers about 4,000 acres there has been a huge drop in numbers, certainly seeing atleast 50% fewer rabbits . I was putting this down to the weather we had up here in the gorms over the winter, that was until I got a call from a farmer that had a fox problem during lambing, with me sorting this(luckly) on the first evening at the lambing field it led me to getting the rabbits and stalking too, happy days, the farm is 5 mile from me and about the same height above sea level, but the rabbit numbers here are un real, it's feckin moving with them, now why they seam to have done so well here and suffered so bad at home over the winter I'm not sure?????

[The one 8,398]

We lamped three smallholdings last week for four rabbits all the owners said there was loads but on another permission twenty minutes away there is loads maybe just the hard winter ??

[clint 45]

Is impossibl animal breed , as fast as peoples shoot. If you kill young,they no breed ! I see land 50 60 maybe 70,000 hectacre over many miles& county . Land is no animal, just sheep,cow , NO deer, rabbit,hare,squirrel nothing, you kill all too soon ! Let breed , then we have many for table, it need correct management ! I go to frined farm at Yorkshire area yestday, he have 9 deer kill by dog in night, 7 pregnan deer .Why ?? no take for meat ,just leave there . Crazy peoples :sick:

Edited May 10, 2010 by clint

[GeoffG 2]

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

[chimp 299]

we had a bad year in east anglia , read somewhere chinese rabbit flu had taken a load . seem to be a few young about now tho

[dogvixen01 34]

THE NUMBER OF RABBITS/ AND FOXES IN A LOT OF AREAS HAS REDUCED DRAMATICALLY IN THE LAST TWO YEARS .IN OUR LOCAL AREA THIS CAN BE BLAMED ON TWO MAIN PROBLEMS .PEOPLE WHO ARE SHOOTING /HUNTING ALL YEAR ROUND AND THE NUMBER OF DOG OWNERS / GUN OWNERS SEEMS TO HAVE INCREASED I BELIEVE THAT THE CAUSE OF LOW NUMBERS IN OTHER AREAS WILL BE A COMBINATION OF BOTH THESE REASONS .PEOPLE DO NOT SEEM TO LEAVE RABBITS ALONE AND SHOOT/FERRET AND LAMP ALL YEAR ROUND.THIS CAN BE FOUND IN ARTICLES ON HERE WHERE PEOPLE ARE WRITING ABOUT SHOOTING RABBITS FULL OF YOUNG.I KNOW SOME PEOPLE RUN PEST CONTROL AS A BUSINESS AND NEED TO CARRY OUT THESE TASKS BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DO NOT .THE SAME PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN WITH FOXES WHERE PEOPLE TAKE EXPERIENCED DOGS AND GO LOOKING FOR YOUNG CUBS, AND SHOW PICTURES OF SHOT FOXES WHERE WHOLE LITTERS HAVE BEEN SHOT . IN ORDER TO PRESERVE FUTURE SPORT WE ALL NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE . THERE ARE A LOT OF ANTI HUNT PEOPLE WHO WILL USE THESE PICTURES AND WRITE UPS TO CONTINUE THE ONGOING HUNTING LAWS DEBATE TO PREVENT IT BEING ALTERED ...

[clint 45]

THE NUMBER OF RABBITS/ AND FOXES IN A LOT OF AREAS HAS REDUCED DRAMATICALLY IN THE LAST TWO YEARS .IN OUR LOCAL AREA THIS CAN BE BLAMED ON TWO MAIN PROBLEMS .PEOPLE WHO ARE SHOOTING /HUNTING ALL YEAR ROUND AND THE NUMBER OF DOG OWNERS / GUN OWNERS SEEMS TO HAVE INCREASED I BELIEVE THAT THE CAUSE OF LOW NUMBERS IN OTHER AREAS WILL BE A COMBINATION OF BOTH THESE REASONS .PEOPLE DO NOT SEEM TO LEAVE RABBITS ALONE AND SHOOT/FERRET AND LAMP ALL YEAR ROUND.THIS CAN BE FOUND IN ARTICLES ON HERE WHERE PEOPLE ARE WRITING ABOUT SHOOTING RABBITS FULL OF YOUNG.I KNOW SOME PEOPLE RUN PEST CONTROL AS A BUSINESS AND NEED TO CARRY OUT THESE TASKS BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE DO NOT .THE SAME PROBLEM CAN BE SEEN WITH FOXES WHERE PEOPLE TAKE EXPERIENCED DOGS AND GO LOOKING FOR YOUNG CUBS, AND SHOW PICTURES OF SHOT FOXES WHERE WHOLE LITTERS HAVE BEEN SHOT . IN ORDER TO PRESERVE FUTURE SPORT WE ALL NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE . THERE ARE A LOT OF ANTI HUNT PEOPLE WHO WILL USE THESE PICTURES AND WRITE UPS TO CONTINUE THE ONGOING HUNTING LAWS DEBATE TO PREVENT IT BEING ALTERED ...

 

I personal think you correc, If it continue , i see also this sport bann, as uk did with dog sport.The countryside be masaker, it look sad & lonley, it need to be leave so baby can be born & need to be mange correct,no wipe all animal off face of ground!