Could summer hunting help reduce mixy?

[rob190364 2,594]

I barely saw any rabbits with mixy over the summer until about 4 or 5 weeks ago and then all of a sudden they seemed to be everywhere, and the fields that were full of rabbits over the summer are now pretty quiet. Over the course of the summer the rabbit population booms and they're everywhere, then when mixy kicks in the sheer amount of rabbits around means that it spreads like wildfire.

 

If for a few seasons everyone just carried on hunting over the summer to keep those numbers down as low as possible, the mixy would probably be a lot more localised and the people hunting would be killing the rabbits with mixy quickly (as they as so easy to catch) before they have chance to contaminate loads of other rabbits. Obviously, it's highly unlikely that mixy will ever go away completely unless the rabbits develop an immunity to it, but as most diseases continuously evolve to prevent the hosts developing an immunity, that's probably unlikely aswell.

 

As everyone knows, rabbits breed like, er...rabbits! so it's not an animal that could be permanentely decimated by over hunting, even if pregnant does and full litters were being wiped out regularly for a few years. So taking the number down to an absolute minimum this way would only be a temporary thing. And if the rabbits were kept to small colonies for a few years, those colonies with mixy would probably be wiped out completely, whereas the ones that manage to avoid it would flourish once the summer hunting stops.

 

It's just a thought, and there's probably loads of holes in the theory, and there are obvious practicle problems such as heat, rock hard ground, too much cover etc, and it's highly unlikely such a coordinated effort could ever be pulled off countrywide........but I was just wondering what peoples thoughts on this were? Could it be feasible? Would it work?

 

Farmers probably wouldn't be hugely happy about us trying to eliminate or minimise the effects of mixy, but I'm sure they'd understand.

 

(for anyone wondering....yes, I am having a quiet day at work and it's too hot to take the dog out).

[FightTheBan 1,147]

I don't think it would make any difference.

 

Don't really have anything else to add to it

 

FTB

[lapin2008 1,587]

Keeping numbers down to an acceptable amount regardless of time of year does in my opinion.

[rob190364 2,594]

Keeping numbers down to an acceptable amount regardless of time of year does in my opinion.

surely getting the numbers down before the mixy kicks in would be the most effective thing to do though?

[graham4877 1,181]

well the more rabbits about the more chance of mixy setting in...... so if you cull a few over the summer then maybe! but i'm sure you'l hate killing milky rabbits i know i do!

[rob190364 2,594]

I don't think it would make any difference.

 

Don't really have anything else to add to it

 

FTB

think I need to take up online gaming

 

and if some b*****d beats me I'll strangle his scrawny neck!!

[rob190364 2,594]

well the more rabbits about the more chance of mixy setting in...... so if you cull a few over the summer then maybe! but i'm sure you'l hate killing milky rabbits i know i do!

yes definitely, not nice at all....but I'd probably do it if I thought it was going to make a difference.

[lapin2008 1,587]

Keeping numbers down to an acceptable amount regardless of time of year does in my opinion.

surely getting the numbers down before the mixy kicks in would be the most effective thing to do though?

thats what I mean though, If i see one of my permissions getting daft with numbers I wont wait till the season, firstly because the landowner will mostly likely not be impressed and secondly because may as well get them before mixy does. I have tended to notice that when an area starts to get over run, mixy tends to rear its head

[rob190364 2,594]

Keeping numbers down to an acceptable amount regardless of time of year does in my opinion.

surely getting the numbers down before the mixy kicks in would be the most effective thing to do though?

thats what I mean though, If i see one of my permissions getting daft with numbers I wont wait till the season, firstly because the landowner will mostly likely not be impressed and secondly because may as well get them before mixy does. I have tended to notice that when an area starts to get over run, mixy tends to rear its head

yeah, a lot of people don't do that though. That's my point, if everyone did that it'd stop mixy spreading so much.

[graham4877 1,181]

well the more rabbits about the more chance of mixy setting in...... so if you cull a few over the summer then maybe! but i'm sure you'l hate killing milky rabbits i know i do!

yes definitely, not nice at all....but I'd probably do it if I thought it was going to make a difference.

 

makes me sick gutting them mate, and i mean sick my guts turn doing it, but gotta keep the old boy happy, mixy not bad on that farm, but i'm unsure if its coz of me keeping numbers down all year, or the nutters who keep letting there pet rabbits f**k off, and i'm not talking one or two, easy 10-15 last year and they just keep going out and buying new one's in, no cage they just let them run round the house and garden free, so unsure it the could all breed wild and pet, if they do sure the VACCINATIONS could be passed down!

Edited September 30, 2011 by graham4877