rabbit numbers in parts of the UK

[BULL 74]

There's small pockets of land I've been doing since 1995 that always held large amounts of rabbitts mixy would go through sometimes trice a year and it's stl been very productive. Over the last year lucky to see any at all, unusual it's as if it's a worse decease that's hit them as there not seeming to regenerate

[djs7547 104]

this may well be the cause

 

http://www.rabbit.org/care/vhd.html

[spazzy paddy 127]

I'm not sure think it originates from China. Its been around for years yet it gets mentioned very little amongst the hunting fraternaty. I believe its much worst than mixy. Google it theres plenty on the net about it. I know rabbit numbers fluctuate and its sometimes down to different things, but when they've had VHD you will know.

will keep my eye out we get mixy from time to time and thats bad enough can do with out that realy.

[beddywhip 0]

wow, sounds bloody lethal, i hope it doesnt make it up this way or there will be none left

as far as i know its already up hear, not good at all

[hok boi 40]

i suppose......just cos i aint seen it doesnt mean it doesnt exist.

[Ideation 8,216]

VHD is leathal, kills the population off quick, they usually die underground.

[john*1 17]

this vhd has hit the back end of perth as wee done a bit for years always got large numbers then one year we went to ferret it an wee got 0 when wee raked about we were seeing dead rabbits next too the sets

 

we then spoke to the farmer he said it was this vhd the farmer was happy about it but me an my mate were not as we just traveld mile for no rabbits

[bendrover 556]

ferreting an infected area then ferreting free areas poses very very big problems ive been stocking areas local to me ,but only rabbits from the one area

Edited January 24, 2012 by bendrover

[whippeter69 88]

Hia lads. Just thought id share my experience with this.

 

About 5 years ago when i started getting into hunting (Rabbits that is) i noticed a large amount, or should i say a healthy amount around my area. I have 2 permission on my door step that when i walked the land with the ferrets, i would always get a few and when out walking would see 7-10 in one field.

Then i moved from ferrets to running dogs and started to work a lot more at night on the bunnies. Taking many from the farms that i have permission on and not ferreting as much.

Rabbit numbers in general reduced and as we were only targeting rabbits and not foxes. Now, this was all about 3 years ago and kept going for about 2 years. Then we stopped as my mate had work commitments and we got out lamping a lot less.

Then last year after getting my .22lr and having my shotgun for at least 2 years, i started going out with a mate shooting. Last year we did do a lot of rabbit shooting but also, concentrated on foxes a lot of the time. In total we shot 57 last year, seeing as no one was really controling them around my way, we had all these in a close area of each other.

 

Today, i am seeing rabbits in places where they used to be, and even in some places where i never saw them before. After controling the foxes we, as we aimed to do, are bringing the rabbits back to certain permissions that are perfect for them. And to top it off the most, we were controling the foxes on a large sheep farm (720acres) and at the start of the project, we had seen one Hare, after shooting 14 foxes in total we started controling the foxes. After a recent trip lamping, we noticed 4 Hares in one field and hopefully going to keep on top of the foxes to build up the hare numbers to what they used to be like in this part of Wales

[robert michem 314]

Hia lads. Just thought id share my experience with this.

 

About 5 years ago when i started getting into hunting (Rabbits that is) i noticed a large amount, or should i say a healthy amount around my area. I have 2 permission on my door step that when i walked the land with the ferrets, i would always get a few and when out walking would see 7-10 in one field.

Then i moved from ferrets to running dogs and started to work a lot more at night on the bunnies. Taking many from the farms that i have permission on and not ferreting as much.

Rabbit numbers in general reduced and as we were only targeting rabbits and not foxes. Now, this was all about 3 years ago and kept going for about 2 years. Then we stopped as my mate had work commitments and we got out lamping a lot less.

Then last year after getting my .22lr and having my shotgun for at least 2 years, i started going out with a mate shooting. Last year we did do a lot of rabbit shooting but also, concentrated on foxes a lot of the time. In total we shot 57 last year, seeing as no one was really controling them around my way, we had all these in a close area of each other.

 

Today, i am seeing rabbits in places where they used to be, and even in some places where i never saw them before. After controling the foxes we, as we aimed to do, are bringing the rabbits back to certain permissions that are perfect for them. And to top it off the most, we were controling the foxes on a large sheep farm (720acres) and at the start of the project, we had seen one Hare, after shooting 14 foxes in total we started controling the foxes. After a recent trip lamping, we noticed 4 Hares in one field and hopefully going to keep on top of the foxes to build up the hare numbers to what they used to be like in this part of Wales

ther,s allways bin foxs,were it 2 year ago or 20,,iff owt more big guns now than ever bin,,so i wud not say fox his down to the rabbs decrease,,,the foxs get some stick of these big guns big time,,

[whippeter69 88]

Hia lads. Just thought id share my experience with this.

 

About 5 years ago when i started getting into hunting (Rabbits that is) i noticed a large amount, or should i say a healthy amount around my area. I have 2 permission on my door step that when i walked the land with the ferrets, i would always get a few and when out walking would see 7-10 in one field.

Then i moved from ferrets to running dogs and started to work a lot more at night on the bunnies. Taking many from the farms that i have permission on and not ferreting as much.

Rabbit numbers in general reduced and as we were only targeting rabbits and not foxes. Now, this was all about 3 years ago and kept going for about 2 years. Then we stopped as my mate had work commitments and we got out lamping a lot less.

Then last year after getting my .22lr and having my shotgun for at least 2 years, i started going out with a mate shooting. Last year we did do a lot of rabbit shooting but also, concentrated on foxes a lot of the time. In total we shot 57 last year, seeing as no one was really controling them around my way, we had all these in a close area of each other.

 

Today, i am seeing rabbits in places where they used to be, and even in some places where i never saw them before. After controling the foxes we, as we aimed to do, are bringing the rabbits back to certain permissions that are perfect for them. And to top it off the most, we were controling the foxes on a large sheep farm (720acres) and at the start of the project, we had seen one Hare, after shooting 14 foxes in total we started controling the foxes. After a recent trip lamping, we noticed 4 Hares in one field and hopefully going to keep on top of the foxes to build up the hare numbers to what they used to be like in this part of Wales

ther,s allways bin foxs,were it 2 year ago or 20,,iff owt more big guns now than ever bin,,so i wud not say fox his down to the rabbs decrease,,,the foxs get some stick of these big guns big time,,

 

Would reply to that comment but havent got a flying 5uck what you are on about sorry mate !

[djs7547 104]

Hia lads. Just thought id share my experience with this.

 

About 5 years ago when i started getting into hunting (Rabbits that is) i noticed a large amount, or should i say a healthy amount around my area. I have 2 permission on my door step that when i walked the land with the ferrets, i would always get a few and when out walking would see 7-10 in one field.

Then i moved from ferrets to running dogs and started to work a lot more at night on the bunnies. Taking many from the farms that i have permission on and not ferreting as much.

Rabbit numbers in general reduced and as we were only targeting rabbits and not foxes. Now, this was all about 3 years ago and kept going for about 2 years. Then we stopped as my mate had work commitments and we got out lamping a lot less.

Then last year after getting my .22lr and having my shotgun for at least 2 years, i started going out with a mate shooting. Last year we did do a lot of rabbit shooting but also, concentrated on foxes a lot of the time. In total we shot 57 last year, seeing as no one was really controling them around my way, we had all these in a close area of each other.

 

Today, i am seeing rabbits in places where they used to be, and even in some places where i never saw them before. After controling the foxes we, as we aimed to do, are bringing the rabbits back to certain permissions that are perfect for them. And to top it off the most, we were controling the foxes on a large sheep farm (720acres) and at the start of the project, we had seen one Hare, after shooting 14 foxes in total we started controling the foxes. After a recent trip lamping, we noticed 4 Hares in one field and hopefully going to keep on top of the foxes to build up the hare numbers to what they used to be like in this part of Wales

 

fair play to you bud in keeping an eye on all animals in your area. I might need to adopt your policy, as the fox population here is through the roof, and rabbits are very few and far between.

the size of some of the foxes around is unbelievable, and yet it appears to be only the folk of the hunting background noticing the sharp demise of the common rabbit. these so called do gooders, enforcing the ban are slowly but surely f@cking up the UKS eco-system. What is it they are really trying to acheive, the erradication of the rabbit permantly. I am beginning to think, with VHD, mixxy, (any other disease thats used), the mass influx in predators, the rabbit numbers might never be the same again. If it continues as it has done over the last ten years, my question would be,

 

who is responsible for the nmuber of bunnies lost?

 

answer

the bloody do-gooders, the exact people who claim the sport we love is wrong, hypocrites , every singleone of them. at least before the ban there numbers (rabbits, hares,foxes,deer) were always there but culled to acceptable levels. bets they still havent notice the damage there doing.

 

Some of you might think dont talk daft, it will never end up that far. ok fair enough but ask yourself this, if in only ten years, the numbers have dropped so dramaticaly, in another 10 years , do you really think the the rabbit population can sustain the amounts of damage again, or more disease being spread. i accept there must still be areas which are booming, as mentioned i.e. caravan parks, it only takes one bunny to kill the rest

[Catcher 1 639]

In this area rabbit and fox are up.But the number of deer must be threefold.

[scotty2306 37]

Hia lads. Just thought id share my experience with this.

 

About 5 years ago when i started getting into hunting (Rabbits that is) i noticed a large amount, or should i say a healthy amount around my area. I have 2 permission on my door step that when i walked the land with the ferrets, i would always get a few and when out walking would see 7-10 in one field.

Then i moved from ferrets to running dogs and started to work a lot more at night on the bunnies. Taking many from the farms that i have permission on and not ferreting as much.

Rabbit numbers in general reduced and as we were only targeting rabbits and not foxes. Now, this was all about 3 years ago and kept going for about 2 years. Then we stopped as my mate had work commitments and we got out lamping a lot less.

Then last year after getting my .22lr and having my shotgun for at least 2 years, i started going out with a mate shooting. Last year we did do a lot of rabbit shooting but also, concentrated on foxes a lot of the time. In total we shot 57 last year, seeing as no one was really controling them around my way, we had all these in a close area of each other.

 

Today, i am seeing rabbits in places where they used to be, and even in some places where i never saw them before. After controling the foxes we, as we aimed to do, are bringing the rabbits back to certain permissions that are perfect for them. And to top it off the most, we were controling the foxes on a large sheep farm (720acres) and at the start of the project, we had seen one Hare, after shooting 14 foxes in total we started controling the foxes. After a recent trip lamping, we noticed 4 Hares in one field and hopefully going to keep on top of the foxes to build up the hare numbers to what they used to be like in this part of Wales

ther,s allways bin foxs,were it 2 year ago or 20,,iff owt more big guns now than ever bin,,so i wud not say fox his down to the rabbs decrease,,,the foxs get some stick of these big guns big time,,

 

Would reply to that comment but havent got a flying 5uck what you are on about sorry mate !

i would say there were more foxes were kicking about in the early days of lamping as hardly any old dog men bothered with them and no one really had guns so i very much doubt its anything to do with foxes

[Ideation 8,216]

VHD will be the death of our national rabbit population, as unlike mixy, when it goes through, they don't bounce back!