Opinions

[doddsy1970 9]

Hi Guys.......

 

I shoot aprox 3000 acres and this year I have noticed a decline in rabbit numbers. My personal belief is that the wet weather through the summer has had a drastic effect on the resident population.

 

Has anyone else noticed the same?

[Lewdan 17]

Hi Mate, Same on my patch, plenty around last year but numbers seem to be well down this year, not seeing the number of young about, and not seen any sign of myxy so perhaps weather is to blame. Hope we have a late rush of young !!

LD

[GeoffG 2]

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?

[silentrunner2011 218]

my opinion....many many many more foxes about this yeat thats the reason of the down fall in the poulation...

[doddsy1970 9]

The foxes are not to blame around here because we are on top of them. Most of the rabbits around here live in ditches and im wondering if they got flooded out. To give you an idea of the drop in numbers. This time last year we had killed over 1800, same time this year 500.

 

I know you can only kill them once but for the last 5 years we have averaged about 1800 by this time every year and over harvest we shoot at least 500-700.

 

I get £1/ rabbit that is head shot. The most ive delivered to the game dealer is 20 and 7 of those came off her land and we dont get paid for them.

[GeoffG 2]

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 that it is strange and so far I still don't think that we have the answer.

[Froudy 40]

I have permission on 8000 acres for pest control the rabbit numbers are low, either to many predators, mixy, or this new Viral Hemorrhagic Disease (VHD)

 

ATB

 

Froudy

[paulus 26]

http://en.wikipedia....rrhagic_disease

 

75% of rabbits die in their burrows from this

[Mark White 25]

thats what i was thinking to paulus i had that hit here last year but the numbers are up still at the moment so looking good

[The one 8,396]

You can only kill them once if your doing a proper job surely you should always be looking for new permission ?.

[GeoffG 2]

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

[cbw 4]

I have more this year than last year, last year was dire from a sport point of view.