Catch An Release In New Spots

[tegater 789]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Around one in ten dies in transit i keep them in travel cages with sheets over them to keep them calm.I dont keep them in for long ilet them go ASAP i only hunt jills that are small so the rabbits dont get to much of a hammering

 

i know what your saying, its not a bad idea if you have the right place of course . im just saying i dont think you could explain your way out of it to a copper. a car load of live coneys i mean

you're on your way back from pets at home and you have 30 nieces and nephews who all asked for a rabbit for Christmas

 

It's illegal to do what you're doing, right? but you're doing it and it's working out well for you.....so why announce it to the world?? just keep your head down and enjoy the sport you've created for yourself.....you're just going to end up drawing unwanted attention to yourself. Just my opinion.

Actually if he has permission to release the rabbits it is not illegal. If on the other hand he does not then you are correct.

 

TC

Correct !

[pernod 466]

I done similar years ago. after a good days ferreting we kept half a dozen alive and released them in some waste land not far from my home. Even today years on there is still a few knocking around. it makes the daily walks a lot more interesting.

 

Yours in sport Pernod

[tegater 789]

This is a thing that ive been doin since i started hunting with ferrets.I now have my own permisons with waste land to ferret an good land to lamp that is not over run with hunters and saves time an diesel.ive also traveled far an wide to to get a good mix up of rabbits to keep genes strong.I let go two years ago around 30 rabbits go in one spot.Last night i had a look for the crack with the lamp couldnt beleive my eyes the place was moving with rabbits.Before i let the rabbits go i set live traps got 2mink an a wild cat.i know its great crack getting big bags its also good to see a place that u started multiply with game ha!Next year will be plentyfull am i the only one that duz this?

About 3 years ago I was catching that many from one spot I had, that I was releasing them in two other spots at the landowners request. Years ago large bags of rabbits were shot in one of the spots and he wanted to see if the numbers could be built up again. The other spot only the occasional rabbit was seen during daytime and only a few more at night.

Now, the one spot has quite a lot of rabbits but we are still maintaining a self imposed ban on taking any large numbers of them, and will only take the occasional one for a trap or for the table. The other spot where there weren't so many to start with, still only has a few.

 

I think some people may make the mistake in thinking that releasing rabbits somewhere that there has never been any, or very few, is always going to work. The chances are there is a natural reason that there are very few. (Wrong soil, banks not facing the right direction, heavy. predation, heavy poaching, to many cattle etc)

 

One thing for sure though, is that it does work in the right circa, and as long as mixy or vhd doesn't get them, some good sport will hopefully be gained.

 

Hares on the other hand, I have always found very fickle, and won't tolerate capture, I have had several that I have witnessed run into fox wires in front of me, or into the long net that have just died in front of me as I have tried releasing them. Luckily there are plenty around including loads of mountain hares which are particularly easy to spot at the moment, but releasing them into a spot that has never held them is unlikely to work long term, as there is usually a reason for there being non in the first place.

 

Just my opinion.

[rob190364 2,593]

just out of interest, why did the landowners want you to release them in the other two spots? why would they want rabbits on the land?

[tegater 789]

just out of interest, why did the landowners want you to release them in the other two spots? why would they want rabbits on the land?

As I explained, for sport. Years ago whole days of walked up rabbit shooting used to take place on the estate. You have to remember that in hill country, rabbits aren't always the pest that they are in arable and forestry areas.

[patterdalejoel 669]

 

This is a thing that ive been doin since i started hunting with ferrets.I now have my own permisons with waste land to ferret an good land to lamp that is not over run with hunters and saves time an diesel.ive also traveled far an wide to to get a good mix up of rabbits to keep genes strong.I let go two years ago around 30 rabbits go in one spot.Last night i had a look for the crack with the lamp couldnt beleive my eyes the place was moving with rabbits.Before i let the rabbits go i set live traps got 2mink an a wild cat.i know its great crack getting big bags its also good to see a place that u started multiply with game ha!Next year will be plentyfull am i the only one that duz this?

About 3 years ago I was catching that many from one spot I had, that I was releasing them in two other spots at the landowners request. Years ago large bags of rabbits were shot in one of the spots and he wanted to see if the numbers could be built up again. The other spot only the occasional rabbit was seen during daytime and only a few more at night.

Now, the one spot has quite a lot of rabbits but we are still maintaining a self imposed ban on taking any large numbers of them, and will only take the occasional one for a trap or for the table. The other spot where there weren't so many to start with, still only has a few.

 

I think some people may make the mistake in thinking that releasing rabbits somewhere that there has never been any, or very few, is always going to work. The chances are there is a natural reason that there are very few. (Wrong soil, banks not facing the right direction, heavy. predation, heavy poaching, to many cattle etc)

 

One thing for sure though, is that it does work in the right circa, and as long as mixy or vhd doesn't get them, some good sport will hopefully be gained.

 

Hares on the other hand, I have always found very fickle, and won't tolerate capture, I have had several that I have witnessed run into fox wires in front of me, or into the long net that have just died in front of me as I have tried releasing them. Luckily there are plenty around including loads of mountain hares which are particularly easy to spot at the moment, but releasing them into a spot that has never held them is unlikely to work long term, as there is usually a reason for there being non in the first place.

 

Just my opinion.

 

how does a high number of cattle affect numbers?

[hell 9]

IF THERES A STAMPEAD

[hell 9]

cow shit to grass/food ratio

[tegater 789]

 

 

 

This is a thing that ive been doin since i started hunting with ferrets.I now have my own permisons with waste land to ferret an good land to lamp that is not over run with hunters and saves time an diesel.ive also traveled far an wide to to get a good mix up of rabbits to keep genes strong.I let go two years ago around 30 rabbits go in one spot.Last night i had a look for the crack with the lamp couldnt beleive my eyes the place was moving with rabbits.Before i let the rabbits go i set live traps got 2mink an a wild cat.i know its great crack getting big bags its also good to see a place that u started multiply with game ha!Next year will be plentyfull am i the only one that duz this?

 

About 3 years ago I was catching that many from one spot I had, that I was releasing them in two other spots at the landowners request. Years ago large bags of rabbits were shot in one of the spots and he wanted to see if the numbers could be built up again. The other spot only the occasional rabbit was seen during daytime and only a few more at night.

Now, the one spot has quite a lot of rabbits but we are still maintaining a self imposed ban on taking any large numbers of them, and will only take the occasional one for a trap or for the table. The other spot where there weren't so many to start with, still only has a few.

I think some people may make the mistake in thinking that releasing rabbits somewhere that there has never been any, or very few, is always going to work. The chances are there is a natural reason that there are very few. (Wrong soil, banks not facing the right direction, heavy. predation, heavy poaching, to many cattle etc)

One thing for sure though, is that it does work in the right circa, and as long as mixy or vhd doesn't get them, some good sport will hopefully be gained.

Hares on the other hand, I have always found very fickle, and won't tolerate capture, I have had several that I have witnessed run into fox wires in front of me, or into the long net that have just died in front of me as I have tried releasing them. Luckily there are plenty around including loads of mountain hares which are particularly easy to spot at the moment, but releasing them into a spot that has never held them is unlikely to work long term, as there is usually a reason for there being non in the first place.

Just my opinion.

how does a high number of cattle affect numbers?

We just find that cattle seem to affect the numbers where as sheep don't. To explain a little more what I mean, is that areas we see numbers of rabbits when lamping, will become barren of them if cattle are moved in for a period of time. Sheep don't seem to make any difference and neither do horses.

 

I don't know why...but it defiantly makes a difference.

[Fonzie 19]

i think the main things ta look for when releasing rabbits is thick hedges with vermin fences each side helps, dry land[sandy] with high banks or as tegater said hill country side.come on lads any one else do this with good results or bad results.Thanks so far for replys

[Tiercel 6,986]

I used to ferret some marsh land. Then cattle were introduced to alllow wild flowers that were being stifled by the uncut grasses to florish. Net result was the wildflowers are blooming and the rabbits have nearly all dissapeared. The only explanation I can give is that the warrens are all on the higher ground. The cattle when feeding trample the warrens, the warrens are all shallow as, if they go deeper the warrens tend to flood.

 

TC

[coneykenny 98]

I'm always at it myself and was asked on a few occasions what I was doin with live bunnies,simle answer is restocking old permission .the response was ,well done fair play .

[Fonzie 19]

coneykenny who asked ya about what ya were doin with live bunnys the law or was it onlookers.Did you start up any new places to hunt for urself or were you just restocking old permissions?

[fergy 6]

sounds like a good idea to me, do you re populate areas or are you just creating a whole new population?

[Fonzie 19]

Im creating new areas to hunt for myself in a few different spots and im happy with the results so far!