charlie caller 3,654 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 IMO it isn't anything to do with myxi.....rabbits in the UK are on a downward trend and have been for the last decade at least. There is some other force at work I think, but I don't know what exactly.... I would agree, myxy and vhd do take their toll, but not to the extent that lads across the country are saying the same thing,maybe its just one of the cycles of nature, for instance when I was a lad there were starlings everywhere, millions of them, now you hardly see one, peaks and troughs I guess, but I am confident that the bunnies will bounce back, myxy damn near finished them in the 50s, and they recovered from that, so fingers crossed. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bullx100% 681 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 Looks like everyone will end up up the dales soon enought Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peterhunter86 8,627 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 I go to a bit of common land about ten minutes walk from my house for a mooch the odd day or night its walking with rabbits but the world and his wife hunts the place their bang wide and hard to catch I swear their born lamp shy when I turn the lamp on its like a blanket of rabbits then their gone I do be lucky to get a slip Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J Darcy 5,871 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 Looks like everyone will end up up the dales soon enought A big area of the dales has hardly any rabbits.....even there the rabbits have been getting less and less. Sure, there's pockets of them where there's loads, but i think we'll see even these contract and vanish over the next decade... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rabbit demon 302 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 IMO it isn't anything to do with myxi.....rabbits in the UK are on a downward trend and have been for the last decade at least. There is some other force at work I think, but I don't know what exactly.... I would agree, myxy and vhd do take their toll, but not to the extent that lads across the country are saying the same thing,maybe its just one of the cycles of nature, for instance when I was a lad there were starlings everywhere, millions of them, now you hardly see one, peaks and troughs I guess, but I am confident that the bunnies will bounce back, myxy damn near finished them in the 50s, and they recovered from that, so fingers crossed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rabbit demon 302 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 What is vhd ?. Flook seems to knock them hard in places too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bullx100% 681 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 Looks like everyone will end up up the dales soon enought A big area of the dales has hardly any rabbits.....even there the rabbits have been getting less and less. Sure, there's pockets of them where there's loads, but i think we'll see even these contract and vanish over the next decade... Theyl defo be in decline with the amount of dick mesureing what goes on up there....." My dick bigger than yours because I can get a 100 in a day " lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
charlie caller 3,654 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 What is vhd ?. Flook seems to knock them hard in places too. Viral hemohrragic disease. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bunny tickler 876 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 Looks like everyone will end up up the dales soon enought A big area of the dales has hardly any rabbits.....even there the rabbits have been getting less and less. Sure, there's pockets of them where there's loads, but i think we'll see even these contract and vanish over the next decade... well said theres an awefull huge area there with no bunnies on , pockets as you say , i know of a place with 1000s on but nearly as many keepers watching over it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bunny tickler 876 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 What is vhd ?. Flook seems to knock them hard in places too. Viral hemohrragic disease. kills them in a matter of hours/days bloody terrible disease 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bunny tickler 876 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 look at it this way ,rabbits breed well in early months , then silageing starts lads lamp & nv them . lots killed , haymakeing crop cutting lands wide open again ,lads lamping shooting hawking nv shooting snareing trapping list is endless , poor old thumper dont get time to recover , probs only may june they get a bit of a rest , then it all starts again 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
forest of dean redneck 11,848 Posted March 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 Looks like everyone will end up up the dales soon enought A big area of the dales has hardly any rabbits.....even there the rabbits have been getting less and less. Sure, there's pockets of them where there's loads, but i think we'll see even these contract and vanish over the next decade...I did wonder if it's the sheer amount of predators ,foxes,badgers,bops ,etc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hollands hope 1,024 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 Rabbit numbers have decreased dramatically on my permissions. Used to be moving with them now I'm lucky to see one or two on a walk round.Yes and all in a few short years, two or three, this does seam like a worrying trend, I have some ground that still has lots, but everytime I visit my heart is in my mouth, hoping the dreaded myxy does not strike, but as said rabbits are the ultimate survivor, and their fecundity is such that I expect they will bounce back, one farm I have been shooting on for 30 years or more used to have a decent amount, and come october there were some lovely little three/four hole sets to train the young ferrets, that always held a bunny or three, but now everyone is a fu*king badger set My mates back home have more badgers than rabbits on there land.....they are seeing less with each year..... Hopefully it won't become like belgium......it was months before I spotted a rabbit! lol....I see better populations in public parks than on farm land here.... Same over here in Holland,barren land concerning the rabbit population. We had good numbers in the past, all gone now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lid 194 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 i allways get some stick for this but one day i reckon a close season is on the cards ,its ok for the lucky lads who have protected spots on private farms/estates & the dales. but the common ground rabbit is in serious decline , ferreting over the years the areas produce less & less numbers you can only kill them once ,but with everything against them these days & nights there can only be one outcome I can't see why we'd have a close season for a non indigenous pest species, although I guess anything is possible these days, especially if some-one decides they have a benefit apart from hunting them. I'd be interested to find out more from scientific studies of the UK rabbit population. So far googled a couple of news items : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/10405933/Deer-numbers-soaring-while-rabbit-hare-and-fox-fall.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27919776 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bunny tickler 876 Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 in all reality my idea of a closed season was a volountry stop for a good few months by the hunting lads who generally as a rule are true sportsmen & know about wildlife & nature to let the numbers build in barren areas, of course other folks with lots on their perms will still keep killing as wanted by the farmers & it has to be done , Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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