Sad to kill rabbits anymore.

[baldockbanks courser 598]

I'v not been on here for years but just wanted to see how bad it really is everywhere concerning the collapse of rabbit numbers.

8-9 years ago a friend who works on a big farm estate on the Herts cambs boarders came to see me...

Fetch your dogs n ferrets on here as much as you like and john's farms over run with them I'll get you on there too!!!

That year my friend Richard who got me on that land, shot... and I will admit he's a great shot 160 rabbits cutting a corn field at harvest as they ran from the combine. This year he shot 2!

I had a great season taking decent numbers with lamp n ferrets on most occasions, the next season they were gone and have never recovered, places I walked from the mid 90s up till then are now void of rabbits.

 

I can walk for hours run a few rabbits come home with 1 or 2 even though the dogs are hardly missing many.

I was always of the mindset of only take what is there to be harvested and frankly I'm taking the precious rabbits propping up the population.

I love lurcher work but it doesn't seem right weakening an already struggling population. I'm the first to moan about greedy African poachers killing there struggling wild life and I'm felling hypocritical, I despise showing my dogs are out n out workers and I'm glad i'v only got 1 young lurcher now.

Sorry to depress you all but wondering if anyone else fills the same way now i'v no doubt it's vhd 2 that's decimated the population.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2018 by baldockbanks courser

[Saltmoon 2,208]

Agree with you but I'm also seeing rabbits in places where they never were before in small pockets. A farm that I've had for a few years now used to be moving when you flick the lamp on and now you don't see a single one! The farmer said to me they all seemed to go over the course of a month so I've put it to rvd2 also the last time I saw him he said he saw one that evening so hopefully over the next few years they will make a come back. I don't go out for huge numbers 2/3 do me to be honest. I have also notice what seems to me more and more foxes about though possible that they are also something to do with it? 

[forest of dean redneck 11,183]

Getting hammered throughout the summer doesn’t help, no chance to rebuild numbers.

Add to the fact there’s more foxes,badgers an other predators out there .

[wilbur foxhound 480]

My boss is always telling me to shoot any rabbits I see,but if you don’t have any rabbits you won’t have good dogs

[bendrover 556]

I've been ferreting a few form different areas and dropping them in areas where I had 're introduced them after a 12 year period of none at all.  They were doing well for 5 year then the 2nd strain hit it . That was 8 weeks ago and a few are still being seen . So maybe the added blood strains have made a few strong enough to survive.  If every man kept a few alive and keep dropping them in areas where the shooters can't get at them . We can help the rabbit survive 

[Dinosaurs 2,008]

I know what you mean bud i can go out for hrs & not even see a pair of eyes & on my perm the farmers lad shooting the odd one or two that there is about so its a no win situation!!!! Gutted!! Atb

[bunnyboiler 1,050]

Plenty round my way and   it stays that way

[riohog 5,621]

job is buggered around me  ,like trying to find  hens teeth  , i did see one a week ago at the side of the road  ,just sitting  there  full of mixi  ,and thats the first one local ive seen in an age  .

[Councilestatekid 1,644]

The rabbit numbers are OK round me but not many people hammering them don't get me wrong your not going to go out and get the numbers you used to but if you dintend hammer the same spots over and over you'd still manage a few good runs.I heard a few year ago of a chap not far from me dropping a few pet  buck rabbits about and left the spots for a couple of seasons and helped the numbers as pet rabbits breed more or something 

[countrymon 51]

same story around us, just see the odd one or two, rvhd plus mixi noticed that the buzzards have gone with em.. less food!

[trigger2 3,100]

 I had a lovely place about 8 years ago me and a chap killed 52 rabbits on the last night of the season, god knows what happened to them through that summer but they well and truly vanished. Went there middle of October the following season and caught 2 rabbits, it’s been poor ever since. As luck happens I was in that area and popped over there a few weeks ago and had 20 there in no time. it’s only been this year that the numbers have started to come back. There’s been a few other spots the same that the numbers have yet to come back too. Strange old lot. Its hard to believe how many rabbits are getting wiped out in areas

[gnipper 5,945]

Not even got a lurcher now and I'm glad because there's no point killing the last couple of rabbits on a place is there and it's not fair keeping one with nothing to run.

I've seen loads of posts on forums and facebook of people saying they've ferreted all day and only caught 1 or 2 in places they used to get good numbers and rabbits out of every warren and I don't know about you but I'd pack up and leave rather than searching for the last 2 to kill. 

[downsouth 6,818]

Plenty near me.Every year the dogs kill a few myxi ones but it never seems to really take hold and wipe them out

[dogmandont 9,317]

Sometimes hunters also have to stand up and take responsibility for the decline in numbers, can only kill them once and kill them all and they’ll never fully recover. 

[Criss86 69]

i see them all over down my way!