Are rabbits stupid or what

[Gimli 0]

Went out to decoy pigeons over rape this afternoon and ended up with three nice fat rabbits but no pigeons. It seemed ideal conditions when I went out - bit cloudy, reasonable wind, had been frosty in the morning. So I set up on the edge of a rape field - three flappers and ten decoys in a loose horseshoe pattern. Then put up the hide. Saw about 20 pigeons drop to the thickest area of rape about 200 yards away.

 

Big problem with this field is that while there are often pigeons on it, the rabbits in the neighbouring orchard (an abandoned orchard part of a creepy abandoned psychiatric hospital that borders the farm where I have permission) have eaten away most of the rape up to about 50 yards into the field. It means that I can only put the decoys on little patches of green amid the brown earth. So it's hard to get pigeons to come near enough for a shot.

 

So after half an hour without a pigeon in sight, I went for a prowl through the edge of the orchard. Immediately saw the tails of several rabbits disapearing into the bramble breaks. So I settled down in the shade of a very tangled tree facing in towards the brambles and surrounding tall grass. The wind was blowing from the brambles to me and I was nicely camouflaged. After 15 minutes I saw movement into the dge of the grass and could pick up the outline of a rabbit - distance about 20 yards. I fired and knocked it down stone dead. Picked it up and set to watch again but felt nothing would now emerged. Ten minutes later another rabbit appeared and was disatched with one shot. That one was picked up.

 

I then debated whether to stay but decided to give it another 15 minutes - almost dead on the dot, another rabbit moved into the long grass and was the next victim. Another

long wait produced no more rabbits, so it was back to the hide and decoys. Another hour produced no pigeons so packed up and headed home with three fat rabbits.

 

But why are they so stupid as to keep popping out of the hole where one of their warren the members has just been shot ? Don't they hear the shot and the dying noises of the other rabbits.

 

Here's pic of me and the rabbits back home.