major rabbit wipe out and what if anything can be done

[seldom fed 0]

I am living in the midlands of ireland where i hunted rabbits and vermin all my life and some thing has totally wiped out the rabbit population and fox numbers have decreased so badly it is near impossible to get a hunt. I believe from lack of food i.e rabbits fox numbers have decreased due to fox litters decreasing in size.Some people say it is the wet years we had which is rubbish it has always rained heavy here and myxi always hit the rabbit population here but could never do much damage. If anything less hunting is happening in my area over the past few years and example how alot of hunting shouldnt effect rabbit numbers.. my neighbour and a few of his friends shot approx 1000 rabbits in an area where we use to own land and the next year there was as many again.I know this is not just in my area but happening all over ireland and spme parts of britain. Very pissed off nothing to get my lurcher pups started with thought about breeding rabbits but really shouldn have to. Heard there was a disease brought in and wiped them out so where are the animal cruelity and tree huggers when you need them.They claim its illegal to lay poison who is do anything about it.By the looks of it what ever has killed the rabbits it seems to be airbourne.

[Guest thebigdog]

the numbers up here were alright until the heavy snow 2 years ago since then theres been less and less. 2 super cold winters could be doin it

[3 Turns 326]

ALRIGHT MATE I AGREE .I LIVE IN NORTH AYRSHIRE AND AM NOTICING A BIG DECLINE IN R/NUMBERS.

IVE BEEN OUT THE LAST FEW NIGHTS AND THERES MORE ROE AND HARES ABOUT THAN RABBITS/FOX.

IVE WENT TO FIVE/SIX DIFFERENT LOCATIONS WHICH IN THE PAST FEW SEASONS HAVE BEEN PLENTYFUL AND APART FROM SMALL POCKETS OF 2/3S ITS DEAD.

I THINK ILL HAVE TO GO FURTHER AFIELD OR DO A BIT OF POACHING TO GET MY PUP SOME RUNS.ATB.3TURNS.

 

 

[Skinny 29]

I am living in the midlands of ireland where i hunted rabbits and vermin all my life and some thing has totally wiped out the rabbit population and fox numbers have decreased so badly it is near impossible to get a hunt. I believe from lack of food i.e rabbits fox numbers have decreased due to fox litters decreasing in size.Some people say it is the wet years we had which is rubbish it has always rained heavy here and myxi always hit the rabbit population here but could never do much damage. If anything less hunting is happening in my area over the past few years and example how alot of hunting shouldnt effect rabbit numbers.. my neighbour and a few of his friends shot approx 1000 rabbits in an area where we use to own land and the next year there was as many again.I know this is not just in my area but happening all over ireland and spme parts of britain. Very pissed off nothing to get my lurcher pups started with thought about breeding rabbits but really shouldn have to. Heard there was a disease brought in and wiped them out so where are the animal cruelity and tree huggers when you need them.They claim its illegal to lay poison who is do anything about it.By the looks of it what ever has killed the rabbits it seems to be airbourne.

 

I have had this discusson with my buds up and down the country. Three possible reasons are being put forward I think it could be a combination. The two sever winters alot of rabbits died. I dont think they had the fat reserves to last the cold. I back this up by the fact the places I am getting rabbits is up hight in the hills and they are bigbunnies which could store a good bit of fat. I think also the recession has seen alot of unemployment and as a result more people than ever are hunting often seven days a week right thorugh summer and rabbits fox and many other species are thin on the ground with many burrows and setts wrecked and alot of farmers reporting sheep kills. Never has there been a worse time to be a lurcher terrier and ferret man in my district. But i kniw it will pass and the urban vandals will get jobs and go back to drinking in the pub and crawling home to sleep off the hangover I will still be out lamping and what not.

 

I also strongly believe there are chemicals being inrouduced to the wild rabbit population and myxy and VHD also. I think an increaes in raptors is also a factor as regards rabbits and hares. which will i think normalise itself. Long live the real hunters.

[HALTY LAD 92]

Ive been hunting in the north and the south of britain this season and ive noticeed the same decline in many areas. But some areas are still very healthy. It was even declining in some areas befor the bad winters, as long as 10 or 15 years ago in some spots and they have never come back in decent numbers.

A lot of the well keepered areas are thriving as vermin is kept in check, and the rabbits get protection from this, might just be coincidence but predation from wildlife as well as over shooting may be a factor?

[john* 17]

what about the increase of the buzzards,theres more up here than i"v ever seen

[merle 0]

Hi chaps

 

very interesting i live in Guernsey we dont get very cold weather and not alot of snow only 2 or 3 days a year.

but hardly any Rabbits 4/5 years ago there were about 30 rabbits to an acre.

we are told that the rabbit have a rabbits flu

but only here say

 

Pasteurella Moltoceda is carried by a large percentage of rabbits, both wild and domestic rabbits. There are a number of different strains, and some are more harmful to a rabbit than others. Rabbits do not normally develop much of an immunity after being infected, and as many carriers of this disease do not show symptoms. It is very difficult to detect in a healthy rabbit. pasteurella can survive for a couple of days in moist bodily secretions or water.

 

Because pasteurella is one of the most stubborn types of bacteria, antibiotic treatment should be given immediately upon the onset of symptoms. It may be necessary to continue treatment for many weeks depending on the severity of the symptoms. If left untreated or treatment is delayed, then septicaemia (blood poisoning) can set in as a result of an overwhelming pasteurella infection. At that stage, unfortunately, the prognosis is very poor despite of aggressive antibiotic treatment and circulatory support.

 

we find rabbits just laying dead like a squater in the grass

 

cheers

nick

[genuine 81]

Dont realy need to go far from my door to bag 20 rabbits, even though they are being thin'ed out by a shooter that seems to be turning up. From what i see on the lamp he isnt doing the job well! I could travel 30-40 mile and still a lot of bunnies around, few years ago we were out (off permission) Im not joking this place was riddled with bunnies in there 1000s from the road side, right to the top of the fell. Haven't been there for a while because the old bill got on top but i heard the numbers had been well thinned there down to maybe 10 bunnies a field which was a huge drop. But i dont have much problem finding rabbit hare deer fox etc there's plenty! Location never never land before anyone asks!

[top northern lamper 0]

Totally agree with skinny on this one, we were hit with the heavy snow and hard frostfor nearly all of january 2010 before then rabbits in-land and along the fellside's were plentyfull rapidy in-land rabbits have decreased and never really returned and what with the recent snow and frosts again theyve took even more of a pounding where as the fellside havent took much hurt at all to this day, can only put this down to rabbits in different places being able to adapt to certain conditions, only my opinion

 

Cheers TNL

[bannerboy 4]

Iv noticed this as well.I wonder are the mink and pine martens that have been released in our country in recent years having an effect on our sport.as you said yourself where are the tree huggers now???

[hogdog 61]

There's millions of the feckers around here but it's all council land so no hunting.

[j316 119]

i kept birds of prey for years dont worry about buzzards taking anything they are lazy and would take carrion rather than work hard on live game

[the lamping ferreter 160]

I am living in the midlands of ireland where i hunted rabbits and vermin all my life and some thing has totally wiped out the rabbit population and fox numbers have decreased so badly it is near impossible to get a hunt. I believe from lack of food i.e rabbits fox numbers have decreased due to fox litters decreasing in size.Some people say it is the wet years we had which is rubbish it has always rained heavy here and myxi always hit the rabbit population here but could never do much damage. If anything less hunting is happening in my area over the past few years and example how alot of hunting shouldnt effect rabbit numbers.. my neighbour and a few of his friends shot approx 1000 rabbits in an area where we use to own land and the next year there was as many again.I know this is not just in my area but happening all over ireland and spme parts of britain. Very pissed off nothing to get my lurcher pups started with thought about breeding rabbits but really shouldn have to. Heard there was a disease brought in and wiped them out so where are the animal cruelity and tree huggers when you need them.They claim its illegal to lay poison who is do anything about it.By the looks of it what ever has killed the rabbits it seems to be airbourne.

i live in kent and this winter has been a verry bad one not wether wise but for rabbits ur lucky to find 3-4 rabbits on ya walk but theirs so manny foxes its untrue but u cant get them becouse they wont come to the sqeek they just sit at the headge

[top northern lamper 0]

i kept birds of prey for years dont worry about buzzards taking anything they are lazy and would take carrion rather than work hard on live game

 

ive seen many buzzards sitting on healthy rabbits and pigeons many a time when ime out with the dogs?? So not sure about that? :S

 

TNL

[skycat 6,173]

I've noticed a decline local to me as well, but only in certain areas. I think that our local population had that viral haemorragic disease, as well as myxie, a couple of summer's back. Don't know this for certain but we found no bodies on top as you would do from myxie. Nobody shoots them either. We hardly saw any young the year before last, and not many young this year. The other thing that I think could be the problem in the low lying areas near water is the mink. We don't see a lot of mink, well you don't do you! But they are here, and increasing in numbers due to the way my dogs hunt frantically along the river banks. They killed two this year, and I've seen them on the roads as well: something I've never seen before. Not good for the rabbits or us!