rabbit numbers in parts of the UK

[nighteyes 275]

Hia lads. Just thought id share my experience with this.

 

About 5 years ago when i started getting into hunting (Rabbits that is) i noticed a large amount, or should i say a healthy amount around my area. I have 2 permission on my door step that when i walked the land with the ferrets, i would always get a few and when out walking would see 7-10 in one field.

Then i moved from ferrets to running dogs and started to work a lot more at night on the bunnies. Taking many from the farms that i have permission on and not ferreting as much.

Rabbit numbers in general reduced and as we were only targeting rabbits and not foxes. Now, this was all about 3 years ago and kept going for about 2 years. Then we stopped as my mate had work commitments and we got out lamping a lot less.

Then last year after getting my .22lr and having my shotgun for at least 2 years, i started going out with a mate shooting. Last year we did do a lot of rabbit shooting but also, concentrated on foxes a lot of the time. In total we shot 57 last year, seeing as no one was really controling them around my way, we had all these in a close area of each other.

 

Today, i am seeing rabbits in places where they used to be, and even in some places where i never saw them before. After controling the foxes we, as we aimed to do, are bringing the rabbits back to certain permissions that are perfect for them. And to top it off the most, we were controling the foxes on a large sheep farm (720acres) and at the start of the project, we had seen one Hare, after shooting 14 foxes in total we started controling the foxes. After a recent trip lamping, we noticed 4 Hares in one field and hopefully going to keep on top of the foxes to build up the hare numbers to what they used to be like in this part of Wales

ther,s allways bin foxs,were it 2 year ago or 20,,iff owt more big guns now than ever bin,,so i wud not say fox his down to the rabbs decrease,,,the foxs get some stick of these big guns big time,,

 

Would reply to that comment but havent got a flying 5uck what you are on about sorry mate !

i would say there were more foxes were kicking about in the early days of lamping as hardly any old dog men bothered with them and no one really had guns so i very much doubt its anything to do with foxes

foxes will take the odd rabbit but rabbits are not there main food source not enough to wipe a place out

[whippeter69 88]

Hia lads. Just thought id share my experience with this.

 

About 5 years ago when i started getting into hunting (Rabbits that is) i noticed a large amount, or should i say a healthy amount around my area. I have 2 permission on my door step that when i walked the land with the ferrets, i would always get a few and when out walking would see 7-10 in one field.

Then i moved from ferrets to running dogs and started to work a lot more at night on the bunnies. Taking many from the farms that i have permission on and not ferreting as much.

Rabbit numbers in general reduced and as we were only targeting rabbits and not foxes. Now, this was all about 3 years ago and kept going for about 2 years. Then we stopped as my mate had work commitments and we got out lamping a lot less.

Then last year after getting my .22lr and having my shotgun for at least 2 years, i started going out with a mate shooting. Last year we did do a lot of rabbit shooting but also, concentrated on foxes a lot of the time. In total we shot 57 last year, seeing as no one was really controling them around my way, we had all these in a close area of each other.

 

Today, i am seeing rabbits in places where they used to be, and even in some places where i never saw them before. After controling the foxes we, as we aimed to do, are bringing the rabbits back to certain permissions that are perfect for them. And to top it off the most, we were controling the foxes on a large sheep farm (720acres) and at the start of the project, we had seen one Hare, after shooting 14 foxes in total we started controling the foxes. After a recent trip lamping, we noticed 4 Hares in one field and hopefully going to keep on top of the foxes to build up the hare numbers to what they used to be like in this part of Wales

ther,s allways bin foxs,were it 2 year ago or 20,,iff owt more big guns now than ever bin,,so i wud not say fox his down to the rabbs decrease,,,the foxs get some stick of these big guns big time,,

 

Would reply to that comment but havent got a flying 5uck what you are on about sorry mate !

i would say there were more foxes were kicking about in the early days of lamping as hardly any old dog men bothered with them and no one really had guns so i very much doubt its anything to do with foxes

foxes will take the odd rabbit but rabbits are not there main food source not enough to wipe a place out

No problem lads. But, at the moment, the rabbits are on the up, and foxes have been reduced to a lower level than before. Im happy, the farmers are happy and thats that. Il let you know about the rabbit populations around me after the summer breeding and we shall see

Edited January 25, 2012 by whippeter69

[hamster 9]

Hia lads. Just thought id share my experience with this.

 

About 5 years ago when i started getting into hunting (Rabbits that is) i noticed a large amount, or should i say a healthy amount around my area. I have 2 permission on my door step that when i walked the land with the ferrets, i would always get a few and when out walking would see 7-10 in one field.

Then i moved from ferrets to running dogs and started to work a lot more at night on the bunnies. Taking many from the farms that i have permission on and not ferreting as much.

Rabbit numbers in general reduced and as we were only targeting rabbits and not foxes. Now, this was all about 3 years ago and kept going for about 2 years. Then we stopped as my mate had work commitments and we got out lamping a lot less.

Then last year after getting my .22lr and having my shotgun for at least 2 years, i started going out with a mate shooting. Last year we did do a lot of rabbit shooting but also, concentrated on foxes a lot of the time. In total we shot 57 last year, seeing as no one was really controling them around my way, we had all these in a close area of each other.

 

Today, i am seeing rabbits in places where they used to be, and even in some places where i never saw them before. After controling the foxes we, as we aimed to do, are bringing the rabbits back to certain permissions that are perfect for them. And to top it off the most, we were controling the foxes on a large sheep farm (720acres) and at the start of the project, we had seen one Hare, after shooting 14 foxes in total we started controling the foxes. After a recent trip lamping, we noticed 4 Hares in one field and hopefully going to keep on top of the foxes to build up the hare numbers to what they used to be like in this part of Wales

ther,s allways bin foxs,were it 2 year ago or 20,,iff owt more big guns now than ever bin,,so i wud not say fox his down to the rabbs decrease,,,the foxs get some stick of these big guns big time,,

 

Would reply to that comment but havent got a flying 5uck what you are on about sorry mate !

i would say there were more foxes were kicking about in the early days of lamping as hardly any old dog men bothered with them and no one really had guns so i very much doubt its anything to do with foxes

foxes will take the odd rabbit but rabbits are not there main food source not enough to wipe a place out

No problem lads. But, at the moment, the rabbits are on the up, and foxes have been reduced to a lower level than before. Im happy, the farmers are happy and thats that. Il let you know about the rabbit populations around me after the summer breeding and we shall see

 

im fairly new to this hunting lark although for years iv always went out long walks. its only recently iv went out wi my mate and his 2 lurchers and seen just how little amounts of rabbits remain in our area. 20 years ago the rabbits were everywhere around where i stay, but now you are very lucky to see any. as to foxes god they walk down my street in daytime, there are far to many. my mate told me about mixxy, and vhd this must have a severe impact for sure.

as iv said though ,im new to this game and thoroughly enjoying it, who knows i may even look into getting my own lurcher in the future, until then i will just watch and learn. ATB

[djs7547 104]

just been out all morning, and not seen a single rabbit. I was out in an area that was litterly crawling with them 10 years ago, now nothing, even the old burrows are clogged up and appear unused, seen plenty of other wildlife , but was very suprised at the amounts of buzzards in the area. also came across someones harris hawk that still had the jess's on, but there appeared to be no-one around, so if anyone in north glasgow has lost a harris, pm me

[Acuspell 329]

The sam ehere. The rabbits have been decimated. We used to have plenty on the farm and liked to keep a stock (which has got me into trouble on other airgun forums for telling people they shouldn't be shooting milky does with kits dependent upon them). Anyway, we alwayslike a few rabbits about, not hundreds, but we can stand a small area of the winter barley or winter wheat being eaten down in return for some nice rabbit casseroles. I have a ring of 2500 acres with only the farm track through it, yet on the lamp if I saw 3 rabbits all last year on the whole acreage that would be it. I shot my first rabbit in 5 years over Christmas, not because I am a rubbish shot, but because I simply hadn't had a rabbit to shoot! Like others, the decline started about 10 years ago. We allowed some lads ot ferret a couple of fields that were over run with rabbits. Ever since the rabbit population has just gone off a cliff.

 

You ferreting lads. How many of you shampoo your ferrets after a trip out, with cat flea shampoo? Because if you don't you are transporting diseases about. I used ot keep ferrets an dwon many shows with them, so yes, I do know about ferrets and how to keep them - can you call yours out of the burry?

 

I would love to see the rabbits come back, but all around us - through our farming contacts I have plenty of land to run/shoot over and the exact sam esituation exists all around. No rabbits. Buries that historically always produced a spring crop of youngsters and if left to survive the winter wwould always yield a few rabbits to keep the population going - now dead for 5 years and the burries crumbling. Not just on our farm, but all around us too.

 

Hunters of old always ensured they left a sustainable number to keep the crop going, but now everyone is out to get a bigger bag than the next man and there seems to be very little restraint shown. It is a shame that so called sportsmen are actually anything but. We do have a goodpopulation of hares, but they are not the thing to start a young pup on, you will blow it before it has developed.

[cammy12 176]

we have 1 or 2 pockets of rabbits about but thats it, if i go lamping or ferreting my bag limit is 5 or 6 at most as there is no where near what there should be. was up the pentland hills the other week a place where a bag of 40 to 50 was easy before lunch 15 years ago now it seems they are totally away no signs or fresh burrows all old burrows dug out by badger or non exsistant.

 

would anybody know if it would be possible to release rabbits that are immune to vhd and mixy, maybe geneticaly modified in somway to beat the diseases.

 

cammy

[forest of dean redneck 11,541]

been round skenfirth and south of abervaggany no roadkill rabbits on the lanes ,

 

for the old timers on here have you known it worse than this?