Another Bad Year?

[Tiercel 6,986]

Yesterday I went for a look-see at my early long netting drops. Very sad state they are in, not a rabbit to be seen and very little evidence that they have recovered from VHD last year. Where I normally see piles of dropping and runs there was nothing, the odd couple of pellets that looked dried out and old. Looks like it's going to be another barren year.

 

TC

[forest of dean redneck 11,707]

There's land behind this housing estate ,should be swarming with rabbits,apperently they caught a (disease) couple years before I moved here,and never came back.

Squirrels and deer here,but not the humble coney.

[micky 3,325]

very poor down here too ,three seasons on the trot,my mate is a keeper in Norfolk and his patch is teeming , luck of the draw perhaps but that light, dry soil helps a bit.

 

 

 

Happier days.

[Fly The Boy 339]

f***ing diseases,,,,,,,scares in lot of places maybe we need not be so hard on them maximum 20 rabbits a day...........

[smithie 2,443]

f***ing diseases,,,,,,,scares in lot of places maybe we need not be so hard on them maximum 20 rabbits a day...........

 

 

never going to work mate.. you leave a few and somebody will be though with the dog while you sleep. just crack on and take what you can

[Mr Wilkes 3,047]

Looks like your going to have to travel Allan, there are still decent pockets of rabbit about , you just have to look for them, I travel a minimum of 40 mins and when I meet up with Smithers it's a 1hr 3/4 each way....

[Tiercel 6,986]

Looks like your going to have to travel Allan, there are still decent pockets of rabbit about , you just have to look for them, I travel a minimum of 40 mins and when I meet up with Smithers it's a 1hr 3/4 each way....

I gave up on travelling for long netting about 15 years ago. Got fed up of travelling up to 2hrs each way only for the wind to drop, or someone had lamped the set just before you got there. So I just go local with the nets and a rabbit or two makes my night. The place I walked yesterday was one of those pockets of rabbits, not a big area or big numbers, but if you were so minded you could get 5 different drops in on a night and you might pick up the odd couple of rabbit off each drop.

 

TC

Edited September 1, 2015 by tiercel

[3175darren 1,101]

We never recovered from mixi of last year, odd one around but saw another mixi, first one of season yesterday,

[Tiercel 6,986]

Had a look at another little pocket of rabbits today, not a good place as it can only be done on a Northerly or N Easterly wind, which are notorious for dying off after dark. It is only 4 miles from where I went the other day. There were quite a few rabbits about there at the beginning of the summer, and today I seen a few so there is hope.

 

One thing I did find was plenty of Sloes and the Sea Buck-thorn were positively loaded with berries. There was one thicket of blackthorn that was loaded on the North side but absolutely nothing on the prevailing winds side southerly S Westerly.

 

 

 

 

 

So will get some sloe gin even if I don't get any rabbits.

 

TC

[Truther 1,579]

I let the best part of 30 rabbits go on some local land, 2 lots from different places miles away, i was trying to mix the genes up a bit and make them a bit more myxi resistant, first summer they had loads of myxi, i thought that could be my fault bringing in the other rabbits? but come winter there were rabbits about, more than i expected, the second and third years they did really well, and then got myxi last year, but a lot of rabbits seemed to survive it. We just bushed it, no point in killing to many when you're trying to build them up a bit, i told a few lads and hoped they'd see sense and not ferret it, and i bumped into some lads from another area who have an odd walk round and told them i'd let some go, and asked them not to ferret them all out after i'd gone to the trouble, if they all went again none of us would have any sport, it's a decent spot to bush, and get a few runs for the lurchers when there's a few about. I may as well have saved my breath, a couple of locals and these lads from the other area started ferreting them.

 

You can't educate pork

[smithie 2,443]

I think if your going to catch and release you need to chose the location wisely. I'd go for rocks were you can't ferret for risk of the lose of a good ferret ideal with trees and some thick stuff near so they can't run a dog.

 

If you could find such a place your in with a chance of having rabbits around in bigger numbers. Unfortunately not much you can do about myxi.

[Tiercel 6,986]

I let the best part of 30 rabbits go on some local land, 2 lots from different places miles away, i was trying to mix the genes up a bit and make them a bit more myxi resistant, first summer they had loads of myxi, i thought that could be my fault bringing in the other rabbits? but come winter there were rabbits about, more than i expected, the second and third years they did really well, and then got myxi last year, but a lot of rabbits seemed to survive it. We just bushed it, no point in killing to many when you're trying to build them up a bit, i told a few lads and hoped they'd see sense and not ferret it, and i bumped into some lads from another area who have an odd walk round and told them i'd let some go, and asked them not to ferret them all out after i'd gone to the trouble, if they all went again none of us would have any sport, it's a decent spot to bush, and get a few runs for the lurchers when there's a few about. I may as well have saved my breath, a couple of locals and these lads from the other area started ferreting them.

 

You can't educate pork

Aint that the truth!

 

I see it all the time on here, most want it all for themselves, never happy to share. How many times have we read " If I don't do it someone else will". But they never seem to see the bigger picture somehow.

 

Many years ago I had a couple of half tidy dogs that could catch rabbits. But I also had transport, so I moved further afield in search of enough rabbits to keep the dogs in work. Many did not believe me but the reason I did not go local was, to leave what little rabbits there were for the boys without transport. If I had stayed local to be honest the others would have had little sport.

 

The place I walked today is almost impossible to ferret and always holds a head of rabbits (even after mixie has been though). That does not stop the gypsy's though, who are down there nearly every day of the year with their packs of dogs. I have tried relocating rabbits twice in the past, they just never seem to take somehow. Perhaps there was a reason why they were not there in the first place? Who knows?

 

TC

[smithie 2,443]

i will have to be the pork that can not be educated. ill be out getting the few whats about as you sit in on the computer while another season goes by.

[Tiercel 6,986]

i will have to be the pork that can not be educated. ill be out getting the few whats about as you sit in on the computer while another season goes by.

Enjoy.

 

TC

[J Darcy 5,871]

I used to grow Sea Buckthorn as I needed it for the Buckthorn Hawkmoth larvae. The berries tasted very sour to me. Have you ever tried making anything out of them??