Artificial Rabbit Warrens

[micky 3,325]

Some time ago there was a post on the above and i said i would put a picture up , i have not been there for over forty years and there was not much to look at , once they were all alongside this disused railway in old sheep pasture and during the last war dozens of them went under the plow , in the field shown there was eight in two lines off four a hundred yards from the line and a hundred yards from each other the other side off the track there was twelve in two rows off six, when i used to ferret them they were about two foot high and eight yards in diameter but that was back in the 60s but heavy farm machinery and cattle have almost flattened them , i suspect that they were caught in gin traps but me and my mate ferreted them as there were no roots and using a liner made the job easy, it is a simple way of getting rabbits where they could be easily caught and they would be replaced quickly from the line which was a deep cutting and even back in the 60s there was a lot of rabbit on the banks . The second picture shows one of 6 bridges on this short spur line , i used to walk from bridge to bridge and have a shot off of each parapet and sometimes more and usually get as many as you wanted but you had to bear in mind the walk back to your bike which was a good trek. I shot with a 22 with a side mounted scope and silencer which i bought under the arm at Melton Market for £7 including 500 bullets , the bullets came from a Fairground and were called Splatterproof they were made from clay and were good out to sixty yards,Happy days .

[samuria 331]

looks a good spot micky

[Arry 23,193]

Thanks Micky I put a post up of Pillow Mounds on Dartmoor and a link to a site that showed there design and how they used them.

Very interesting I would love to ferret one that was live with rabbits just because all the work that went into them and the maintenance. Ever one had no sign of rabbits yet nearly all had a few holes that were open.

 

Cheers Arry

Edited September 23, 2017 by Arry

[micky 3,325]

If i make it i am going to Linconshire on Sunday for a bit of snaring there is a small wood there with an Artificial Fox Earth in it , i know where a few of these are but what makes this one stand out is the entrance, there is a stone over it with a carving on it of a sleeping Vixen with two cubs, if it is not full of Pheasants i will put a picture up .

[C.green 3,231]

Id like to know why old railway lines are full of rabbits theres one runs straight past were i live goes miles out into the country get rabbits all along it.

[micky 3,325]

looks a good spot micky

It was good back in the 60s , then it was just bare grass ,no trees ,nothing , now it completely overgrown and i saw one rabbit

[micky 3,325]

Id like to know why old railway lines are full of rabbits theres one runs straight past were i live goes miles out into the country get rabbits all along it.

Rabbits like hills , a cutting or embankment is a hillside I have lot of land along side a main line and there is a train every few minutes , the rabbits are very safe there they are also very well drained .

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

Railways lines are always good earners...

[earth-thrower 494]

 

Id like to know why old railway lines are full of rabbits theres one runs straight past were i live goes miles out into the country get rabbits all along it.

Rabbits like hills , a cutting or embankment is a hillside I have lot of land along side a main line and there is a train every few minutes , the rabbits are very safe there they are also very well drained .

 

Interesting stuff, Micky. Rabbits seemed to die out (for whatever reason ?) at one stage, & for a long time, in the local countryside, surrounding our scheme. But, they suddenly reappeared again one season, (rumoured to be a translocation, or two ) probably more than 10 year ago, now. Since then, they have colonised new ground, & thats mainly residential parts, particularly where theres grass areas (thats cut), for feeding. Its along the railway lines (both used & unused now) thats allowed them to access, these new spots. Numbers do fluctuate however, but theres a local school grounds,for example, which is now heaving with them at the moment, & they get left in peace, so they have now occupied surrounding greenspace around factory units,etc, directly from there also. Its the railway routes,.. that has aided this spread.

Edited September 23, 2017 by earth-thrower

[TOMO 27,389]

in the old days the rail banks were also more looked after,,,,the men that cut back the under growth,,were called length men,,,,they were called this on acount of them having a length of banking to look after...history lesson over.

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

in the old days the rail banks were also more looked after,,,,the men that cut back the under growth,,were called length men,,,,they were called this on acount of them having a length of banking to look after...history lesson over.

 

I used to be a Lineman ..for the county.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Phil Lloyd

[CushtyJook 1,097]

Always full of rabbit railway embankments but never easy to ferret there never maintained properly rail workers seem to not bother as long as it's not affecting the tracks

[micky 3,325]

The first picture is the sett that had the carving on the second picture is another one which is going to be relocated , when i spoke with the land owner this morning he told me there was five setts on the property but two have been lost . I mentioned that i had found three pheasant poults dead and warm along side of some game cover , he said it happens every day and it is done by the Buzzards or Kites.