Sad to kill rabbits anymore.

[Bobtheferret 1,248]

I am in the south and numbers are definitely significantly down on even 2 years ago and I am positive it’s RVHD 2. There are still rabbits around in some spots but some farms I used to catch 50 even 60 rabbits in a ferreting session now have very very few left, I never hammered it either yes I caught a lot but would leave some for breeding and for 20 years had good success despite mixi and keepers shooting but now hard work getting 4 or 5. I am really hoping that like mixi and RVHD 1 they will build up a immunity and it won’t be to long before they pick up. The permission I have now I never take to many and try to make sure I leave a few and if there’s only a few then I leave it altogether. Good luck finding some rabbits lads . 

[baldockbanks courser 598]

27 minutes ago, dogmandont said:

Sometimes hunters also have to stand up and take responsibility for the decline in numbers, can only kill them once and kill them all and they’ll never fully recover. 

Most good dog people will. It's like when you hear the drop in otter numbers were due to hunts.

Wrong it was pollution, hunts were the ones who noticed the decline and stopped hunting them.

I spoke to Simon Whitehead at a show a few years ago about this. Disease, rabbit proof fencing, thermal vision and yes Lurcher folk not Letting numbers recover have meant rabbits are no longer a pest any longer. I went on holiday in the lake District there's no rabbits there massive areas void of rabbits, it's sheep country they should be everywhere.

[billhardy 2,342]

20 hours ago, baldockbanks courser said:

I'v not been on here for years but just wanted to see how bad it really is everywhere concerning the collapse of rabbit numbers.

8-9 years ago a friend who works on a big farm estate on the Herts cambs boarders came to see me...

Fetch your dogs n ferrets on here as much as you like and john's farms over run with them I'll get you on there too!!!

That year my friend Richard who got me on that land, shot... and I will admit he's a great shot 160 rabbits cutting a corn field at harvest as they ran from the combine. This year he shot 2!

I had a great season taking decent numbers with lamp n ferrets on most occasions, the next season they were gone and have never recovered, places I walked from the mid 90s up till then are now void of rabbits.

 

I can walk for hours run a few rabbits come home with 1 or 2 even though the dogs are hardly missing many.

I was always of the mindset of only take what is there to be harvested and frankly I'm taking the precious rabbits propping up the population.

I love lurcher work but it doesn't seem right weakening an already struggling population. I'm the first to moan about greedy African poachers killing there struggling wild life and I'm felling hypocritical, I despise showing my dogs are out n out workers and I'm glad i'v only got 1 young lurcher now.

Sorry to depress you all but wondering if anyone else fills the same way now i'v no doubt it's vhd 2 that's decimated the population.

 

 

The best thing when yas feel terrible his a good hike out but on a brighter note kids are of school took young nephew out with the ferrite bagged five ,suns out just eaten two for my dinner no beans .atb bill

[Mr r3d 192]

21 hours ago, baldockbanks courser said:

I'v not been on here for years but just wanted to see how bad it really is everywhere concerning the collapse of rabbit numbers.

8-9 years ago a friend who works on a big farm estate on the Herts cambs boarders came to see me...

Fetch your dogs n ferrets on here as much as you like and john's farms over run with them I'll get you on there too!!!

That year my friend Richard who got me on that land, shot... and I will admit he's a great shot 160 rabbits cutting a corn field at harvest as they ran from the combine. This year he shot 2!

I had a great season taking decent numbers with lamp n ferrets on most occasions, the next season they were gone and have never recovered, places I walked from the mid 90s up till then are now void of rabbits.

 

I can walk for hours run a few rabbits come home with 1 or 2 even though the dogs are hardly missing many.

I was always of the mindset of only take what is there to be harvested and frankly I'm taking the precious rabbits propping up the population.

I love lurcher work but it doesn't seem right weakening an already struggling population. I'm the first to moan about greedy African poachers killing there struggling wild life and I'm felling hypocritical, I despise showing my dogs are out n out workers and I'm glad i'v only got 1 young lurcher now.

Sorry to depress you all but wondering if anyone else fills the same way now i'v no doubt it's vhd 2 that's decimated the population.

 

 

I agree mate the number have dropped major i only know of one spot now that holds decent numbers every where else is just kike u said the odd one or 2 

[Black neck 15,845]

35 minutes ago, billhardy said:

The best thing when yas feel terrible his a good hike out but on a brighter note kids are of school took young nephew out with the ferrite bagged five ,suns out just eaten two for my dinner no beans .atb bill

Not surprised no beans wi 2 rabbits to eat 

Greedy bollox 

 

[billhardy 2,342]

54 minutes ago, Black neck said:

Not surprised no beans wi 2 rabbits to eat 

Greedy bollox 

 

Yas know blacky I burn the calories and two  cronies fa me small offerings ,good meal eight ta ten plates off protein at these eat has much has thy can canteen restaurants,best off proteins mind .atb bill

[Black neck 15,845]

28 minutes ago, billhardy said:

Yas know blacky I burn the calories and two  cronies fa me small offerings ,good meal eight ta ten plates off protein at these eat has much has thy can canteen restaurants,best off proteins mind .atb bill

Can't eat ote at minute got this stomach bug 

I'm fighting it tho bubba and when I'm right some beans are in for a pasting 

[troyboy17 631]

Bunnyboiler I still see them at the fortshopping centre

[Guest vin]

I see them all over the industrial estates and roundabouts around town centres.... the places where there's even more foxes. 

They're safer there and away from guns and dogs.

 

 

[sandymere 8,263]

19 hours ago, Criss86 said:

i see them all over down my way!

Most of my perm has very poor numbers compared to 5 years ago from The Torridge to the Cornish border.

[Criss86 69]

1 hour ago, sandymere said:

Most of my perm has very poor numbers compared to 5 years ago from The Torridge to the Cornish border.

i see loads out buckland brewer and woolsery way going work and out with the dog 

[Gilbey 1,430]

less rabbits in some places and in others they've had a real good summer and are up on normal?

[ferret110 27]

4 hours ago, Criss86 said:

i see loads out buckland brewer and woolsery way going work and out with the dog 

Nice of you to tell every one

[Aussie Whip 4,086]

Same here in oz,I think its definitely disease as there are still isolated pockets with good numbers,foxes don't seem the make a difference.Some areas are completely void of rabbits.You wonder should you hunt them before disease strikes or leave them to repopulate areas,or ferret and relocate them(illegal here).The humble bunny may become the ultimate trophy animal in the future and dog and ferret men will become an extinct species.Hope I don't live to see it.

[baldockbanks courser 598]

Australia is slightly different isn't it?

There is lots of reasons not to want or need a single rabbit over there.

To an extent nobody in Britain wants the rabbit to disappear it props up the food chain and actually benefits our environment like stopping brambles taking over and keeping heathland as it is. 

I saw some clips of Australian rabbit control on you tube and it was all out war the didn't care how they died just as long as they did some of the old film the numbers were unreal! Literally any breed of dog could go in a bush and catch 1.