Young bunnies

[poxon 5,856]

1 minute ago, Loton Moocher said:

Our area its always the same places it hits year after year but not looking good if it about already  ? Luckely not seen any yet ?

January early February we were hit with it local my old land was hit regular with mixi it’s pretty sad tbh over the last 12-14yrs the numbers have been getting lower an lower we used to get out an have some decent days with the ferrets an some pretty decent nights on the rabbits on the lamp there was always plenty of runs to be had with a couple of dogs you could give them some good nights running it got to a point we’re you could do a dusk till dawn for a couple of rabbits spent most of the night walking miles an miles for runs at one point 

[Dinosaurs 2,130]

Picked up some new perm right at end of this season first nite out had 12 rbts & 7 had myxi & land owner says usually get a second bout of it around aug/sept ??  Atb

[Loton Moocher 1,255]

6 minutes ago, poxon said:

InJanuary early February we were hit with it local my old land was hit regular with mixi it’s pretty sad tbh over the last 12-14yrs the numbers have been getting lower an lower we used to get out an have some decent days with the ferrets an some pretty decent nights on the rabbits on the lamp there was always plenty of runs to be had with a couple of dogs you could give them some good nights running it got to a point we’re you could do a dusk till dawn for a couple of rabbits spent most of the night walking miles an miles for runs at one point 

In 50 yrs iv never known rabbits be so thin on the ground we get mixy every year some years worse than others so that aint the problem i think its alot of things ? Night shooting , buzzards , badgers and these other new diseases ? 

[Loton Moocher 1,255]

30 minutes ago, poxon said:

I see a thing on utube the other day about mixi in Australia there constantly making different strains of the virus to release to kill rabbit numbers off as they have had big numbers there but they keep developing strains of the virus because they get amune to the strains to quickly but it’s for sale to for land owners to buy to release with rabbit problems any were in the world they said it was sickening to watch tbh 

I bet if the poor humble. Bunny aint got enough probs ?

[poxon 5,856]

11 minutes ago, Loton Moocher said:

In 50 yrs iv never known rabbits be so thin on the ground we get mixy every year some years worse than others so that aint the problem i think its alot of things ? Night shooting , buzzards , badgers and these other new diseases ? 

Yeah there’s loads of factors in it pretty much everything is against the humble rabbit from prospering any forms of decent numbers 

[Loton Moocher 1,255]

3 minutes ago, poxon said:

Yeah there’s loads of factors in it pretty much everything is against the humble rabbit from prospering any forms of decent numbers 

They give me some great times over the years ? Rememer our regular sunday mornings doing a railway batter a lurcher top n bottom a terrier working the middle and a ferret for wat went to ground ? Happy times ?

[Aussie Whip 4,252]

I was talking to an old famer here and he remembers rabbits swimming across to an island in a big water catchment here to get to feed,as they had eaten everything around,The whole area around here now has nil rabbits so proves they can be wiped out totally in areas and I believe may become extinct here one day,as crazy as this sounds.I hope I'm dead before that.

[Penda 3,355]

8 hours ago, Loton Moocher said:

Not a good sign as it well early for a mixy outbreak must have. Been the good spell of weather we av had ?

Yeah could be that I suppose it's because the warm weather encourages the lice on the rabbits to reproduce more and there for spread to other rabbits more it's not  nice to see,other week I saw a lot of young about in a few places and last few times I haven't saw them let's hope they bounce back 

[Loton Moocher 1,255]

1 hour ago, Penda said:

Yeah could be that I suppose it's because the warm weather encourages the lice on the rabbits to reproduce more and there for spread to other rabbits more it's not  nice to see,other week I saw a lot of young about in a few places and last few times I haven't saw them let's hope they bounce back 

Yeah lets hope so coz the countryside would be a sad place without the humble. Bunny ?

[Penda 3,355]

24 minutes ago, Loton Moocher said:

Yeah lets hope so coz the countryside would be a sad place without the humble. Bunny ?

I've hunted rabbits all my life mainly ferreting and lamping and I think even though we are told there a pest and they need removing etc I think for me it's all about finding a happy medium the 1 farm I go on I've saw the rapid decline in numbers over the years I've hardly touched in all season well the last 2 seasons yeah the rabbits are still there in places and small pockets but no where near the numbers I can remember I could have 6 to 10 bunnies a time off there on the beam now if I come away with 1 or 2 I've done well 

[poxon 5,856]

45 minutes ago, Penda said:

I've hunted rabbits all my life mainly ferreting and lamping and I think even though we are told there a pest and they need removing etc I think for me it's all about finding a happy medium the 1 farm I go on I've saw the rapid decline in numbers over the years I've hardly touched in all season well the last 2 seasons yeah the rabbits are still there in places and small pockets but no where near the numbers I can remember I could have 6 to 10 bunnies a time off there on the beam now if I come away with 1 or 2 I've done well 

Like down here now 1-2 you’ve had a good night on some spots. ferreting is a waisted exercise no point in even owning ferrets as it’s to easy to wipe them out in one area or you could spend a day ferreting for one rabbit That the dog catches leaving a Warren in my eyes it’s not working a dog if it’s not getting at least some runs in I know a lot of people give it the self certified pest controller line in this game making it sound as if it’s there job that they have to completely get rid of them but I’ve never been in the rabbit game to do my own dogs out of work more to get dogs a steady supply of work On rabbit but if areas are low there left alone until we see a few more on that area tbh I think any one who operates like this has got real pest controller quality’s about them there conservationists to there own cause an real country men an dog men in my eyes it’s not all about killing them all off 

[fred90 3,336]

I used to love longnetting, still do but not been the rabbits last few years. found a spot a bit back with a dozen out feeding regularly. one drop with 2 nets and bit of luck a decent catch. decided it better to have regular mooch with dog and picking odd 1s up and something for the dog to work. as poxon says you are having to manage them now days. 

[Penda 3,355]

To be honest my dogs keep the rabbit population fit more than anything well the small population that's by me 

[cantona 310]

Went for a walk today, same ground different areas, saw a handful of bunnies again but still no young, can’t all be bucks I’m seeing surely, I can’t believe if there’s rabbits in the burrows there’s no young, well strange, normally and all stages of development by now

[Daniel cain 47,259]

Locally Noticed loads of fresh shit and scrapings... Few new buries dug out..... But only adults about..... Never been massive numbers around here, soon as lads see a few they blitz them

Ones we have caught have all been clean, no signs of mixi yet

Not as many squirrels about like previous yrs