Getting started with Wabbit Hunting

[Deleted member 4605]

To help out my mother-in-law I've offered to do my best Elmer Fudd impression and try and control the number of rabbits in her garden.

Of course the first question is where do I start?

Obviously I will be the 'authorised person' for legal purposes.

Apparently she (and her mother) have numerous old snares and traps, but I suspect these will be illegal, inhumane, immoral or downright bad! I've read DEFRA's guidance on using snares, and understand the legalities, but I know need to learn the practicalities.

I'm also considering shooting them as my father-in-law has an air rifle, but I need some practice first.

Any advice welcome!

 

[British Red]

If you are confident and the air rifle is of a reasonable power, I'd go air rifle.

Dawn and dusk are the time - be in position somewhere quiet and concealed, downwind if possible, before the light comes or goes.

Ensure the rifle is a reasonable power first (12ftlb ish)

Tak a shot within an area you can hit a 2p piece from 10 out of 10 shots

In my view, go for a side on head shot with an air rifle - just behind the eye

What else do you want to know?

Red

 

[BushTucker]

I am by no means an expert as most are on this site but personally, i would use a pro diablo catapult and steel shot, if it were within 30 feet or so.

Jeez, i think i will get some stick for this.......lol

 

[Hunter_zero]

To help out my mother-in-law I've offered to do my best Elmer Fudd impression and try and control the number of rabbits in her garden.

Of course the first question is where do I start?

Obviously I will be the 'authorised person' for legal purposes.

Apparently she (and her mother) have numerous old snares and traps, but I suspect these will be illegal, inhumane, immoral or downright bad! I've read DEFRA's guidance on using snares, and understand the legalities, but I know need to learn the practicalities.

I'm also considering shooting them as my father-in-law has an air rifle, but I need some practice first.

Any advice welcome!

The great thing with a garden is that it's enclosed. As such you can easily see where the rabbits are coming from. I would opt for a long net, fixed on poles in such a way, you can pull a line and drop the net. Then walking in to the garden and bag *all* the bunnies in one go.

John

 

[Deleted member 4605]

The great thing with a garden is that it's enclosed.

At this point I should disclose that her garden covers a good 1/2 to 3/4 acres at the front of the house, slightly less to the rear and a field of 1.5 acres at the side...

 

[fred gordon]

At this point I should disclose that her garden covers a good 1/2 to 3/4 acres at the front of the house, slightly less to the rear and a field of 1.5 acres at the side...

Struth!! I think you need to offer a weekend for Bushcrafters keen to start rabbit hunting!

 

[Alex Thorneycroft-Taylor]

in that case, use a drop box.

Dig hole, put in a wooden box with a spring loaded trap door, and bait the door.

Rabbits walk on sporing loaded plate - hey presto drop into box.

Dig where the main access point is.

Air rifle - good fun, rewarding - but time consuming.
Snaring - Effective but under laws must be checked every 24hrs, pref earlier.

Let me know if you need any more info.

Cheers
A

 

[Hunter_zero]

At this point I should disclose that her garden covers a good 1/2 to 3/4 acres at the front of the house, slightly less to the rear and a field of 1.5 acres at the side...

Matters little.

Are the rabbits living on her land, or coming through the hedges?

If the latter, a long net would be fast and very effective.
If the former, then ferret the burries or shoot them with the airgun.

John

 

[Alex Thorneycroft-Taylor]

Long netting is v. effective. BUT, if you are inexperienced, and do not have your own kit it will be a very steep learning curve.

If you are inexperienced - look to someone who knows this method...

 

[C_Claycomb]

I have heard that the wire live catch traps are very effective. I know of one farmer who used them to remove a LOT of rabbits from an area I used to shoot over.

In a small area the air rifle might not be the best method since the noise of the shot is liable to disturb the other bunnies. I have shot in gardens and it was not so easy to get more than one or two per visit. Very time consuming despite there being no particular shortage of rabbits around. Its a fine way to pot the odd one now and then, but if you are not practiced you will probably find that the bunnies just scarper while you wander around, then come right back out when you leave

If you are able to visit and stay over you could set permanent snares at access points. Say you arrive on the Friday evening, position the snares, check them while you are there, then when you leave, don't take them in, just un-set them in-situ. Next time you come you can re-set with minimum disturbance, and next to no scent transfer. Just a thought.

 

[Deleted member 4605]

If you are able to visit and stay over you could set permanent snares at access points. Say you arrive on the Friday evening, position the snares, check them while you are there, then when you leave, don't take them in, just un-set them in-situ. Next time you come you can re-set with minimum disturbance, and next to no scent transfer. Just a thought.

Fortunately she only lives 2 1/2 miles away, so checking the snares is not a problem.

I'm going to go with snares primarily, but play, er, practice with the air rifle as well.

Thanks for the advice all!

 

[Deleted member 4605]

Are the rabbits living on her land, or coming through the hedges?

Both, just to keep things interesting!

 

[atraildreamer]

To help out my mother-in-law I've offered to do my best Elmer Fudd impression and try and control the number of rabbits in her garden.

...I'm also considering shooting them as my father-in-law has an air rifle, but I need some practice first.

Any advice welcome!

Use what Elmer would use...12 Guage, 5 shot, semi-auto with #6 shot. :AR15firin

An air rifle is just going to annoy them, not stop them. :aargh4:

 

[Klenchblaize]

An air rifle is just going to annoy them, not stop them. :aargh4:

May I suggest at least by no less a degree than were a "moderator" (where are they when you need one!) to you!!

Put another way air rifles kick rabbit ar-e too!

Cheers

 

[C_Claycomb]

An air rifle is just going to annoy them, not stop them

Don't worry Klenchblaize. You have to put yourself in colonial shoes...most of the air rifles over there are made by Crossman So one can forgive a certain sceptisism.

While the lack of licensing means you can have something like a Theoben in 22+ftlbs (http://www.theobenusa.com/) it is just as easy to go the whole hog and get a .22 rimfire.

Also, US cottontails don't behave like their European cousins. Mostly they don't even dig their own burrows as the bunnies here do. Different animal, different habitat, different laws and availability of kit. I doubt I would want to try brush busting US bunnies with an air rifle either. I tried with squirrels and it needed an adjustment from the techniques used by my US friends, and from how I would do it here.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Well, if we’re talking “across the big pond and in wide-open spaces-kind of wabbit hunting”, then just hand me my K .22 Hornet please!

I just hate shotguns!

Cheers

 

[atraildreamer]

I was thinking of a Daisy handle-pumped BB gun. I actually hit a rabbit once (lucky shot) with a Daisy and saw the BB bounce off without the rabbit even breaking stride. ( I was 14 years old then, and I have given up hunting 40 years ago, when I was 17- I am not a bloodthirsty, gun-toting, redneck {let's forgot the "redneck" reference...I got in a lot of trouble with that topic a while back at BKUK :twak: )

My point is that while there are many high-powered air rifles, you have to be a VERY good shot to hit the fast, furry critters with one. The shotgun gives a better chance of dispatching the beast(s) without leaving them wounded.

The .22 long rifle round is very popular over here, but is generally banned for hunting near the urban areas due to the 1 mile (1.6 km) range of the round. Where is the bullet going to land if you miss? :AR15firin

Of course, you could just trap them humanely and transport them to another area :sadwavey: for release and avoid all the shooting.

 

[spoony]

To help out my mother-in-law I've offered to do my best Elmer Fudd impression and try and control the number of rabbits in her garden.

Of course the first question is where do I start?

Obviously I will be the 'authorised person' for legal purposes.

Apparently she (and her mother) have numerous old snares and traps, but I suspect these will be illegal, inhumane, immoral or downright bad! I've read DEFRA's guidance on using snares, and understand the legalities, but I know need to learn the practicalities.

I'm also considering shooting them as my father-in-law has an air rifle, but I need some practice first.

Any advice welcome!

PM sparks on here hes in your neck of the woods im sure he would give you a hand and show you how to go along.