Nobody home? Bunnies

[Realgar]

I tried to net a few rabbits yesterday evening - I found a nice mound that looked like it had recent activity, put nets over the holes and then flipped down a smoke pellet ( just a sugar/salpetre fondant thing ). After a couple of mins smoke drifted up from all the netted holes - but no bunnies!

The recent rain has pushed the water table up really high in the woods - could they have evacuated to higher ground or don't rabbits mind a bit of smoke?

 

[Lurch]

Rabbits are cleverer than you might think.
They have warrens which they may use, but not reside in. So the hole you encountered may have just been a shelter hole or play hole.
The warren the rabbits were in would be the one that is a pain to access!

 

[den]

can you smoke rabbits out there holes? opworm:

 

[TheViking]

Hi...

That sounds like poaching??

 

[Tantalus]

Hi...

That sounds like poaching??

Many farmers will be quite happy for ya to capture a few rabbits

saves them shooting them as they can be quite a nuisance in large numbers

specially if ya can show ya know what you are doing and wont dig huuuuuuuuuuge craters in their fields and woodland

not sure but i think rabbits are classed as pests possibly vermin and outside most of the game laws like closed seasons and permits

but getting permission is sometimes an "optional extra" lol :shock:

Tant

oops thanks ed, permission is not an optional extra it is a MUST, my original comment was tongue in cheek

 

[Paganwolf]

I've never known of a bunny to come out for a smoke pellet, I've been ferreting for about 20years now and bunnys sometimes don't even shift for a ferret, your more likely to get a rat fly out at you, rats don't like smoke much and are usually shifted well with a chain saw with a hose on the exhaust fitted into the rat earth and started and revved with a pack of terriers in tow, rats come with their own set of problems ,wiels disease (leptospirosis) never touch a dead rat and stay clear of rat infested waters. If you want to get a rabbit out of an earth you cant beat a ferret, as for poaching its only poaching if you do not have permission happy hunting ):

 

[Ed]

not sure but i think rabbits are classed as pests possibly vermin and outside most of the game laws like closed seasons and permits

but getting permission is sometimes an "optional extra" lol

Getting the landowners permission is a MUST.... otherwise you are breaking the law!!!! this is the case even with vermin, but you are correct that you do not need a license and most places you can take them all year round though local bylaws may apply

Ed

 

[Paganwolf]

I agree with Ed never work ferrets with out permission of the land holder it is a serious offense you can have all your kit and ferrets confiscated also you are at risk of having your car impounded! :shock:

 

[Lurch]

not sure but i think rabbits are classed as pests possibly vermin and outside most of the game laws like closed seasons and permits

Quite so. In fact the whole of the UK has been a declared rabbit free zone since the 60's (could have been earlier, I forget).
Land owners are under a legal obligation to control rabbits on their land, if they do not fulfil their obligation then, under law, contractors can be brought in to perform the task and the owner billed. With a tidy fine on top no doubt.
I have a link to the law where this is laid out at work, I'll try to remember to post the link tomorrow....

 

[Ed]

Land owners are under a legal obligation to control rabbits on their land

quite so.... unless there is an sssi or other protection order which bans interferance with wildlife..... then the rabbits breed like crazy, eat all the protected plants and later on the land you have nice healthy groups of birds of prey living from the rabbits.....


Ed

 

[Realgar]

'semi poaching' - I have a verbal agreement with the groundsmen, providing 'normals' don't see me. I lend a hand with coppicing and usualy end up being handed lost fledglings in the summer so I get a bit of leeway, it all came about when I got drunk with the registrar at a works do and he started telling me how it was a damned shame more people didn't poach the odd bunny.

 

[Ed]

'semi poaching' - I have a verbal agreement with the groundsmen

Its not poaching then.... he's said you can About being away from Joe Public well this is quite normal..... not many urban families on a pleasant country walk want to come accross some guy with a brace of pheasants or a couple or rabbits over his arm..... Just keep out the way and do what has to be done.... thats the way it normally works.

Ed

 

[Realgar]

I'd hate to get caught in the act by a member of the public, it's bad enough looking after the woods.

It's amazing how many people stop to yell at you for cutting down trees in the coppicing season, 'hannibal chainsaw lecter' I think was one phrase used, I can understand why people get upset at someone dropping a huge sycamore but not all of them understand when you explain the whole non native thing. We even get letters about the teribble mess made by leaving all the log lying around in piles.

Realgar

 

[Lurch]

Nutters.
Y'get um.