Oly Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 I'm trying to find the best/fastest/most effective (even humane if you will!) way of dispatching rabbits & crows (or any bird for that matter!). Obviously the most effective way is to kill them stone dead in the first place, but hey we can't all be perfect all the time! Techniques that keep the meat of the animal in good condition are preferred (i.e. not just shooting the thing at point blank range!) - knife or hand techniques welcome. Cheers, Oly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Master Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 Hi, For rabbits, grab by back legs and by head with thumb behind neck and fingers under the chin and pull. This will dislocate the rabbits neck and this is how we do it ferreting. FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinner Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 dont no if this is most humane but this is what i was told,if the rabbit is still alive when you get there hold him by the hind legs with your left hand and with your right hand hold its head back and pull the hind legs and push the head forward so you are breaking its neck,you will get the hang of it,just mind your fingers by its mouth.with crows pigeons hold it to the floor belly down and press fairly hard on its back just where its wings meets its body you will be collapsing its lungs took me a while to be able to do this but when you got it both these ways seem to work extremly quick. hope this helps. would be interesting to hear how other hunters do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatingisbest Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 there are hundreds of ways to dispatch wounded quarry, one i use sometime is to hold a bird by the head and swing it around, not too hard with a pigeon though, we all know what happens if you do it too hard. Or if there is a suitable post nearby hold the bird or rabbit by the body and swing the body around so he head hits the post or tree, nice and hard. Or of course a priest, i do use the other methods listed on this page already but i dont want to repeat what other people have put. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.17 hummer Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 i use skinners method too. hold the rabbits back legs in your left hand so the head is nearest the floor.. your right hand should now take the form of a hand about to pick up a pint glass, hold the rabbits neck firmly and pull legs and neck in opposite directions. it works very well once you have the knack. please dont whack its head on a fence post!!!!! as for crows , i put two fingers on the throat and my thumb on the back of the head where the skull joins the neck and push down with the thumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatingisbest Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 please dont whack its head on a fence post!!!!! I only said this because I dont know how much this person has with dispatching quarry, sounds to me like not a lot, if he tried one of these methods others have described if not done correctly could end the animal up in more pain and stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 Rabbits the best one has been done, stretch their necks Pigeon I grab top down head forward so the wings are kept still, then three twists of the neck, seems most effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurcherboy Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 Chin them. It requires little effort and works everytime and is painless for your elbows if they are anything like mine LB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 I use a priest,hands(swing/chin/pull) but the easiest is dispatching pliers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiercel Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 I am with LB on this one. To chin Rabbits hold in your right hand with you index finger and thumb between the top vertebrae of the neck and the skull. Then just push up with the heel of your left hand under the chin of the Rabbit. Death is instantaneous. IMHO the quickest and most humane way of dispatching Rabbits. For pigeon and pheasants etc; just hold them between the thumb and index finger of your R/Hand L /hand and start a circular motion with the birds body, after three revolutions just stop your hand inertia will take over and the birds neck will break, and you will not pull the head off. For crow’s they are even simpler just give them the other barrel. As you are not going to eat them anyhow. Tiercel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeboy Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 Chin them. It requires little effort and works everytime and is painless for your elbows if they are anything like mine LB Without a doubt the easiest way to do it. very quick very easy only a fraction of the effort involved. I've seen a lot of rabbits having thier necks pulled a coupla times before a satisfactory job is done. Even my mrs can chin a rabbit. Crows I just grab around the body and smack the head against my boot. The 'grab them by the head and spin them' method dont work so well on them, strong necks. Leeboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oly Posted October 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Thanks for all the posts so far. Like Skinner says it's interesting to find out how everybody else does this job. Hopefully it'll also make some people try different methods that are possibly more humane than others. A couple of points of clarity would be nice though: 1.) Henry D mentions dispatching pliers - are these pliers you can pick up in the DIY store or are they special dispatching pliers? Also how do you use them? (as some of you say you don't really want the head to come off!) 2.) What does IMHO stand for? (Sorry not up with the accronyms just yet!) 3.) With the collapsing lung technique that Skinner described do you have to hold the bird down until it effectively sufficates? 4.) With a priest whereabouts do you hit the bird/rabbit? On the head or just behind the head? 5.) Does the twisting the birds necks as decribed by tiercel by spinning the body also work for crows too? So far I think I prefer the sound of the chinning techniques for rabbits and the twisting the birds necks as decribed by tiercel by spinning the body. Thanks for all the info so far...keep it coming it all good stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiercel Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 IMHO = In my honest opinion. With crows you have to use a bit more force with the spin to get an effective break of the neck. Tiercel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinner Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 oly you can hold the bird in one hand and the other to dispatch it,it takes seconds when you get the hang of it but its really affective, imho i think it beats swinging them round,wonder if this will work as a magnet machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngshot Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 please dont whack its head on a fence post!!!!! if not done correctly could end the animal up in more pain and stress. Walking to a fence post is going to cause it alot more pain and suffering! Hold the rabbit by its hind legs, then give it a sharp karaty type chop on the back of the head! i have not found this to damage the meat in any way. When i was out shooting with one of my school friends he pricked a particularly angry crow that wouldnt let me come close enought to pick it up. Not being able to find a stick close to hand... i took the shotgun apart and whacked it on the head with the barrels!! They needed a wipe down to get the blood of after mind you!! Young Shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeboy Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 [quote name='youngshot' date='Oct 3 2006, 12:02 PM When i was out shooting with one of my school friends he pricked a particularly angry crow that wouldnt let me come close enought to pick it up. Not being able to find a stick close to hand... i took the shotgun apart and whacked it on the head with the barrels!! They needed a wipe down to get the blood of after mind you!! Young Shot You wont catch me doing that with my gun ! Id like to be able to shoot it for a few years !! leeboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngshot Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 yeah but i dnt like to see wounded animals around my permision + it was on soft grasy ground so wouldnt damage the barrels one bit! Young Shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeboy Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 yeah but i dnt like to see wounded animals around my permision + it was on soft grasy ground so wouldnt damage the barrels one bit! Young Shot banging your gun barrels on anything is definately iffy, they are surprisingly soft. you could put a small dent in them and not notice which could cause excessive pressure and maybe blow. Leeboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Fox Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Agree with above, if its safe and the bird is still flapping ..... stick another cart in him, not as if you are going to eat it ....... or are you ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 My dispatching pliers are round jawed and you may get them in a hardware shop but some that are advertised in the press are flat and offset so when the jaws are closed the vertebrae are dislocated. Youngshot - have a look at this - http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/ind...showtopic=22981 this gun has seen the worst that the foreshore can offer as well as all manner of shooting yet for rust to set in,in a matter of days,it took a little blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngshot Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Agree with above, if its safe and the bird is still flapping ..... stick another cart in him, not as if you are going to eat it ....... or are you ! another cart? i dnt have enough money to do that!!! every cart counts!! Young Shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Fox Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 You poor sod ...... you cant be that hard up .... perhaps we should have a whip round? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatingisbest Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 You poor sod ...... you cant be that hard up .... perhaps we should have a whip round? He hasnt told you what gun he uses though has he Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngshot Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 You poor sod ...... you cant be that hard up .... perhaps we should have a whip round? You poor sod ...... you cant be that hard up .... perhaps we should have a whip round? He hasnt told you what gun he uses though has he 'Hot-Shot' the word "student " should be enough to show how hard up one can be!!! 'beatingisbest' Good point! Young Shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Fox Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Ahhh student, all becomes clear ...... all spare cash goes on booze and pot noodles !!!! What gun do you use youngshot ...... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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