nicknsd1978 Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 Have a permission where I “attempt” to shoot pigeons and also have permission to shoot rabbits at night. While having a walk of the land today to see if I could spot any sign of rabbits...nothing seen. Where’s the best place to try and find them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telf Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 Look for holes ,droppings ,banksides and under hedgerows etc if their there you will see something, have a look at night with a torch for eyeshine i have an estate i shoot on ,but theres not rabbits in every field certain places are hotspots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknsd1978 Posted April 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 The farm is surrounded by ditches and a river. Allot of the fields are also separated by dykes full of water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 there might just not be any rabbits or maybe only a few, if there any about chances are you will start seeing the little one's outside of the burrows soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 I can smell Rabbits - you need a nose like mine . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 2 hours ago, bruno22rf said: I can smell Rabbits - you need a nose like mine . More like new slippers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknsd1978 Posted April 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 Would you expect to find them in hedge bottoms around the edges of rape or wheat fields? That’s all that’s grown on my permission Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchers Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 My permission of 200 acres does not have any rabbits. The ground is too stony for digging holes but that does'nt stop the badgers! In fact theres no rabbits around at all in the vicinity. Saying that theres plenty of Hares but I don't shoot them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 The golden rule is "follow the damage". If there are rabbits about it will be obvious from scrapings and small holes etc.The other give away is small 'runs' through hedgerows. Land near a small river or brook is ideal rabbit country. However, if there are no physical signs then there aren't any rabbits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknsd1978 Posted April 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 I would have hoped somewhere in 600 acres there would be some rabbits somewhere....good that the farmer also rents various smaller fields dotted about. One of them surely must contain rabbits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 There are very few rabbits about .they have been dieing in there thousands through disease . Good luck if you see one .and think twice about shooting any . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 14, 2018 Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 29 minutes ago, nicknsd1978 said: I would have hoped somewhere in 600 acres there would be some rabbits somewhere....good that the farmer also rents various smaller fields dotted about. One of them surely must contain rabbits You would indeed hope but it's not guaranteed. Like I said, look for any signs of damage. In some parts of the country the rabbits have died out, but on my permissions there are still plenty. In fact I saw 2 sitting by the roadside on my way to B&Q (right by a housing estate). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 (edited) When I was (much) younger you would struggle to find a field around my village that did not move with Rabbits if you walked across it but when the local estate employed a Gamekeeper they were gassed into practical extinction and then Mixy finished then off. I cannot help but think that the determined eradication of Rabbits was rather short sighted when you consider the sport this animal is capable of giving if you consider what a keen price Shoot managers could probably get for a days shooting them. Shame that 35 years ago 95% of my vermin control was Rabbits whereas today I rarely see one locally and it's all Squirrels and Pigeon/Crows. I can still tell ,however, if one has been nearby as they have such a distinctive smell. Edited April 15, 2018 by bruno22rf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telf Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 he nose you no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 Wow "Think twice before shooting them..." "Rather short sighted" Shooting rabbits is about pest control, not population management. Farmers want them gone, not just reduced in numbers. Next you'll be advocating leaving grey squirrel populations alone as they provide great sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 I said think twice. .which means consider your options .and the long term likeyhood of keeping your permissions . Its the exact opposite of a short sighted view . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 So my buddy and i are in exactly that position on our main perm There are few rabbits about .at what kits there are get cleaned up by the landowners cats . We have to gently find a balance between shooting them all and the owner saying good job .your not needed now .or not shooting any and the owner saying oh there arent any left now i guess as your not here shooting thanks dont come back. Or letting the numbers get high that the owners think .we are rubbish and dont want us back . This is on top of a lot of other considerations with use of the land thats nothing to do with rabbits . So a delicate balance of showing face /and a few dead rabbits but not killing them all .if i loose my main permission i find it hard to justify my fac . Short sighted it isnt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 I think that you should ,indeed, think about shooting Rabbits but it does come down to pest control. A perm I have about a mile from me (crop) has few Rabbits on it and, with the Landowner in agreement, I never shoot them, Yet another perm 20 miles away is overrun with them and the damage to the Landowner is considerable - in the summer the Wheat field next door loses about 30% of it's crop due to the blighters so I shoot them with a silenced lr 4-5 times a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknsd1978 Posted April 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 Maybe I should have scouted the land before setting my up with a PCP...may be some uneventful nights ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spandit Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 Definitely scout but take a rifle with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknsd1978 Posted April 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 Chicken & egg...do you scout land prior to investing in the setup of a PCP or do you set yourself up first prior to then checking the land?..could have checked the land with shotgun in hand first but suspect it’ll be totally different at night where a shotgun would be no good (for obvious reasons) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 5 hours ago, spandit said: Wow "Think twice before shooting them..." "Rather short sighted" Shooting rabbits is about pest control, not population management. Farmers want them gone, not just reduced in numbers. Next you'll be advocating leaving grey squirrel populations alone as they provide great sport. In all the years of shooting I have only ever had one farmer say “I want them all bloody gone” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old'un Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 2 hours ago, nicknsd1978 said: Chicken & egg...do you scout land prior to investing in the setup of a PCP or do you set yourself up first prior to then checking the land?..could have checked the land with shotgun in hand first but suspect it’ll be totally different at night where a shotgun would be no good (for obvious reasons) You can shoot more than just rabbits with a PCP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknsd1978 Posted April 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 Squirrel & pigeon yes...don’t really fancy the rats although shoot pigeons with the shotgun. Just always fancied shooting rabbits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 4 hours ago, nicknsd1978 said: Maybe I should have scouted the land before setting my up with a PCP...may be some uneventful nights ahead Do your homework and scout the land thoroughly with just binos and a range finder. Without recconaisance you will just be wandering around hoping something pops into view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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