samboy Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Hi gang. I've been shooting rabbits for about 16 years now and have never seen a black one. But just been watching some rabbit shooting on Youtube up the Orkneys and there were quite a few of them. I was up the Orkneys a while back and the rabbits seemed bigger than the ones around here. So are black ones rare ?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 They were not rare round here in Cheshire before the big Myxy outbreak in the early 2000s. I was told that they were mixed wild and domesticated however they may have just been a natural melanistic mutation. Where about are your shooting grounds? I haven’t seen a black one for a few years now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samboy Posted November 9, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 8 minutes ago, WalkedUp said: They were not rare round here in Cheshire before the big Myxy outbreak in the early 2000s. I was told that they were mixed wild and domesticated however they may have just been a natural melanistic mutation. Where about are your shooting grounds? I haven’t seen a black one for a few years now. I have 4 permissions in North Stifford Essex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 I go up to the north coast of Scotland (I know not quite Orkney) and the rabbits do so well that most are well grown. We tend to get so many youngsters in Cheshire and North Wales. That be said I don’t bother shooting them unless I need to as our numbers are so low. Took a friend’s grandson out for a couple of hours on Friday on the rabbits for his birthday. Four rabbits seen under lamp, three were not safe shots and the other one was cleanly killed 3/4 grown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie B Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Certain places always seem to produce the odd black one. It's something to do with a certain gene. If two rabbits breed, that have the gene, they may produce the odd black offspring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas seal Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Hi Sam boy not rare ,black rabbits appear every few years about 10years ago we had more black rabbits than brown ones. Near Delamere we had brown and white ones. The black ones are just as wild. Rabbits are just returning after the viral infection including the black ones. These were shot in 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old farrier Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Some area’s around me have ginger ones we did get the odd black one but not many Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas seal Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 These were shot a month earlier about a mile away no black rabbits. The next year l was shooting black ones on the same field. It didn’t take long for them to move.They are still showing up in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow white Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Shoot the regular round here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigbob Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Where you get plenty rabbits thats where the colour variousions show up natures way of thining them out ? letting the predators see them ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 See them quite often but pleased you have a few about as the RHD wipes ours out as soon as they start to show signs of making a come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enfieldspares Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Used to see a lot on the verges of the A50 between Groby and Fieldhead in Leicestershire in the 1980s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas seal Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Same here with vhd the new strains killed the young, the young survived the first virus. Rabbits are coming back even the black rabbits. My friend took photos of the black rabbits when l shot them and they were all the same size, this was in the summer time, he said they were all clones. I’ve shot rabbits after this harvest and seen black rabbits but not shot any. I’ve seen rabbits killed by the virus they bleed from the mouth and are (stretched out) on the field. I haven’t found many they just disappear in a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Caught a handful over many years whilst ferreting when I was younger. In many a old parish a black rabbit would be referred to as "the parson." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 We have them over here in NZ. I've only shot one though. Was keen to get a photo, but the farmer's beast of a dog gobbled it up before I got a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOXHUNTER1 Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 Had a few black ones over the years , quite common in the Dale's. Shot this one a few months ago.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas seal Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 Hi 7daysinaweek that’s a coincidence with your parsons rabbits,the brown and white rabbits l killed were called the vicars rabbits, I thought it was because they had a white collar but I was told the vicar released them some years before. They would appear every few years. Hi Houseplant have you many rabbits in New Zealand. I thought the government put the virus down to kill of the rabbits . The black rabbits here are from domestic rabbits, they didn’t catch Myxomatosis at first . I was once told if you see a black rabbit was a rabbit black with flees and Myxomatosis would follow after seeing one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 I suppose that many of these names stem from some old folklore or fact. I would surmise that these black rabbits would ail and succumb to 'Mixy' just as the brown ones can. atb 7diaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas seal Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 When the first lot of black rabbits started breeding they didn’t get myxomatosis, the next time it came around it killed them. I think they were tame rabbits released in the field and were inoculated against myxomatosis. It was like the black rabbits would take over and just see the odd brown ones. My friend is going to that area in the morning he will let me know what rabbits are about. I did a lot of ferreting in the summer months, warrens on livestock farms, and killed different colour rabbits every so often. When the rabbits were heavy with flees it was a sign of myxomatosis or tape worms . The inside of the ears would look black with flees I think this is were the black rabbits spreading myxomatosis came from. I thought the black rabbits would take over but vhd has killed them just the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie B Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 There is no difference in the rabbits. Just colour variations of the same thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 Since I was a nipper rabbits could be widely found in my local parish and surrounding areas, not always in huge numbers but good pockets of them about. Myxy would rear itself and the number would be knocked back with some surviving and then breeding the next year producing good numbers then the cycle would return. Every 5 or so years would see a bumper amount. I take my hat off to the old 'Bunter' as in my area and I suspect others alike that despite the onslaught of missiles ejected from all manner of contraptions with the addition of nets and traps that the old rabbit continued to thrive. As a young lad in the late 70's, the 80's and early 90's I could ferret, shoot, run my lurcher, fly my hawk and use long net (long net with limited success) Since the VHD virus arrived the number here have not bounced back. If only I could reverse Entropy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 Saw quite a few when on the train from Inverness to Perth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7daysinaweek Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 8 minutes ago, islandgun said: Saw quite a few when on the train from Inverness to Perth I hope they all had a ticket. 🤣 On a more serious note, good to hear of the encouraging numbers. atb 7diaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas seal Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 Yes black rabbits are just the same they are all rabbits. I shoot young rabbits in the spring and summer but shooting small black ones isn’t like shooting rabbits. I must be getting soft as l get older. In Australia it’s not allowed to inoculate pet rabbits against myxomatosis. rabbits were all over the place but a few are coming back. Out with my friend today we found rabbit scratchings on fields I’ve not seen rabbits for two years or more. I’m still shooting rabbits in small numbers .l have kept ferrets since I was at school l never thought l would see rabbits almost disappear. Rabbits move along railway lines as did myxomatosis and vhd. Last year they had myxomatosis this year they are healthy up to now. The virus doesn’t seem to be going away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted November 10, 2021 Report Share Posted November 10, 2021 (edited) There are black squirrels in the woods to the north of where I live. Apparently its just a local mutation not a different species Edited November 10, 2021 by Vince Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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