Bunny Problems How to dispose of them?

[j1n]

im pretty sure a cat can catch those rabbits. My old neighbors cat used to kill rabbits all the time. My sister tells me her cat kills a good number of them every year too.

 

[roastquake]

im pretty sure a cat can catch those rabbits. My old neighbors cat used to kill rabbits all the time. My sister tells me her cat kills a good number of them every year too.

As long as it's not a spoiled inside cat, mine can't kill a thing. All my rodent work is done by my rat terrier, but any predator left outside will deter all but the bravest of rabbits

 

[Homercidal]

My opinion is that if you can shoot a .22 where you live, you should choose that over a pellet gun. My reasoning is that any pellet that can quickly take out a rabbit is going to do pretty much the same damage to surrounding items. If you use hollow point rounds, they are more lethal and less likely to cause much damage coming out. I would certainly choose to shoot rabbits over repellent methods only because I used to hunt rabbits when I was young and they are TASTY!

Clean Head shot is best. A hollow point .22 will very nearly instantly kill a rabbit hit near the center of the head, as described previously. And a good chest shot will drop them quickly, but relatively slowly to a good head shot.

Mom used to just roll them in flour and fry them, but I bet there are some very good roasting recipes, and of course rabbit stew is on par or better than chicken stew. And they are REALLY easy to field dress and clean. Tons easier than chickens or squirrels.

Ok, I'm hungry now.

If you decide a pellet gun is the way you want to go, get the round point lead pellets. They impact pretty hard and flatten out, causing more damage. A BB will slip in doign very little damage. BBs are pretty much for target practice only. And make sure you get a gun that you can shoot accurately and will get not get past 900 FPS. At that speed and higher accuracy is lost as the pellet starts to roam from approaching the sound barrier. You don't need the extra speed for damage anyway.

Also, if you are the only one hunting, you are not likely to resolve the whole problem, but if you make this a regular activity you can thin the herd down. A rabbit population can actually outgrown it's food supply. They breed quickly.

One time when I was hunting with my dad's 12 Gauge over/under I had the rabbit circle back until it was sitting just behind a poplar tree about 15 feet in front of me. Because of my gloves I had my finger in front of both triggers, not between them as it felt to me. I touched off both barrels and promptly sat on my butt in the snow (used to a .410 plus the unexpected double barrel kick). Blew that rabbits head clean off. Only one ear was hanging by a piece of skin. Red spray of blood in the snow behind it was the only sign of the head.

Oh well, at least I didn't have to twist it's head off when I went to clean it.

 

[Owly055]

I'm also having rabbit trouble, but only with a single individual. Little bastard is eating my balloon flowers! Unfortunately the wife won't let me put up an ugly fence around all the delicate flowers.



I borrowed a BB gun from a neighbor, but only managed to make him look like he cut himself shaving. Would pellets in the same gun have any stronger effect?

I used to have a Sheridan pellet rifle.........at the time it was the most powerful pellet rifle you could buy readily. I had to pay the vet bill when I shot a neighbor's dog with it....... put the pellet 1.5" deep in the hip. It was worth the price!! Next time I used a 22, and there was no vet bill! The carcass vanished before they saw it. Nobody in the neighborhood said anything, but several knew I'd shot the dog, and one commented "you shot the wrong bitch"!

Pellets are far more powerful than BBs, and the Sheridan at 10 pumps will put paid to the account of any rabbit or other small animal.

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

I have "relocated" 4 rabbits so far..... they seem to be stupid enough to walk right into my live trap. I've been thinking about using Conibear traps. At just over $50 for a 6 pack, the conibear is deadly, and perfect for an animal like a rabbit that bolts into and out of holes. As it is I will continue to use the live trap as long as they keep walking into it. The relocated rabbits go to the area around the local ranch shop where the dogs run loose all day, and chase them. It keeps both dogs and rabbits healthy and entertained while the guys are working on haying equipment, and it's beyond "rabbit range".

This AM I found a skunk in my trap pacing back and forth trying to escape.... Waddya do? I was going to get my shotgun and shoot the skunk, when I thought better of it and got a tarp instead. Tarped the trap over, then submerged it in the irrigation ditch. No spray... they don't spray when covered, and the drowned skunk of course didn't spray either. Hope I don't catch any more. They are going to shut the water off in about a week and cut hay.

H.W.

 

[Owly055]

At $135 (Amazon), 1000 FPS spring piston, this looks like about what I want. Comes with a scope and a sort of silencer (of debatable value). My past experience with the Sheridan showed that in the very quiet environment where I live, the muzzle blast of a pellet rifle is audible. Don't know how much silencing this will do, but I'd rather nobody heard me, though shooting here is common. A friend a short distance down the street has a gravel backstop and shoots his 50 Barrett at targets on it from the bench rest in the front yard to the backstop in the back yard................. the blast is incredible!! Needless to say there are miles of hay fields behind him, and nothing but the Cayuse Hills in the distance.

A friend across the street pursued a skunk through my yard one night when I wasn't home, and demolished my deer scaring device............ A large garbage bag that inflated with a fan when a motion detector sensed something in my garden. One blast with a 12 gauge make short work of that bag! I didn't know what happened until several days later when he confessed. It scared more than just deer! ;-)

Guns are a way of life here, and have been for over a century..........But I prefer NOT to be heard or seen anyway. (Population 7)

H.W.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Why have snares gone out of fashion?

If you would like to eat some, snares are GOOD.



Possibly hot pepper spray would keep them off plants more passively.

I make a spray of ghost peppers and garlic to keep deer off of plants. It works if reapplied after each rain.

 

[mtyquinn]

I'm lucky enough to have some very large birds of prey that hang around my hops. No rabbits there any more.

 

[charliehorse]

I used to have a Sheridan pellet rifle.........at the time it was the most powerful pellet rifle you could buy readily. I had to pay the vet bill when I shot a neighbor's dog with it....... put the pellet 1.5" deep in the hip. It was worth the price!! Next time I used a 22, and there was no vet bill! The carcass vanished before they saw it. Nobody in the neighborhood said anything, but several knew I'd shot the dog, and one commented "you shot the wrong bitch"!

When I was in high school, our neighbor had a dog that would room freely and get into our garbage and pull clothes off the line. Not only that, he was mean as Hell! So, I told the neighbor that he needed to keep his dog out of our yard. When he asked how he was supposed to do that, I told him that I had no idea, but I was sure that he could figure something out. about a month later, i was home by myself and the dog was getting into our trash so I shot the dog in the rear foot. the next day, Mr. Neighbor asked me if I shot his dog, complaining that it cost him more than $300 in vet bills (Mid 1980's). I told him that I shot A dog, but it couldn't have been his dog because we'd agreed that he'd keep HIS dog out of our yard. For some reason, nothing more was said.

 

[Homercidal]

Relocating is a waste of time. Much faster to stay home and eat rabbit.

 

[j1n]

When I was in high school, our neighbor had a dog that would room freely and get into our garbage and pull clothes off the line. Not only that, he was mean as Hell! So, I told the neighbor that he needed to keep his dog out of our yard. When he asked how he was supposed to do that, I told him that I had no idea, but I was sure that he could figure something out. about a month later, i was home by myself and the dog was getting into our trash so I shot the dog in the rear foot. the next day, Mr. Neighbor asked me if I shot his dog, complaining that it cost him more than $300 in vet bills (Mid 1980's). I told him that I shot A dog, but it couldn't have been his dog because we'd agreed that he'd keep HIS dog out of our yard. For some reason, nothing more was said.

Reminds me of the story my friend told me. except his story he gave the neighbor one last warning and said his dog will be shot if he comes again. well the dog did and my friend shot and killed the dog. Neighbor called the cops on him but cops didn't do anything.

 

[orangehero]

Why have snares gone out of fashion?

If I'm not mistaken snaring is illegal in most places in the US. I would guess it's because they can kill pets.

 

[charliehorse]

If I'm not mistaken snaring is illegal in most places in the US. I would guess it's because they can kill pets.

In most places, you can set traps but you need a hunting license (in the "Land of the Free").

 

[GVH_Dan]

I love how this thread went from "how do I protect my hops" to "recipes for rabbit" to "how I shot my neighbor's dog". I'm not complaining, just laughing.

On the general subject, I once had a pair of basset hounds. If there was a rabbit in the yard when I let them out, it had about a 20% chance of making it out alive. They would split up and run at it from opposite directions. The rabbit would watch one, bolt in the opposite direction and run right into the second dog. I would go rabbit hunting without ever firing a shot.

Other than cleaning out the ears, bassets are about the perfect dog. They never get too excited, they hate to go for long walks and they are more than happy to sleep on top of your feet in the dead of winter because sleeping is almost all they do. Plus if they happen to kill a rabbit, you don't have to worry about hunting licensees, what is legal, etc.

 

[cheezydemon3]

http://youtu.be/5bGvv2VUP_8

 

[Owly055]

I've live trapped 6 bunnies........ the dumb ones, and relocated them. Several didn't survive the relocation due to the presence of a hungry cat that just happened to be sitting right in front of the trap when the bunny was released.

My pellet rifle arrived last evening, and this AM, I accounted for 5 more bunnies. The Magpies are happy today!! This Gamo Silent Cat is an awesome pellet gun. At 1250 FPS muzzle velocity, it will punch holes in steel "tin" cans quite easily at considerable range. It comes with a scope, as well as optic fiber sights, and a "silencer" that does cut the muzzle blast, but the piston operated gun has a lot of mechanical noise.

It's an excellent value, at $130 including shipping, and includes a fairly decent 4x scope. with protectors......... You install the scope with the torx wrench included, and it has all the features of any rifle scope. The silencer comes installed, and there's no obvious way to remove it. It also comes with a tube full of pellets... probably about 50. Purchased from Amazon.Com, a company I'm increasingly trying to avoid doing business with.


H.W.

 

[Owly055]

If you are looking for a pellet gun to shoot dogs and cats without seriously injuring them, this is NOT the gun you want. It does not pump up, but cocks with a single stroke as you break the barrel open. At 1250 FPM it will KILL easily. It's a deadly toy!! My Sheridan, which was stolen from me was a pump up that took 10 pumps to max pressure. It was very powerful, but not nearly as powerful as this, and you could adjust the power by putting fewer pumps so the pellets would sting and bruise, but not penetrate. At 10 pumps, it would kill also. The Gamo is a very dangerous weapon, not a toy.


H.W.

 

[Homercidal]

Why you not eating them bunnies??

 

[rodwha]

I'd certainly eat them. As you mentioned magpies I haven't seen those except when i lived in Colorado Springs so I doubt you are close enough to pick up some ready to go rabbits…

Ever try rabbit?

 

[Owly055]

Bunny # 14 went down this morning........ As I dispose of my yard bunnies, they seem to move in from surrounding areas gradually and repopulate. Good thing pellets are cheap.

 

[Homercidal]

Yep, they are prolific and you will see the population go down in a while, but it will be a constant to have to thin them out unless you have coyotes in the area. They are pretty good about taking out rabbits.

 

[EdMerican]

Plenty of good eatin!

 

[EdMerican]

Theres an english fella on youtube that hunts rabbits for restaurants over there with an air rifle and he show how to VERY efficiently clean and dress a couple dozen bunnies in short order, if you would like some advise or tips.