re introducing rabbits

Sfinn

Where i am at the moment used to be full of rabbits. Not one now, tempted to reintroduce.

Any idea where a could get me hands on some though if i could re introduce 10+ around the house that they might increase over time.

Invincible

I was intrested in doing the same a few months back,there was rabbits locally some years ago,but not one in the area of late.A few years back,while on a Sea-fishing trip,another angler mentioned he was ferreting,I asked him what he did with the rabbits,he said he released them anywhere that they had died out from,I was to get his contact details,but forgot,so if you know any ferreter,maybe they could net some rabbits for you.

thehair

Sfinn wrote: »

Where i am at the moment used to be full of rabbits. Not one now, tempted to reintroduce.

Any idea where a could get me hands on some though if i could re introduce 10+ around the house that they might increase over time.

hello lads i have the same problem here in mayo i have seen one rabbie in seven years:eek:
and no hairs i would love to reintroduce them the local farmers have
giving up farming there is about 300 acres i am talking about and it is not
to hunt them i hope somebody canhelp all off us steve:)

bullets

From a non-hunters perspective I cant get my head around this idea.

Thought the idea was to get rid of them as they were pests/vermin/ate farmers cabbage patches etc etc if there are feck all in the area job done!
would it not be better to shoot someplace where there is a problem with them?

~B

Hezz700

Bullets,

That requires permission to shoot new areas and that can be hard to come by for some folk. I feel for these guys.

My area could be called Rabbitdisu, but if that changes i would not be a very happy bunny (pun totally intended)

Mac Tire

If the rabbit popoulation of an area has been depleated, be it by over shooting or too many predetors, could the introduction of rabbits from a new area not result in a negative effect, i.e introduction of mixy and the like to an otherwise healthy area (disease wise). Although numbers are low, would it be worth further damaging them.
There used to be a fortune of rabbits around my 'home' house, but due to predetors ( mostly buzzards, great to watch) and some over shooting by outside influences the numbers have dropped big time. I have never known any mixy in my area. About 3 miles over the road there is a hill that is ALIVE with rabbits, i mean it is moving them with. I have been tempted to catch some and boost my own numbers but i am weary of introducing disease to the area.

whitser

the reason theres no mixy in your area is probably cos the rabbit population is low and healthy. i bet that hill thats moving with rabbits will get hit mixy come autumn.

Hezz700

whitser wrote: »

the reason theres no mixy in your area is probably cos the rabbit population is low and healthy. i bet that hill thats moving with rabbits will get hit mixy come autumn.

Too right, its just like thining turnips if you want a good healthy crop you gotta go in hard and remove every second one.

whitser

fields around me are alive with bunnies at the moment. got 2 last night. but as soon as lamping season is approaching mixy strikes. every year its the same.

Mac Tire

thats what i was thinking alright lads, if i was to keep an eye on the larger popoulation and was to take a few from it (shooting them), and they were clear would this suggest that it would be safe? or can certain rabbits carry mixy??? For aslong as i know that hill has been living with rabbits, would a popoulation be able to recover in a single year if there was a bad mixy the year before?

stevoman

is mixy still available to buy? i know you were able to buy it in some of the creameries a few years ago. why they would want to sell it is beyond me. the guy who invented it in france ( i think) wiped out something like 95% of the countrys population of rabbits!

stevoman

Mac Tire wrote: »

thats what i was thinking alright lads, if i was to keep an eye on the larger popoulation and was to take a few from it (shooting them), and they were clear would this suggest that it would be safe? or can certain rabbits carry mixy??? For aslong as i know that hill has been living with rabbits, would a popoulation be able to recover in a single year if there was a bad mixy the year before?

yes and no. it depends on just how big the population is! last year was by far the worst year i have ever seen for mixy! of course this year the fileds are alive again in the same place!

If the population isnt really that big they wont return as easy!

Once the lay of the land suit, they'l always be around in big numbers. where i hunt the land is very sandy so conditions suit them as their burrows are like hives. I could have a ferrets down for up to 15 minutes without a sign of him.

Mac Tire

You would have a field day on this hill SteveO!

whitser

Mac Tire wrote: »

thats what i was thinking alright lads, if i was to keep an eye on the larger popoulation and was to take a few from it (shooting them), and they were clear would this suggest that it would be safe? or can certain rabbits carry mixy??? For aslong as i know that hill has been living with rabbits, would a popoulation be able to recover in a single year if there was a bad mixy the year before?

mixy will never wipe out an entire population. in fact in england now parts are showing signs of being resistent to mixy. nothing can keep the humble rabbit down.

stevoman

Mac Tire wrote: »

You would have a field day on this hill SteveO!

i bet i would. if you wanted to catch rabbits to boost population make sure to get the grazers (three quaters). Rabbits are terrotorial. leave the old ones to stay in their places and take the young adults to the new home. they will grow a little more and then begin to breed with the other rabbits. sometimes over population can cause mixy.thats why it was so bad last year. the rabbits were forced under with the bad weather and so many rabbits in the one place isjust a breeding ground for mixy.

stevoman

whitser wrote: »

mixy will never wipe out an entire population. in fact in england now parts are showing signs of being resistent to mixy. nothing can keep the humble rabbit down.

have you heard about this new desease that they are catching. VHD - viral hemorage desease, it can wipe out a population in a day or two. keep an eye out for it. rabbits will literally be foaming from the mouth they say. )not kidding)

whitser

i've heard it mentioned alright, think theres something bout it in the cmw this week. the rabbit will overcome anything thats thrown at it, ultimate survivours. all vermin species are, thats why there vermin. they can adapt to anything and live most anywhere.

stevoman

whitser wrote: »

i've heard it mentioned alright, think theres something bout it in the cmw this week. the rabbit will overcome anything thats thrown at it, ultimate survivours. all vermin species are, thats why there vermin. they can adapt to anything and live most anywhere.

true and they taste great aswell! especally those grazers. I would love to try a grey squirrell this year! i hear those taste great aswell. pigeon just does'nt do it for me im afraid! (the way i cook it anyways) iv had to come to terms with that, even though when i shoot them i force feed them to myself out of principle!

It wasn't me!

stevoman wrote: »

true and they taste great aswell! especally those grazers. I would love to try a grey squirrell this year! i hear those taste great aswell. pigeon just does'nt do it for me im afraid! (the way i cook it anyways) iv had to come to terms with that, even though when i shoot them i force feed them to myself out of principle!

Pigeon:

Heat sesame oil in a pan and grind a little black pepper on the pigeon breasts. Throw them in when it's hot enough, splash some soy or worcestershire sauce over them and add a little red wine. Serve up on toasted soda farls with butter. Really quick and really tasty.

stevoman

It wasn't me! wrote: »

Pigeon:

Heat sesame oil in a pan and grind a little black pepper on the pigeon breasts. Throw them in when it's hot enough, splash some soy or worcestershire sauce over them and add a little red wine. Serve up on toasted soda farls with butter. Really quick and really tasty.

cheers , i may give that a shot. its getting to that stage only another 2 months!

It wasn't me!

That or just barbecue them. Hard to go wrong there anyway!

Yeah, if I get a shotgun sorted this summer I'll have to find a cereal farmer about the place to let me get a bit of pigeon action in.

Vegeta

The nicest meal I ever had was squab pigeon. Jesus the meat was tender

Pigeon is lovely but like all meats it does have to be cooked right.

stevoman

Vegeta wrote: »

The nicest meal I ever had was squab pigeon. Jesus the meat was tender

Pigeon is lovely but like all meats it does have to be cooked right.

without a bit of sauce i find it very livery.

thehair

Mac Tire wrote: »

If the rabbit popoulation of an area has been depleated, be it by over shooting or too many predetors, could the introduction of rabbits from a new area not result in a negative effect, i.e introduction of mixy and the like to an otherwise healthy area (disease wise). Although numbers are low, would it be worth further damaging them.
There used to be a fortune of rabbits around my 'home' house, but due to predetors ( mostly buzzards, great to watch) and some over shooting by outside influences the numbers have dropped big time. I have never known any mixy in my area. About 3 miles over the road there is a hill that is ALIVE with rabbits, i mean it is moving them with. I have been tempted to catch some and boost my own numbers but i am weary of introducing disease to the area.

all i know is they are not around here and yes i would love to hunt them
but i will not hunt them . if i was lucky to have a lot of rabbie or haires
i would be able to hunt as i have not that life. mac tire good ans it make me think again I.E introducing disease to the area steve

Mac Tire

That last post from 'thehair' made me think there...the Hare popoulation has exploded around where the Rabbits have declined...Do Hares get mixy or is it less common due to the fact that they dont live in such tight areas and therefore spread disease on? They are getting very common and its a bad day if i dont see one, last one i shot weighted 8 1/2 pounds i think..
Or could there be a giant Hare v's Rabbit turf war on in my part of Donegal!:p

Vegeta

stevoman wrote: »

without a bit of sauce i find it very livery.

Ahhh ya see, I love some liver I do


I have to say the same about Hares, loads around me. Every night I go lamping I see about a dozen. Definitely on the rise around me anyway

thehair

Mac Tire wrote: »

That last post from 'thehair' made me think there...the Hare popoulation has exploded around where the Rabbits have declined...Do Hares get mixy or is it less common due to the fact that they dont live in such tight areas and therefore spread disease on? They are getting very common and its a bad day if i dont see one, last one i shot weighted 8 1/2 pounds i think..
Or could there be a giant Hare v's Rabbit turf war on in my part of Donegal!:p

mmmm you could be right lets get PRIME TIME TO REPORT ON IT:D:D

Mac Tire

Im sure there are some sections of the Irish media monster that would lap it up!!!

thehair

was that a bit of a low shot by me he he:p

foxshooter243

Id agree lads the hare population is on the rise again, great to see ,a lovely animal, there was some rumblings of it being made protected a while back, never heard anything since though.

thehair

foxshooter243 wrote: »

Id agree lads the hare population is on the rise again, great to see ,a lovely animal, there was some rumblings of it being made protected a while back, never heard anything since though.

not down here fox mmm have you be eating the hair:p

foxshooter243

thehair wrote: »

not down here fox mmm have you be eating the hair:p

not guilty your honour:eek:

thehair

foxshooter243 wrote: »

not guilty your honour:eek:

there now dont worry i want a D-N-A test so you are NOT kissing my ass:p

stevoman

foxshooter243 wrote: »

Id agree lads the hare population is on the rise again, great to see ,a lovely animal, there was some rumblings of it being made protected a while back, never heard anything since though.

yes a fantastic creature. something i would never hunt out of respect. Coursing and liver fluke played a big part in this animals decline but they are on the up again thanks god. irelands oldest living mammal, it even survived the ice age!

they say its bad luck to shoot a hare as all they have is their legs to save them as they live above ground the cant even run to ground to hide.

foxshooter243

stevoman wrote: »

yes a fantastic creature. something i would never hunt out of respect. Coursing and liver fluke played a big part in this animals decline but they are on the up again thanks god. irelands oldest living mammal, it even survived the ice age!

they say its bad luck to shoot a hare as all they have is their legs to save them as they live above ground the cant even run to ground to hide.

Hares are steeped in thousands of years of mythology , foklore and tradition, in celtic folklore the celtic warrior oisin hunted a hare and wounded it in the leg, the hare took cover in a clump of bushes and when oisin followed the hare into the clump he found a door that led to a huge underground cavern, upon entering the cavern he found a beautiful girl who was sitting on a throne and bleeding from the knee...its stories like these that always caused me to leave the hare in peace or as its called elsewhere "the cat of the woods":eek:

meathstevie

Vegeta wrote: »

Ahhh ya see, I love some liver I do


I have to say the same about Hares, loads around me. Every night I go lamping I see about a dozen. Definitely on the rise around me anyway

Same around my neck of the woods. Very healthy hare population and a good few rabbits dotted around as well. As far as I know I'm one of the only lads in the club who'll put the odd hare on the table.

mallards

Where I'm from we have the old story of the Creggan White Hare.

THE CREGGAN WHITE HARE

In the lowlands of Creggan there lives a white hare
As swift as the swallow that flies through the air
You may tramp the world over but none can compare
With the Pride of the Low Creggan white hare

One clean autumn morning as you may suppose
The red golden sun o'er the green mountain rose
Barney Conway came down and he did declare
This day I'll put an end to that bonnie white hare

He searched through the Lowlands and down through the glens
And among the wild bushes where the white hare had ends
Till at last coming home o'er the heather so bare
From behind a wild thistle jumped out the white hare

Bang bang went his gun and his dog he slipped too
As swift as the wind over the green mountain flew
But the dog soon came back which made poor Barney sigh
For he knew that the white hare had bid him goodbye

There's some jolly sportsmen down here from Pomeroy
From Cookstown, Dungannon and likewise the Moy
With our pedigree greyhounds we've travelled afar
And we've come down to Creggan in our fine motor car

Away to the lowlands the huntsmen did go
In search of the white hare they looked high and low
Till at last Barney Conway on a bog bank so bare
Shouted out to these huntsmen there lies the white hare

They called up their greyhounds from off the green lea
And Barney and the huntsmen they jumped high with glee
For there on the turf bank all gathered around
Seven dogs and nine men did that poor hare surround

Now wonder the white hare did tremble with fear
As she stood on her toes and would raise her big ears
But she stood on her toes and with one gallant spring
She cleared over the greyhounds and broke through the ring

Well the case it went on 'twas beautiful view
As swift as the wind o'er the green mountain flew
But the pedigree greyhounds they didn't go far
They came back and went home in their fine motor car

There came another man and you all know him well
His name is Pat Devlin and Bonnie Black Nell
In search of the white hare he says I'll have fun
Here's fifty to one that Black Nell does her turn

Five turns the hare got then from Bonnie Black Nell
And the sixth one was given around John Haughey's well
'Twas there we lost sight of the white hare and the dog
And ten minutes later they came o'er the bog

Well the chase it went on it was great for to see
The white hare and the greyhound they roamed light and free
Till she travelled to Esker where she knew the lands well
And to Bonnie Black Nell she soon bid farewell

And now to conclude and finish it's time
I hope you'll forgive me for singing this rhyme
If there's any amongst you in Carrickmore fair
Let's drink up a health to the bonnie white hare




I've seen her. Snow white witha grey cap. Beautiful.

Mallards.

whitser

i shot my last hare about 10 yrs ago, i wont shoot or let them be shot in my company. i'll hunt them alright with hounds or lurcher. but its seldom i'd back one. north county dublin is full of hares. they are good to eat.
great poem mallards.

thehair

[
great poem mallards A1:cool:

mallards

It's a lament I heard my Grandfather sing before, over a couple of pints. It's funny as a hunter listening to it, you wish on the hare!

Mallards.

thehair

mallards wrote: »

It's a lament I heard my Grandfather sing before, over a couple of pints. It's funny as a hunter listening to it, you wish on the hare!

Mallards.

would you have a poem to bring tham back to mayo;)

mallards

Im working in an industrial estate in South West Dublin and the place is living with hares. I think they are brown hares as they look different to the ones at home. Larger for a start. They are used to people looking at them as they pass by and will let you get to with 6 feet of them! Saying that there are fields around our building that usually have wheat on them. So near harvest you can see the flight lines of loads of pigeon coming in! It's a wonder I get any work down with those kind of distractions outside!!

Mallards.

thehair

It's a wonder I get any work down with those kind of distractions outside!!

how do you do it.:eek: it must be hart breaking for you:p

whitser

speaking of hares. i had the dogs out running with bike yesterday evening, a young hare crossed just in front, fcuking dogs nearly pulled me under the gate bike inc. just about managed to stop myself wiping out.i see loads of them in the fields when out running the hounds.

foxshooter243

whitser wrote: »

speaking of hares. i had the dogs out running with bike yesterday evening, a young hare crossed just in front, fcuking dogs nearly pulled me under the gate bike inc. just about managed to stop myself wiping out.i see loads of them in the fields when out running the hounds.

whitser, im seeing fox cubs killed on the roads already, do you think
things are earlier this year than usual?

whitser

dont think so. from now til sept will see alot of cubs dead on the roads. they'll be out and about the whole time now. shame.

Hezz700

foxshooter243 wrote: »

whitser, im seeing fox cubs killed on the roads already, do you think
things are earlier this year than usual?

I've seen 2 in broad daylight last week. One toddled out on the road about 25yards in front of my while i was out jogging. It got an awful fright when it turned around to see the setter and myself coming towards it. The second i spotted about 150 yards away while out shooting bunnies.

ivanthehunter

As far as i aware its illegal to release any wild animal in an area other than where it was captured.. I suppose the main reason is the spreed of diseases and the possible infestation and hence the subsequent destruction of crops etc etc etc..
But I'm not bothered about the ethics of such activities. Some precautions might be taken by a possible quarantine of animals for a reasonable length of time. I would suggest a detailed study of mixy and other debilitating diseases and such like in a bid to understand and hence avoid the contamination of local fair.

I have often thought of breeding a super bunny! Imagen a bunny immune to mixy and of course a little larger.
The problem is "How do you combat Mixy when it is made up may different strains and continually mutates to new strains..


Lets face it mixy is a terrible affliction on the natural world. The act of releasing such a virulent virus into the natural environment was no different to any of the other despicable crime against the natural world. Its a black mark against the human population and its no different to the seal culling or whale hunting.........

Mac Tire

The only reason you would need it larger would be to get a higher meat yield...Otherwise are they not a large enough target...:D

thehair

Mac Tire wrote: »

The only reason you would need it larger would be to get a higher meat yield...Otherwise are they not a large enough target...:D

ooo yes +1:D

J.R.

ivanthehunter wrote: »

I have often thought of breeding a super bunny! Imagen a bunny immune to mixy and of course a little larger. ...

Hi Ivanthehunter,

You should give this guy a call!





Commentary:
Although the rabbit depicted in these photographs may seem almost unbelievably large, it is (or was) in fact a real animal and the images are authentic. According to a February 2007 Washington Post article, the colossal bunny in the pictures is a German gray giant named "Robert" who weighed in at at whopping 23 pounds (10.4 kilograms). The man holding Robert is Karl Szmolinsky, a long-time rabbit breeder who lives in Eberswalde, a town in eastern Germany.

Szmolinsky and his giant rabbits gained the attention of the media after he agreed to sell some of his animals to the North Koreans to be used in a breeding program designed to help alleviate chronic food shortages in that country. Because of the large size of the breed, North Korean diplomats felt that Szmolinsky's rabbits would be a good choice as breeding stock. Indeed, Szmolinsky notes that each of his giant rabbits can yield up to 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) of tender meat.

In December 2006, a collection of carefully selected rabbits, including Robert, was transported to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Szmolinsky was later informed that the rabbits arrived safely in North Korea.

Sadly, what happened to Robert and the other bunnies after their arrival is somewhat unclear. The secretive North Koreans remain tight-lipped about the success or failure of the breeding program. In fact, Mr Szmolinsky later received word that the rabbits he supplied may have been eaten at a birthday banquet for North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, rather than used as breeders as he intended. Thus, poor Robert may no longer be with us.

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/giant-rabbit.shtml