Rabbits

Markhor

I was wondering if there were any areas in the country that contain good numbers of rabbits ?

Forty years ago I used to shoot rabbits around the Silvermines in North Tipperary, at that time the hedgerows were full of rabbits and one could see 15 or 20 at a time in every corner of the meadows there. I would generally only shoot a few for my own use in the pot, but since the late 90's I saw a considerable drop off in the population, there are still rabbits in the area but they are pretty thin on the ground when compared to previous times.

So I am wondering does the same situation pertain to the rest of the country ?

cookimonster

Saw a massive drop off in numbers and in some locations complete disappearance of rabbits during the 90s and onwards. Used to shoot a lot of big bags in Meath and Cavan without putting a dent in the numbers.
Mixie would roll around every now and again but nothing too serious, it was as far as I know and have been told the Rabbit haemorrhagic disease that has done the damage here. It is a very virulent and efficient killer, that allows no time for the infected population to develop immunity through breeding as it kills with in a relatively short time of infection unlike Myxomatosis.
See the link for more details http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_haemorrhagic_disease

Cass

Almost non existent on most of my permissions however on a permission i shoot with a mate they are rampant. Doing serious damage to crops, and regardless of the amount of shooting the damage continues.

Birdnuts

Got no rabbits on my place in North Mayo cos its boggy/wet ground. Numbers on Blessington Game Club grounds fluctuate from year to year depending on disease pressures. They do best on sandy soil so biggest numbers are in and around the sand quarries.Decent numbers this Spring after a good breeding season last year. A bad dose of Mixie or haemorrhagic fever though could knock them back badly as happened in 2012.

German pointer

Markhor wrote: »

I was wondering if there were any areas in the country that contain good numbers of rabbits ?

Forty years ago I used to shoot rabbits around the Silvermines in North Tipperary, at that time the hedgerows were full of rabbits and one could see 15 or 20 at a time in every corner of the meadows there. I would generally only shoot a few for my own use in the pot, but since the late 90's I saw a considerable drop off in the population, there are still rabbits in the area but they are pretty thin on the ground when compared to previous times.

So I am wondering does the same situation pertain to the rest of the country ?

I shot all that area 30-35 years ago as well for rabbits and often came home with 60 or 70 in a evening without making s dent in them. Lucky to get a hand full now when I go out.

rugermk3

got to say I haven't notice any type of drop in rabbit numbers, where I hunt near Dublin, ive been hunting the area for 4-5 years now and ive only ever bumped into one other person out for a shot , weather that's the reason there`s so many rabbits, the fact nobody other than myself is shooting them, I've often gone thru 100-150 bullets a few nights a week with out putting a dent in them , seems to be an endless supply, I've done some hunting in the Kildare area and the number went up and down from year to year but i wrecking that was down to over hunting more than disease,

Markhor

I do remember years ago reading about VHD that was introduced to Astralia in order to eradicate the rabbit population there, but is there any actual evidence that rabbits were deliberately infected with the virus here ?

Padd2

Not much rabbits here where I am you'd see maybe 3 to 5 in a field ! But there's on 4 real fields that produce

deerhunter1

German pointer wrote: »

I shot all that area 30-35 years ago as well for rabbits and often came home with 60 or 70 in a evening without making s dent in them. Lucky to get a hand full now when I go out.

Me too my best was 96 one morning and not one went to waste,OOOHH those were the days;)

dodderangler

A friend of mine has family lad in Roscommon and this is about 5 year ago I went down for a weekend and his uncle took us out for about 4 hour on his land and his neighbours who we were allowed on.
Anyway we were basically tripping up over rabbits and the place is still the same he told me month ago.
So they're still about in most places

rugermk3

Markhor wrote: »

I do remember years ago reading about VHD that was introduced to Astralia in order to eradicate the rabbit population there, but is there any actual evidence that rabbits were deliberately infected with the virus here ?

I know a farmer that puts down mixie , first time I shot at his place got 60 70 rabbits took them home to clean, every rabbit had it , spent a week shooting them just to end there misery , one of the lads that works on the farm told me hes always releasing rabbits with the disease, haven't been near the place in about two years but It was some of the best rabbit shooting ive ever had , I was taken shots and rabbits were running thru my feet , and others wouldn't move at all, there was tones of black rabbits ,but there wasn't one rabbit I shot with out the disease and I shot hundreds of them, its a horrible thing to give rabbits , don't under stand why somebody would do it , when there`s lots of people out there like myself that would shoot them for free with out making them suffer for weeks on end with a cancer like disease ,

ronn

I was in cork for the wknd and got out between showers on Saturday after a few bunny's, plenty of them about,

richj

I was out yesterday evening (Gorey) with the shotgun for an hour and shot 6 but seen plenty of 10+ bunches in the distance, no shortage of them around here!

chopper6

I shoot around the back of the airport,havnt seen one this year at all.

extremetaz

I'm lucky enough to have a permission that's basically one big warren. It's only about 6 acres and permission for air rifle only as a result, but they are properly crammed in there. Healthy too.

Haven't been out for a few months now, will give the last of the grazers a few more weeks to arrive and I'll be back on it then.

chopper6

Anybody need a rabbit-potting buddy gimme a bell. I have .22LR and Shotgun...Nth Dublin.