Rabbit shooting training days

[Goffy]

take a look at Bryn shoot Powys they keeper there does walked up days and training for rabbits
jan

[pontbeck]

I don't know if it has hit endemic proportions but I've had two with the disease on my property in the past month

[goshawk]

RHD seems to be very contagious.

Gr, Jan

[Bryn]

I think that's what has given rise to the patchy crashes in populations, hopefully the hill rabbits are isolated enough to escape and I can set Fizz to catching some for the rabbit pens when she's old enough.

Seem to be in a holding pattern right now as neither my ferret nor my springer are quite ready to work yet.

[hily]

Myself and a pal have shooting rights over 3000 acres and to afford the rent we have a small walk and stand syndicate over the years we have found that most of the guns that have rejoined year on year have done so because they can work there dogs on rough days shooting rabbits but the two very bad winters we had hit the bunny's hard also nearly wiped out the brown hares this year we have only been flushing the rabbits and not shooting many hoping this will help the population grow last time we had a walk about we had a good few flushes so happy about that mind you still not the numbers we had but the dreaded mixi is about but it looks like it's confined to around the farm and not out into the fields .The hares have made a good recovery so we do get a lot of flushes from them as we are located in the scottish borders we don't shoot them out of season and anyway we have a rule that the hares are not to be shot unless someone wants one for the pot.To sum up why not try and find a syndicate that has a few bunnies on the land and that way you can hunt/train your dog over the year and not just once in a blue moon good luck and hope you get something sorted.

[Bryn]

caught 2 in my live cages today so took them up to the pen. One had a damaged eye so was examining it before putting it in the pen when the wild little bugger escaped the other was fine so didn't get the chance by my reckoning that's 6 in the pen now so half stocked, providing the Buzzard hasn't had any

[hily]

Ah well buzzards only eat worms and dead things no way will they go for bunnies or poults and the like

[Bryn]

Someone fogot to tell the ones over here then

[trekmoor]

It's a fact. I was told buzzards only eat worms and beetles when we were visited at school by an awfully nice S.S.P.C.A. inspector !
I actually believed that for quite a number of years. They don't have that beak and those talons just to kill beetles with.....wonder if the S.S.P.C.A. knows that yet ?

Wullie

[goshawk]

I tend to agree with hily. Buzzards have beak and talons, but don't have the speed and power to kill (healthy) rabbits or pheasants. They may catch a small or sick one, but that's all.
Once you have seen how much energy and power a (male) goshawk needs to catch and hold a rabbit, you know that it is almost impossible for a buzzard.
Gr, Jan