Rabbits as vermin - Opinions

[Commbubba19]

This last spring/summer there seem to be alot more wild rabbits in our neighborhood. Unfortunately there is a spot where 4 backyards converge that the rabbits seem to think is home. I am one of the 4 backyards.

So when i see them I take my Diana .177 pellet rifle and have at it. Most of the time I miss but so far I've shot and killed 4. My reasoning mainly is I don't want them digging holes and they do carry disease. What I don't understand is why they hang out in my yard considering its full of dog piss and shit. I would think they would smell the fecal matter of a predator and avoid the area.

My 1 year old Labrador however is too dumbfounded to see a rabbit right in front of her. Only when it starts running will she have an epiphany and decide to chase it to no avail.

My delima is a few days ago I took a shot at one of the rabbits and must have hit his spine as he crawled away on his front paws under the fence before i could reload. Though I am not a animal rights person, no animal should suffer or be tortured. I felt bad for the rabbit as I always shoot to kill so there is no suffering.

Fast forward to last night and I see the poor guy across the street just dragging himself around in circles. I watched him for a good hour. I knew he was suffering and likely in pain and definitely would not survive on his own.

I decided to go out and scooped him up into a plastic bin. I however don't have the balls to break any animals neck with my bare hands. Just not how I'm wired and I didn't have any poison. I decided to take a close range pellet shot to the back of the head.

I feel bad for the poor guy and am disappointed with myself for making hims suffer due to my poor aim. I'm also now wrestling with the decision if i should continue to shoot the rabbits as I see them or find some other means of keeping them out of my yard.

 

[venom_inc]

This last spring/summer there seem to be alot more wild rabbits in our neighborhood. Unfortunately there is a spot where 4 backyards converge that the rabbits seem to think is home. I am one of the 4 backyards.

So when i see them I take my Diana .177 pellet rifle and have at it. Most of the time I miss but so far I've shot and killed 4. My reasoning mainly is I don't want them digging holes and they do carry disease. What I don't understand is why they hang out in my yard considering its full of dog piss and shit. I would think they would smell the fecal matter of a predator and avoid the area.

My 1 year old Labrador however is too dumbfounded to see a rabbit right in front of her. Only when it starts running will she have an epiphany and decide to chase it to no avail.

My delima is a few days ago I took a shot at one of the rabbits and must have hit his spine as he crawled away on his front paws under the fence before i could reload. Though I am not a animal rights person, no animal should suffer or be tortured. I felt bad for the rabbit as I always shoot to kill so there is no suffering.

Fast forward to last night and I see the poor guy across the street just dragging himself around in circles. I watched him for a good hour. I knew he was suffering and likely in pain and definitely would not survive on his own.

I decided to go out and scooped him up into a plastic bin. I however don't have the balls to break any animals neck with my bare hands. Just not how I'm wired and I didn't have any poison. I decided to take a close range pellet shot to the back of the head.

I feel bad for the poor guy and am disappointed with myself for making hims suffer due to my poor aim. I'm also now wrestling with the decision if i should continue to shoot the rabbits as I see them or find some other means of keeping them out of my yard.

My father and I always would trap them in a cage and let them loose at the state park near our home. This included ground hogs and skunks. The only time we broke out the .22 was when this one ground hog wasn't taking the bait and was destroying all of my mothers gardening.

 

[03 DSG Snake]

Why not just leave them alone? :shrug:

 

[SirShaun]

You could.....

Get a Pet Hawk?
Shoot them with Paintball Gun? Apparently paintball guns work really well scaring bears off.

I doubt they will dig your yard up if you give them a chance. They mostly just graze on grass. I have seen them tear up some gardens. There are pellets and other remedies in that case to repel them.

 

[Commbubba19]

They did dig up a portion of my yard on the side.

My concern with poison pellets is that they will eat them then run off and die somewhere and rot. Plus due to my dog and kids in the neighborhood I really don't was to use poison.

I was thinking about a trap. Saw one at Cabelas that wasn't too expensive.

 

[CobraBob]

A few applicable links with some good info/product for repelling rabbits in your yard.

http://www.wildlifeanimalcontrol.com/rabbitrepellent.html

http://www.predatorpee.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=FU

http://ask.metafilter.com/8654/Any-advice-on-repelling-hungry-bunnies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_repellent

http://bugspray.com/articles99/rabbits.html

 

[2000gt4.6]

This last spring/summer there seem to be alot more wild rabbits in our neighborhood. Unfortunately there is a spot where 4 backyards converge that the rabbits seem to think is home. I am one of the 4 backyards.

So when i see them I take my Diana .177 pellet rifle and have at it. Most of the time I miss but so far I've shot and killed 4. My reasoning mainly is I don't want them digging holes and they do carry disease. What I don't understand is why they hang out in my yard considering its full of dog piss and shit. I would think they would smell the fecal matter of a predator and avoid the area.

My 1 year old Labrador however is too dumbfounded to see a rabbit right in front of her. Only when it starts running will she have an epiphany and decide to chase it to no avail.

My delima is a few days ago I took a shot at one of the rabbits and must have hit his spine as he crawled away on his front paws under the fence before i could reload. Though I am not a animal rights person, no animal should suffer or be tortured. I felt bad for the rabbit as I always shoot to kill so there is no suffering.

Fast forward to last night and I see the poor guy across the street just dragging himself around in circles. I watched him for a good hour. I knew he was suffering and likely in pain and definitely would not survive on his own.

I decided to go out and scooped him up into a plastic bin. I however don't have the balls to break any animals neck with my bare hands. Just not how I'm wired and I didn't have any poison. I decided to take a close range pellet shot to the back of the head.

I feel bad for the poor guy and am disappointed with myself for making hims suffer due to my poor aim. I'm also now wrestling with the decision if i should continue to shoot the rabbits as I see them or find some other means of keeping them out of my yard.

I have a similar problem with squirrel.... they tear the hell out of the garden and potted plants.

Buy a .22 and run subsonic lead nose bullets. Stops em every time, quiet, and you have follow up shots in the mag.

People don't realise how overpopulated squirrel/ rabbits etc are. We have driven off all the natural predators, hunting is on the decline and they have more to eat due to gardens/plants etc. Do it humane but shoot em all I say.

BTW, so far this year we have lost like 3 eggplant and x2 jalapeño to squirell, before the .22 came out.

 

[Commbubba19]

A few applicable links with some good info/product for repelling rabbits in your yard.

http://www.wildlifeanimalcontrol.com/rabbitrepellent.html

http://www.predatorpee.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=FU

http://ask.metafilter.com/8654/Any-advice-on-repelling-hungry-bunnies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_repellent

http://bugspray.com/articles99/rabbits.html

Thanks for the links. Good info.

If I continue to see more rabbits I'll likely go with traps and release them at the nearby park which is about a mile from me. I do like the motion detecting water sprayer but I doubt it will work well. Plus the dog will likley trigger it and then be pissed at me.

She already avoids the sprinkler when it's on.

 

[Commbubba19]

I have a similar problem with squirrel.... they tear the hell out of the garden and potted plants.

Buy a .22 and run subsonic lead nose bullets. Stops em every time, quiet, and you have follow up shots in the mag.

People don't realise how overpopulated squirrel/ rabbits etc are. We have driven off all the natural predators, hunting is on the decline and they have more to eat due to gardens/plants etc. Do it humane but shoot em all I say.

BTW, so far this year we have lost like 3 eggplant and x2 jalapeño to squirell, before the .22 came out.

Very true. I just felt bad this guy suffered because of my bad aim.

I don't feel comfortable shooting a .22 cal in my neighborhood. Though I am technically outside city limits other homes are too close and it is just too dangerous.

 

[black99lightnin]

I would contact Elmer Fudd, he hates wabbits.

 

[zerocool]

Be quicker with the follow up shot. Or buy a crossbow.

 

[CobraBob]

I was thinking about a trap. Saw one at Cabelas that wasn't too expensive.

The problem with a trap is that they're not discouraged from hanging around your property. Plus, you have to decide what you're going to do with the trapped rabbits. Doesn't sound like you want to kill them. And you'd have to transport them far enough away where they won't come back to your yard. A rabbit repellent seems to be your best choice if you just want to keep them off your property. Just treat the area periodically and hopefully they'll go elsewhere.

 

[VirtualSVT]

catch and make stew.

Problem solved.

 

[Mr. Mach-ete]

I worked with a guy who told me he'd slit the throats of the rabbits he caught. He'd bleed them out over the property line and all through his garden. He'd then take them, cut them up and till the parts into the garden, he claimed this worked as a deterrent.

 

[VirtualSVT]

I worked with a guy who told me he'd slit the throats of the rabbits he caught. He'd bleed them out over the property line and all through his garden. He'd then take them, cut them up and till the parts into the garden, he claimed this worked as a deterrent.

uh that's frightening.

 

[Commbubba19]

I worked with a guy who told me he'd slit the throats of the rabbits he caught. He'd bleed them out over the property line and all through his garden. He'd then take them, cut them up and till the parts into the garden, he claimed this worked as a deterrent.

That sounds like a scary dude.

I did read that rabbits don't like dried blood. Not sure if this was his motive.

I hope you don't work with that guy anymore.

 

[oldmodman]

Don't like to cut their throats? Shooting not you cup of tea?

Get one of those wire cage Hav-A-Hart traps. They are very safe for the Rabbit.

Once the Rabbit is in the trap gently with great sympathy lower the trap into the water. After the Rabbit had been underwater for half an hour or so it will not only be nice and clean but you will have trained it to stay out of your yard.

You may now release it.

 

[pho_phizzat]

Don't be surprised if they call in this guy to get you back.

 

[Oxford]

On my way to work this morning I drove right passed a rabbit that got squashed by another car and it damn sure ruined my day. I am not a hippie animal lover nor do I look down upon hunters but ill never be able to shoot an animal. it'd have to have pretty successful odds of killing me or a loved one before Id be able to break that threshold. Idk how you guys do it, more power to you.


More to your point I think the trap/release method seems the most reasonable and humane.

 

[MovingZen]

Rabbits don't bother me so much but I consider squirrels to be rats with fluffy tails. I shoot those ****ers and throw them over the back fence. Last year I had vultures sitting on the back fence giving me the head nod like we were friends.