Schrecken

Hi, I just found this board tonight and I've got a problem that I'm at my wit's end with....I don't really do much hunting or trapping except to remove nusiance animals (squirrels, rabbits, oppossum) but as of late I've run up against "Moby Bunny". Let me explain. I live on a little over an acre of land, wooded (I have neighbors and technically I'm in a residential area so there are limits on what I can do...). There are squirrels aplenty and if they really start on my bird feeders I can get them in live traps and then take them a few miles away to the county park; however - this past spring I had a rabbit issue.....I watched in fury as hundreds of dollars worth of landscaping I put in was mowed to the ground and died because of the furry little suckers....

So I got some rabbit lure, set some cage traps and went out night after night with an air rifle...I got lucky and nailed the doe (found out she had a bunch of progeny waiting to erupt on the scene) but there are more.....wily, crafty ones worthy of Captain Ahab's enemy (luckily they can't bite my legs off!!)...I have diligently baited 4 cage traps night after night (especially when it rains as that's when I tend to see more of them) and gone prowling around with the rifle and flashlight, taking aim and firing (I'm a pretty good shot but at night with only a flashlight, and it's really hard to get close enough to get a good aim), only to see one gleefully hopping away[:@].

I've followed all the instructions on using the lure, I've chopped a million apples and carrots, moved the traps around and still I can't get the little stinker!!! I can't fence my property either - don't have the $$$ and it would look terrible - not only that the hyacinth-munching monsters drive my dog crazy (I'd love to let him off the lead as I'm sure he could run them down easily - he's a lab/dane mix but then I'd be out all night trying to catch him - and there is a main highway a few hundred feet away with my luck he'd go down there and get hit...)

So......does anyone have any suggestions on how I can rid my property of the furry plague? I've thought about using conibear-type traps (since the 'wascawy wabbit' doesn't cotton to my cage traps) but I don't want to kill birds or the stray cat that lives under my shed (or any other non-target animal) and put a few next to the daffodils and hyacinths next spring...but I'd like to get rid of them NOW.

R. Lee

live2hunt743

The rabbits must live somewhere...so just find where they live and either block it off with fine wire fencing, put some mothballs down there, or two a combination of the two. Thats what i've always done for nuisence animals.

kevin1

Scatter more mothballs around what they're eating too , replace as needed . Fox urine makes a good deterrant , it makes them think a predator is lurking .

Schrecken

I had thought of using predator urine (fox or coyote) but the pests don't seem too intimidated by my dogs, though they are neutered so maybe the scent is different....

TomFromTheShade

I would assume that your neighbors don't want to listed to you shoot all day, so I am going to make a suggestion.

Get good with a bow!

You can go up on your roof...or in a tree after dark and turn on your garage light, or whatever you have to light the yard up a little bit. Then its open season!

Silver_Wolf

With discretion maybe a pellet pistol/rifle? Or as suggested a bow.

Schrecken

Thanks for the advice - I use an air rifle/pellet gun that makes a 'pop' but as far as neighborhood noises go (leafblowers, power tools, even children's toys) it's really nothing. I almost got one the other night - I just really need more lighting so I can get a better aim at them.

biscuit jake

A wooded acre is going to draw alot of critters! Rabbits are prevalent even in non wooded city blocks. You could try a couple things: a non-neutered outside Tomcat (with claws), and subvelocity 22 rounds, like CCI CB caps if they still make them. (Not as noisy as an air rifle.) The Tom can be in the house daytime to sleep, but toss his butt out at night to work. Some dogs are better at running rabbits, too. I don't know if you get snow, but I used to pop rabbits at night just by ambient light in my scope no problem. Wa la! Supper.

My sympathy. I had to fence off my garden.

kevin1

Biscuit may have nailed it there , we have two Tomcats and rabbits and squirrels are rare in my 10 acre woods . *Note to self - get rid of at least one cat*

etothepii

Hmmmm.... How about mounting a night vision scope on your air rifle?!?!?

Yeah, it's an expensive proposition, but talk about a cool toy!!!!