What to do about rabbits?

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Muddy unicorn

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We have always had a healthy population of rabbits but this year it’s getting completely out of hand. They’ve started burrowing in the middle of a couple of fields not just the edges and I’m worried the horses are going to injure themselves. I’m normally in the live and let live camp but reluctantly think we need to do something about it. We have one rabbit-hunting cat but he’s 18 and only manages a couple of small rabbits every now and then. The dogs are retrievers with zero prey drive. There are foxes, raptors and feral cats around but still hundreds of rabbits. A couple of years ago my husband got someone in to shoot a few but he only managed about 3 which made no difference. Any suggestions?
 
We have a guy who comes quite often to keep them under control. They’ve taken 45 from about December to April, then gave it a rest. They have just come a couple more times. I think you need to take a few each time over a period, if one visit only gets a few it won’t help much. Around here there are quite a few shooting types who are willing to do it free.
 
Get someone with working whippets/lurchers to come and clear the field. Mine would clear that in a couple of hours tops. I dont have the proper set up for big jobs, you really need ferrets to flush them or work on a night with lamps, but if your anywhere near oxford/gloucester I'm happy to bring him over and he will thin them out for you. Otherwise I can get you a link for where to find someone local to you with all the kit.
 
We have loads too. The farmer let someone come in last week to shoot them but they still seem to be everywhere. There are some huge holes around our fields and, like you, I’m worried the horses are going to injure themselves.
 
I'm Dun said:
Get someone with working whippets/lurchers to come and clear the field. Mine would clear that in a couple of hours tops. I dont have the proper set up for big jobs, you really need ferrets to flush them or work on a night with lamps, but if your anywhere near oxford/gloucester I'm happy to bring him over and he will thin them out for you. Otherwise I can get you a link for where to find someone local to you with all the kit.
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I should have said that our guy also uses ferrets on the road boundary where he can't shoot.
 
I bought an air rifle so that I could open a house window and sit in wait.

The cat has had the most impact on numbers by catching most of the juveniles and large adults if they just happen to bump into him.

Every few years a disease will drastically reduce numbers.
 
I'm Dun said:
Get someone with working whippets/lurchers to come and clear the field. Mine would clear that in a couple of hours tops. I dont have the proper set up for big jobs, you really need ferrets to flush them or work on a night with lamps, but if your anywhere near oxford/gloucester I'm happy to bring him over and he will thin them out for you. Otherwise I can get you a link for where to find someone local to you with all the kit.
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Thanks @I’m Dun - we’re several hours away from you but I’ll pm you my area if that’s ok
 
We are overrun with rabbits this year. Apart from the holes they are digging in the fields they have now moved into the school and are burrowing under the surface so I spend a fair amount of time checking it and filling in the holes. We previously had cats here which kept them down.

The other evening I stopped counting at 30 rabbits in one field. It is super annoying as they have eaten the grass right down in the summer turnout fields.
 
Our place was overrun when we first got it. We have had people come and shoot. My OH has also invested in an air rifle and we have inherited some ferrets. The ferrets seem to have done the best job. I have 2 stinky males that we walk round the edge of the field regularly and that seems to keep the rabbits in the hedge line and out of the field.

The holes in the field I've filled in with poo when I'm poo picking and that seems to have done the trick. We keep all the weeds and bramble cut back against the hedge line so they have no hiding places within the field too.

We have lost the odd ferret over the years when the cage hasn't been closed properly (OH seems to not pay attention when putting them away). I think this has probably helped manage the population too.
 
Muddy unicorn said:
We have always had a healthy population of rabbits but this year it’s getting completely out of hand. They’ve started burrowing in the middle of a couple of fields not just the edges and I’m worried the horses are going to injure themselves. I’m normally in the live and let live camp but reluctantly think we need to do something about it. We have one rabbit-hunting cat but he’s 18 and only manages a couple of small rabbits every now and then. The dogs are retrievers with zero prey drive. There are foxes, raptors and feral cats around but still hundreds of rabbits. A couple of years ago my husband got someone in to shoot a few but he only managed about 3 which made no difference. Any suggestions?
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Any gypsy sites near you? They’re the lads for this job!
Just borrowing a ferret and letting it pee / roll around the holes tends to deter rabbits, cf Dorsette, above.
Or - re home some genuine feral cats.
in UK, myxy typically makes a reappearance every few years, but it’s horrible, and last cycle some brown hares were affected, too.
 
A decent terrier will thin some out! The Patterdale has a great time when I let her off in the field to find them, she's very efficient. On the farm we have inherited five miles or so away, the rabbit population had exploded, and myxy is wiping them out there, it's pretty grim. We also go for a wander about our fields with the air rifles. OH has a very high powered one with a night sight on, he loves lying in the dark and picking them off 🙄😂
 
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