What's the best way of rabbit pest control?

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kit279

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The bunnies in my fields have taken to industrial sized groundworks and I think the time has come to do something about it. Can anyone tell me the best way to get control of the little horrors?
 
2nd the ferret - well worth asking around before you contact a pest control company and pay someone! When I had my own yard I found the local ferret man who would regularly to work the ferrets, he didn't charge me as what he caught was his "income".
 
This is not a very practical suggestion but Countryfile last night showed rabbits being controlled on the famous St Andrews golf course by a falconer with Harris Hawks - looked fabulous!!
 
Why the angry face Amelia? Rabbit holes can pose a real threat to horses, there is nothing wrong with controlling numbers.
 
Jack Russel/Some form of terrier. We have a great one at the yard that's an awesome ratter, (haven't seen any for about 18 months now) and now he's cleared the mice and rats he's after the rabbits! Usually a couple of locals with a gun and license that will do it if they get to take the rabbits if a terier isn't an option!
 
Ferrets are great, especially if the holes are in the open.
You can also get the warren blown up, I have no idea of the legality of it but licensed pest controllers can do it. A bit radical but the ultimate solution!
Firstly though I would go to your local gun shop or country store and find a man with ferrets
 
I'm sure there will be many volunteers if you ask around locally. My husband lamps regularly for local farmers to keep numbers down although this will never eradicate, for that you would need proper pest control.
 
Every legal method. They'll very soon get used to one method and work around it!

If you ferret regularly, they'll tend to lie above ground. If you dog them, they'll take to burrows. Lamping is good but they will get light shy and not sit for a rifle shot, so you need to bring out the shotgun...or dog. Are snares still legal? Probably not popular on here but in skilled hands they do work. Yes, hawks work too, but I'd prefer a goshawk to a Mexican parrot!

As a last resort, rabbit fencing -- with drop boxes placed in the fence at intervals. These are boxes set below ground level with a tilting lid. The lid is fixed until the rabbits get confident at running over it, then it is set to tilt and drop them in the box so you can release them on the land of an enemy!

When you think you have the problem under control, more will come in from your neighbours to fill the vacuum! (Which is why drop boxes are so effective).
 
This year for the first time in 3 years we have had to control the number of rabbits.We also have permission from all our immediate neighsbours to cover where their land joins ours.
We had something akin to 'watership down' going on! We have used a combination of ferrets flushing with spaniels and shooting and night shooting.
The people doing it do it for what they catch so they keep the rabbits they catch/shoot.
The ferret man can only operate when they rabbits are not breeding as the ferrets won't come back if there are babies in the nests so ferreting is done autumn and very early spring.
The ferret man and the local farmers reckon that 6 rabbits eat the same as 1 sheep so a lot of rabbits will impact the amount of grass you have.
Rabbit control is a necessary evil in the countryside as you can quickly get overrun with rabbits i
 
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Rabbits were becoming a real problem for me, so I rehomed a couple of semi ferral cats from cat rescue, and they keep the problem under control.

We have rabbit fenced the garden, as well. Still have some around but at least they are not swamping us any more.

Ferrets are good to get an initial start if you have an area of grazing badley affected, but stable cats are a good on going controller.
 
You need a lovely local man like I've got - quiet, camouflaged, unfazed by horses (and so they ignore him), licensed and insured, uses a silent airgun (horses unbothered by it), sits quietly and waits and shoots. Visits regularly. Takes the bodies away too. No cost to me.
 
Yeah I would have to say - shoot them. Ask a nice local farmer if he knows of a friendly local gun club & they will be more than happy to come & do it for you free of charge. They will take them away aswell :)
 
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