Thread: booming rabbits

I went to waikanae for rabbits hunting last weekend at a private land, just noticed that the rabbit population is much bigger than before, don't know why. If the population also getting bigger in central Otago, that will be a serious problem for local farmers.

Haven’t they recently released some sort of virus to kill them off? Similar to Calici (or how ever ya spell it)?

Could be wrong but thought it was a thing

Last virus drop was earlier this year that i know of. Think it was wellington and maybe as far as kapiti?? I shoot rabbits in horowhenua/manawatu and no drop in numbers here. But definitely spring time boom at the mo!

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Its spring, rabbit numbers are up at this time of year. Be happy and shoot the bugger

Originally Posted by windywelly

I went to waikanae for rabbits hunting last weekend at a private land, just noticed that the rabbit population is much bigger than before, don't know why. If the population also getting bigger in central Otago, that will be a serious problem for local farmers.

There's no more problem than usual if your a pro- active farmer as you already have all the control methods you need to keep things under control.
However if your the type of farmer who sits back and waits for other people to sort your problem out then it will also be business as usual with rabbit numbers... you'll have plenty running around.

at the moment my cats are bringing the beggers home at a fair rate,,only the young tho

Originally Posted by 264 magic

at the moment my cats are bringing the beggers home at a fair rate,,only the young tho

Same here. I take them off the cats and skin and gut them otherwise I end up with guts and fur under the bed!

4 in the DoC trap, 4 in the neighbours pool, cat got 3, and I bomb them up every weekend, and they still keep coming. This is on top of most of the neighbours having pindone out. We did notice a big increase when they cut the expressway through the land by Marycrest.
Other than that, it seems to be a spring baby rabbit explosion.

Has anyone had any success controlling rabbits with Pindone? - if so - what sort of bait stations or safety structures were used to keep public and dogs safe?
Has anyone found control with Pindone to be a failure? - suppliers indicate an adult rabbit needs to eat 21 pellets to kill them

Its very good at killing birds and other critters by secondary poisoning. Bullets, traps, gas, nets and ferrets are cleaner ways of killing rabbits.

Whilst seasonal variations can sometimes make it look like numbers are up, in the Ruapehu District numbers are definitely up. Well up. All the cockies have mentioned it, cruising around on the bike they're bloody everywhere, its particularly noticeable on the higher country where I hunt a lot. Around the homesteads and yards I reckon you can put your finger on one main reason - most of the feral cats are gone after a concerted effort to take them out with trapping, which has been very successful.

I'm not sure all of the unintended pindone kills are secondary poisoning. Some of the neighbors run it, and all I see eating it is birds. You would have to be pretty diligent to open the bait station during night hours only, so the birds won't be in there. The bait stations I see being used would not stop dogs getting into it - effectively what looks like a downpipe, with holes cut out the side, and the pellets thrown in the tube.

Originally Posted by Woody

Its very good at killing birds and other critters by secondary poisoning. Bullets, traps, gas, nets and ferrets are cleaner ways of killing rabbits.

Did not think Pindone 2nd killed ???
Brodifacoum works on stomach rupture/hemorage
Only way "I thought" any chance of 2nd kill be if the 2nd animal ate the intire stomach contents of dead animal
Highly unlikely as most die in their own nests

dunno about welly , plenty of here in canterbury.
booming rabbits? well i hot a hare with a 7mmRM. it didnt go boom, it just turned to vapour (just under a km too)

Back on Da Rabbit explosion
Yes - beggars are creating a prob here in the vegi garden - wiped out heaps of cabbage plants - all parsley - blue berries
So - neighbour has got some Pindone Rabbit poison and trying it out
Problem here - before you all start sayn shoot the critters - we literally in bush and seeing them even at night in light is rare and near on impossible to ever get a shot at them
Thermal is good - if I had one :-(