Thread: rabbits in hawea/wanaka

Originally Posted by viper

If I were you I would be approaching the smaller lifestyle block owners, some of their properties are over run in rabbits and a lot don't have a firearms license and no real way of controlling them.
They can be a little tricky to shoot as they have neighbours close by , however I have found generally if you can make a start then quite often other neighbours are happy for you to nail rabbits on their land also .
You will have to door knock and be prepared for the odd " NO" but you will get some who will be happy for you to shoot .
If you are unsure where to start then PM me and I maybe able to send you in a general direction .
regards Viper

I can’t speak to options down that way but what Viper is saying is consistent with what I have experienced with lifestyle block owners, you get on one place, conduct yourself with the appropriate discretion (suppressor, polite demeanour etc) and get on top of the rabbits the word will spread. Concentrate on LBOs who have good relationships with their neighbours and once your making a dent in the rabbits drop the odd comment along the lines of “yeah well you may not be seeing any now but as soon as I drive down the road there is nothing stopping them from migrating in from your neighbours, nature abhors a vacuum”. Next thing you’ve gone from 10acres of shooting to 40, set up a group text message for your landowners, send out 2-3 hours prior to hunting and hunt the blocks that have replied accordingly, kill the rabbits, play up the risk of return, and now you have what was originally the whole farm, it just has lots of houses on it which you do have to take care around. Rinse and repeat and next thing you’re getting cold calls from from LBOs asking how much it costs….

Up this way for better or worse, gone are the days of the big farm handy to town, there is just about more lifestyle blocks then farms these days unless you want to drive 30mins+. As a hunter the necessary thing is to adapt and make the most of it.