Rabbit plague
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: The Briny Bar
Forum Description: The place for general chat on saltwater fishing!
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=47640
Printed Date: 10 Jun 2026 at 12:50am
Topic: Rabbit plague
Posted By: bazza
Subject: Rabbit plague
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 8:28am
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Awhile back I posted about the plague of rabbits on our property on
the Nth fringe of the city & asked if anyone interested in shooting them.
Thursday was very windy & rabbits do not seem to like wind, tending
to stay underground. Nevertheless a father & son duo shot over 30
bunnies in about 1 1/2 hours & there were still a couple to be seen
as they were leaving.
Have just been down to the letterbox for the herald & sighted seven.
Remains a mystery where they are all coming from .... have never known
the likes of it in over 30 yrs.
Strangely enough the guys shooting are on an acreage only abot 12 kms
away, yet in 15 yrs. they have only seen ONE rabbit ?????????
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Replies:
Posted By: Panga
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 8:36am
Your a carrot farmer aint ya  ------------- I ONLY FISH HANDMADE KOJAK CUSTOM RODS. |
Posted By: Marligator
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 8:47am
| You think you have got problems, I visited a farm recently to the South East of Te Puke (about 5 miles due north of Lake Rotoehu) and they have litterally thousands on the farm it has the highest concentration of rabbits in the north island (this is according to the regional council). They have guys coming on regularly shooting the rabbits, a couple of years ago an old guy shot around 3,000 in a bit over a week, this lowered the population a bit but within a few months the numbers were back up again. Calici virus was released on the property which reduced numbers significantly but as they breed all year round and the juveniles are immune to the virus the survivors now have natural immunity. Due to the numbers of rabbits milk production on this farm is way down and almost making the farm non-viable. it has been estimated that $50,000 plus a year would need to be spent to keep the numbers right down. |
Posted By: Busted!
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 8:49am
| I would take 50,000 a year to keep the numbers down... |
Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 9:56am
No I am not ........ however now regret ever having Hugh Hefner
to stay!
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Panga wrote:Posted By: Marligator
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 10:02am
| Busted, shooting does not keep the numbers down to a satisfactory level, there are several other neighbouring farms with similar rabbit numbers (probably 1000 ha in total), poisoning is the best option but this is very expensive. |
Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 11:58am
I am poisoning as well ..... but all that seems to acheive is that they
invite all their friends to a pindone party ... get high .... then copulate
frenetically .... increasing the population even further.
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Posted By: Panga
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 12:01pm
------------- I ONLY FISH HANDMADE KOJAK CUSTOM RODS. |
Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 4:41pm
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you ant going to get rid of em Bazza.... i work in Manukau City with a grass verge of about 5mts wide and 200mts long we have roughly 20 rabbits.... they have adapted to factory life quite well considering..... ------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: Busted!
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 7:24pm
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Who said shooting was an option? I'll start farming the ******* and sell the skins and meat.
Don't look a gifthorse in the mouth man, get ag certs and find a buyer and go hard. It's an almost infinately renewable resource!!!!!! The meat is almost zero-fat, and the skins can be used in fashion and flytying etc etc.
Only down side is if you take poison near them, you're buggered and your only option from then on is to poison because you can't sell for consumption of any sort and most people won't want to handle them for skinning...
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Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 7:28pm
Yep can well believe that Lethal having seen the rabbit population
that infests the area adjacent to AK airport as close as the parking
areas & they seem to have relatively no fear of humans.
Your are completely WRONG tho mate when you say "you ant going
to get rid of em Bazza...."
For we are moving in about 2 weeks.
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Posted By: bluecoraldiver
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 7:30pm
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You supply the .22 rifle and I'll come help get rid of them. Bunny Chow. Yum ! ------------- http://www.leapingdroid.com"> 
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Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2009 at 8:56pm
Yep .. I can provide a .22 & ammo .... am currently shooting about 3 per
day from the house.
Beyond the house, lucky to get a couple before they all run for cover.
The guys the other day were using silenced rifles, sub sonic ammo &
tele sights ..... what a difference that makes .... the loudest noise is
the impact of a hit on the target.
In fact one was a short barrelled Ruger, rotary mag, semi auto with
a permantely suppressed barrel even with hi vel ammo, altho tends
to jam with the latter.
Laid more poison today & 20 mins after doing so came around the
end of the deck to se a tiny bunny munching away on the offerings
in the bait trap.
It is a still night tonight, shudder to think how many would show up
if I was to stroll about with my high powered spotlight.
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Posted By: zeroque
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2009 at 9:16am
| I've often wondered why they seem to take off in some areas and not others. By taking off I mean getting the the level talked about ( in their1000's) as opposed to half a dozen or so per hectare. We manage to keep ours down with regular shooting and they are really tasty too. Not so fond of Hare meat though. |
Posted By: Wanda_Ra
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2009 at 9:53am
i live in Cambridge. i shoot the bunnies on our 2 hectares, and plenty of the neighbours,i go about 3-4 times a week and its not often i dont clean up around 15 or so and the odd hare just around here, its madness how many there are.If anyone is within an hours drive or so and wants free bunny cleanup( i dont mind if you supply some low velocity ammo) i will be glad to help keep the bunny numbers down  .I work parttime on a dairy farm and grew up on a farm so im familiar with the issues with stock and gates etc. ------------- If you think you are too small to make a difference,try sleeping with a mosquito in your tent. |
Posted By: bluecoraldiver
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2009 at 4:22pm
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Hey bazza, whereabouts are you? Also, if a bunny eats the poison will it die instantly. I don't want to shoot a rabbit that's beein eating poison then put that one in the pot. ------------- http://www.leapingdroid.com">
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Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2009 at 10:05pm
No they do not die instantly ...... pindone depletes vitamin K which is the substance
in our bodies that congeals blood from wounds etc. Without adequate levels of
vitamin K animals ( humans incl.) are subject to haemoraging both external &
internal ....... not a nice thought, admittedly ..... but highly unlikely anyne is going to
encounter an affected rabbit, as they will be far too sick by that stage .. sad but true!
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Posted By: fozzie
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2009 at 10:12pm
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When I was a wee slip of a lad growing up down in the "naki, we used to get the rabbit board guys coming through, they used to tell us that for every one rabbit you saw above ground, you could expect twelve under the ground.
And they used to give us heaps of Rabbit board No. 4 lead shotgun shells, that were great on the ducks. ------------- Dont take life too seriously.....no one gets out alive any way. http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Saltiga
Date Posted: 29 Nov 2009 at 10:45pm
| where bouts are you bazza? flat mate is right into his hunting and his mates, they will sit out there all night shooting the barstools for you. |
Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2009 at 8:23am
Coatesville .... a few minutes from Albany.
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Posted By: Tone E
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2009 at 8:51am
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I can help with those big black hairy rabbits with big tusks that plow the ground up and eat lambs.
By the way, don't let the dog eat the dead or dying rabbits. Pindone is very like ferrotox ( 2nd generation anti-coagulants) as used for possums and secondary poisoning is a very real possibility. Dogs and cats are very sensitive to these poisons and may need much less of it to kill them. Be careful what you eat too.
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Posted By: deepblue
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2009 at 9:52pm
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As per last time I posted the rabbit population in central auckland continues to grow - however we seem to have found a means to keep it in check - one of our cats - currently running at avg of 3.5 rabbits per day - peak that we know of is 5 rabbits in the one day... Photo from one of Saturday's victims...  The house looks like a crime scene each morning :-(
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Posted By: Dagwood
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2009 at 9:58pm
Anyone else humming the tune to Watership Down?.....  |
Posted By: Saltiga
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2009 at 9:59pm
| How does thursday evening and into the night with spot lights, will be 4 of us with .22s where abouts in coatsville are u |
Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 30 Nov 2009 at 10:06pm
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Was made painfully aware of the importance of allowing
only responsible shooters ... when the other morning found
the rear side window of the sw shattered ... as the result
of a richochet. I know who was responsible .... but trying
not to be too hard on myself even tho wof is due & all
windows need to be intact to comply .... somthing I find a
bit strange as utes, some convertibles etc. don't have any
windows at all towards the rear.
One added hassle that could well do without right now all
the same.
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Posted By: Marligator
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 2:40am
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Bazza you are so right about having the right people coming in and shooting bunnies, if you have cowboys coming in and missing a lot of the rabbits you end up training them to be really shy and any movement and they are down a hole or off on the run. Hence the farm I was talking about only allows very experienced shooters on due this very reason. There are two ways to shoot a farm for rabbit control 1) sniping with a silencer from distance using either a .22 or one of the new .17 calibre rifles and 2) close range/night shooting with a shot gun.
When I was young and living on the farm we had cats that used to catch rabbits, they would find a burrow with young and every night bring home one and eat it in the lounge much to mum's disgust in finding a head and a bit of blood and guts on the floor in the morning, this would go for a week or so until they caught all the young ones. One cat also used to bring home eels, now they make a mess on the carpet, an old Manx cat we had when I ws very young brought home a full grown pheasant one night.
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Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 7:40am
Sorry someone coming to shoot Thurs.
Besides reckon 4 at night could be an "overkill" ( no pun intended )
two max. probably in the interests of safety.
Any neighbours in the near vicinity need to be informed as courtesy
but even so four armed guys wandering about, blasting away would
run the risk of someone reporting a terrorist attack.
Will let you know if an oportunity presents itself .... 2 max ..... altho
curretly have a list of about a dz names that want to shoot plus
the two guys from last week want to return, for a longer session.
Cheers
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Posted By: Kezza
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 8:51am
mean photo there DeepBlue - I like it!!
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Posted By: kens
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 2:28pm
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Hellcat ------------- The past, the present and the future walked into a bar. It was tense. |
Posted By: Bushpig
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 2:38pm
if possible, I would be keen to go and shoot some. Wont help his problem but a few less is a few less ------------- I would rather laugh with the Sinners, than cry with the Saints |
Posted By: deepblue
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 3:11pm
| She's a pussy - and loving and gentle but a rabbit killer.... we have the tails on our fridge at home now, along side school reports and children's photos - we are running out of room for bunny tails... |
Posted By: Marligator
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 3:20pm
| Bushpig, when I was on the farm I asked about doing some shooting myself but the owner made it clear that she only lets shooters on that she knows and who are very good shots. Very concerned about scaring rabbits rather than killing rabbits. |
Posted By: Busted!
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 3:59pm
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If you're worried about scaring bunnies ban .22 subsonic ammo.
Sounds weird but the little buggers get to know the whine is bad for their health, if you miss. And the richocets are shocking, if you shoot standard or high-vel only you don't get richcets as the bullets shatter on impact.
We're going back to the .22 hornets and .222.223's, as the .17's and the ilk have too much bark even with a supressor. Once you have shot a couple of nights, one shot from the .17 puts them down the holes in the next farm.
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Posted By: Bushpig
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 4:23pm
Thats fine, can understand that.
I shoot clays every Thursday night, was just looking for live targets
------------- I would rather laugh with the Sinners, than cry with the Saints |
Posted By: Kezza
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 5:08pm
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Busted! the .22 Hornet and .22 Mag are o'sum small game projectiles....nothing says 'vermin! you're about to get laid the f##k-out' like squeezing the trigger on one of those bad boys.....  ....used to shoot a Sako .222 and a Ruger 10/22...  .....anyone shooting the .22MAG/.410 Shotgun combos for rabbits?
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Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 5:38pm
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[
if you shoot standard or high-vel only you don't get richcets as the bullets shatter on impact.
I beg to differ re no ricochets from high velocity .22 & the recently
shattered broken rear side window of my wagon bears testimony
to the fact!
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Posted By: deepblue
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 9:25pm
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As mentioned earlier the .18 HMR rifles are preferred by Ak City Council shooters.. with scopes and silencers... lots of youtube video;s of this caliber and small vermin (no longer needed on my backyard - a full size rabbit in the kitchen tonight..) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOTU2WzSJhQ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOTU2WzSJhQ http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=.17+hmr+squirrels&search_type=&aq=0 - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=.17+hmr+squirrels&search_type=&aq=0 |
Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 9:33pm
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Anyone ever tried minced up rabbit as burley ?????
Maybe that would be the answer .... "Bazza's Bunny Berley"
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Posted By: Busted!
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 10:37pm
I beg to differ re no ricochets from high velocity .22 & the recently
shattered broken rear side window of my wagon bears testimony
to the fact! [/QUOTE]
Sorry, I meant you don't get the loud whine as the bullet changes direction suddenly. You do get bits flying with the standard and high velocity rounds, but they don't tend to whine like the subbies. I got told it's due to the subsonic's not breaking up on impact, the whole lot just decides to change direction.
Dunno why they like the .17's in Auckland council, too expensive and loud compared to the others. Its a nice gun to shoot, just really loud and hopeless in any sort of crosswind at range.
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Posted By: Saltiga
Date Posted: 01 Dec 2009 at 10:39pm
| All good bazza, was just trying to help you out, shoot plenty up north on the farm along with pigs. sweet as |
Posted By: Plow
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2009 at 12:52am
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damn good idea bazza. take the pressure off the local baitfish.. Maybe someone could invent a new soft plastic called "holy wiggly rabbit" made out of real rabbit meat.... now theres a biodegradable non plastic soft plastic. ------------- Legasea Legend, the rest of you should be too, $10 a month. |
Posted By: Busted!
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2009 at 8:35am
| Sharks and barracouta will be into that |
Posted By: deepblue
Date Posted: 02 Dec 2009 at 4:11pm
| I'm sure I could bring a collection of livies if required - they may be missing the odd body part, and sure to act distressed .. no probs on the berley tho - should be able to make plenty - I could even fur wrap the bombs so they "feel" warm to touch.... perhaps leaving some ears exposed as handles.. |
Posted By: Wanda_Ra
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2009 at 11:03am
You need a decent suppressor then.Look up http://www.sub-silentsuppressors.com/ - http://www.sub-silentsuppressors.com/ Hes a engineer in the waitaks who makes them and they miles ahead of anything you wil ever buy in the shops.his are patented as well. I use 2 of his custom made jobs, one on my 17hmr and another on my .22 lr and the one on the 17hmr brings it down to just below high velocity .22 lr un-suppressed cracks.These ones i have are worth every cent and look awesome to boot on my new CZ.
Quote "
Dunno why they like the .17's in Auckland council, too expensive and loud compared to the others. Its a nice gun to shoot, just really loud and hopeless in any sort of crosswind at range."
Its the bullet itself that is so attractive to the council.It specificall designed over seas to be shot in built up areas to control vermin,as the bullet destroys itself (and target0 on impact and no chance of going through the target and on into a house or person.You can use them on rats and they dont come out the other side,try that with even a sunsonic .22.The rounds are more expensive and not even worth firing on a windy day if aiming over 70 metres, but out to 150 metres they are dead accurate and lethal,even on goats. ------------- If you think you are too small to make a difference,try sleeping with a mosquito in your tent. |
Posted By: letsgetem
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2009 at 5:41pm
| I would love to shoot rabbits. Unfortunately I am nowhere near Auckland - east of Rotorua. Anyone with a rabbit problem around Rotorua, give me a ring. |
Posted By: bazza
Date Posted: 04 Dec 2009 at 5:45pm
Would have thought there were far more down your way than up here.
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