Home Page
   Articles
       links
About Us    
Traders        
Recipes            
Latest Articles
Methods of taking rabbits
Page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Shooting and Trapping for the Pot

What method would you prefer to take rabbits?
Trapping (snares, cage, fenn traps etc).
5%
 5%  [ 1 ]
Dogs (long netting, lamping etc)
5%
 5%  [ 1 ]
Ferrets.
17%
 17%  [ 3 ]
Shooting (day or night - shotgun)
11%
 11%  [ 2 ]
Shooting (day or night - firearm)
35%
 35%  [ 6 ]
Shooting (day or night - air rifle)
23%
 23%  [ 4 ]
Total Votes : 17

Author 
 Message
leebu



Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 418
Location: east yorkshire
PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

tahir wrote:
Is it the shock or do they asphyxiate them, or what?


Bit of both I believe. In Russia, eagles have been used to hunt wolves for centuries (not sure if it goes on now, though). The birds were trained to hit the wolf high up on the spine, usually killing them on impact. Amazingly, if an injured wolf lived, the birds were powerful enough to hold down its muzzle until the rider came to dispatch it. Given that a wolfs jaws are designed for cutting through solid bone, thats a pretty impressive feat.
I know a falcon is smaller but the principle is the same.

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

leebu wrote:
thats a pretty impressive feat


Not half

sean
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon
PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 5:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Predators don't have particularly strong muscles for opening their jaws. Holding their mouths closed is easy, holding them open is the difficult bit.

leebu



Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 418
Location: east yorkshire
PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

A good point Sean. Their neck muscles however are a different matter. It's still pretty hard to hold 70kg of injured, angry wolf to the ground and not get savaged! According to the book I read on this (Of Wolves and Men if anyone's interested, it's fascinating), the eagle's talons have incredible binding force and manage to subdue their prey very easily.

leebu



Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 418
Location: east yorkshire
PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 5:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Anyway I voted for air rifle. I don't think a shotgun is neccessarily any more humane way to kill from 35/40 yards and is very poor for stalking. I would consider a rimfire except that I don't like the idea of owning something and shooting something with lethal power (for humans, I mean)

sean
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42207
Location: North Devon
PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 5:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I didn't mean to imply that holding down an annoyed/injured wolf was easy. I accept no responsibility for the consequences if anyone decides to try this as a result of anything I might have written.

Jonnyboy



Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.
PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 6:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I think I'll try and train a budgie to take out a gerbil as a small scale practical exepriment.

I voted for ferrets, I think it's the most humane. I actually use a shotgun which I think is as humane but less successful.

leebu



Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 418
Location: east yorkshire
PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

sean wrote:
I didn't mean to imply that holding down an annoyed/injured wolf was easy. I accept no responsibility for the consequences if anyone decides to try this as a result of anything I might have written.


Oh you back pedal away my irresponsible friend! But if some young and impressionalbe teen loses an arm tonight trying to clamp shut the jaws of a timber wolf using an elastic band, I hope you feel suitably ashamed.

deerstalker



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

PostPosted: Mon Feb 07, 05 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Back on topic you lot, or I'll throw you all to the wolves!

DarrenG



Joined: 26 Dec 2004
Posts: 110
Location: Lincolnshire Fens
PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 05 5:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Treacodactyl wrote:
I've chosen shooting with a firearm. If I had access to the land and a firearm that would be the way I'd do it. I can choose the rabbit to take, shoot from a reasonable distance and be as certain as I can that the rabbit will die quickly.

I also don't mind admitting that I would find it easier to shoot a rabbit than to catch one live and kill it by hand.

I

I dont shoot anymore, because what you say is wrong, with say a lurcher lamping the rabbit is either caught and dispatched or free to live another day, with shooting its either dead, free, or injured to die a slow painfull death jmo

DarrenG



Joined: 26 Dec 2004
Posts: 110
Location: Lincolnshire Fens
PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 05 5:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Gervase wrote:
Wot about shooting over ferrets? That can be good sport - earth up the warren apart from a few pop holes downwind , introduce the ferret on the windward side and wait for the flush while you stand on top at the ready.
the only problem with blocking up some of the holes is the fact that the rabbits and ferret may not have read the script, if a rabbit runs to a blocked entrance and the ferret is behind it then you've got a dead rabbit without the bolt, and if you do shoot any bolters you'd probably end up with a skulking ferret who isnt going to come out with all that noise going on

judyofthewoods



Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire
PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 05 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

My first choice would be shooting with a rifle, as the animal would most likely be dead or not hit, but for the possibility of injury, I would certainly not shoot without also using a gun dog to retrieve, so the animal can be dispatched and not linger somewhere. Second choice would probably be ferreting or a falkon, fairly quick too.
Does the new proposed legislation stop you from using gundogs for retrieval, or does it only apply to using dogs for a chase?

deerstalker



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 05 1:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

No, just using two or more dogs to hunt mammals.

judyofthewoods



Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire
PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 05 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Deerstalker wrote:
No, just using two or more dogs to hunt mammals.

Do you think the suits would notice if you stuck some feathers on a rabbit?

deerstalker



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

PostPosted: Wed Feb 09, 05 1:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Don't think most would know the difference without the feathers.

Post new topic   Reply to topic    Downsizer Forum Index -> Shooting and Trapping for the Pot All times are GMT
Page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
Page 2 of 3
View Latest Posts View Latest Posts

 

Archive
Powered by php-BB © 2001, 2005 php-BB Group
Style by marsjupiter.com, released under GNU (GNU/GPL) license.
Copyright © 2004 marsjupiter.com