Back on the bunnies

Rabbits are making a welcome return on Mat Manning's patch, and in some cases are doing a little too well

- Mat Manning

Rabbits are making a steady and very welcome comeback around many of my West Country haunts. Not so long ago, rabbit haemorrhagic disease had more or less completely wiped them out. While several of the more ruthless landowners were pleased to see a reduction in the damage they cause, the majority were saddened to witness the sudden decline of a species that plays such an important role in our local ecosystem.

The rabbit is a resilient creature with a reputation for rapid breeding, and those characteristics have resulted in numbers bouncing back a little too successfully on several of the farms and estates over which I shoot. While it is a relief to see them doing so well, their recovery has resulted in the return of the usual problems associated with rabbit damage, and we are back to the point where numbers need to be kept in check.

Most of my rabbit shooting is done around horse paddocks, where cherished fillies run the risk of sustaining a serious injury should a hoof go down a burrow. However, on one estate, hungry rabbits are decimating newly planted saplings by chewing at the bark around their bases. Countless ash trees were removed from here as a result of dieback a couple of years ago, so the owners are determined to ensure that the saplings have the best chance of surviving and, hopefully, thriving.

Free-range meat

With tree guards failing to keep the rabbits at bay, the time has come to get back to shooting them. It's a task with which I am happy to help because, apart from benefiting the recovery of the woodland, it also gives me the chance to harvest some tasty freerange meat for the pot.