Bunny boom or bust: feral foe or fine asset?
Shooting Times & Country|August 18, 2021
The rabbit’s fortunes have changed since it was introduced to the UK but it still offers a blissfully pure form of sport, says Patrick Laurie
Patrick Laurie
Bunny boom or bust: feral foe or fine asset?

Rabbits occupy a unique position in the shooting world. Treasured by some and reviled as a pest by others, they are always on the move in the sporting consciousness. It’s possible to love rabbits and hate them in the space of a single half-hour; when their numbers rise to a maddening abundance, it’s the perfect therapy to spend a morning ferreting or walking the bunnies out of rushes or bracken.

When I was growing up in Galloway, the world seemed full of rabbits. I could shoot 50 or 100 in a single evening, and steady work with an iron-sighted BSA .22 rimfire seemed to be inexhaustible. There was no limit to the number of rabbits I could bag and my family was overwhelmed by the tide of fresh meat that came into the house. I sold some to the local butchers, but even they were drowning in rabbits and I’m ashamed to say that, during busy times of the year, many of my kills were left out for the foxes.

I’m sure diseases play a major part in the loss of our rabbits and the cyclical boom and bust of their current status. We do not often see myxomatosis here, but other diseases leave rabbits dead in the grass as if they had simply been switched off.

I sometimes find rabbits on the verge of death and it’s hard to watch them gasping and suffering without any ability to help. I put the worst ones out of their misery, but it hardly creates a feeling that all is well when your morning walk is spent euthanizing sick bunnies.

Vanished

Denne historien er fra August 18, 2021-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra August 18, 2021-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYSe alt
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023