Slingshots

[Kittyhawk]

I wonder if anyone has any experience in the use of slingshots to visit a serious amount of mayhem and murder on an out of control rabbit population.
This is public reserve in the front of mine and the neighbours homes and at dawn and dusk the grass is alive with rabbits.

The reserve is full of holes, gardens are uprooted, house foundations undermined.. this should be an issue for the council to resolve but by the time they've had half a dozen extraordinary meetings to discuss it, consulted the various interest groups, the greenies.., they'll probably even ask the dear little bunnies for an opinion so any resolution would be months away if at all.
Ideally a .22 rifle or an air rifle but they are illegal on public land so a powerful slingshot would be my only other option with the added benefit of it being silent. I see lots of plans on the Internet for ball bearing or round fishing sinker firing slingshots but before I commit to making one I would value any opinions as to their effectiveness.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Noisy dog - extra treats if it chases the rabbits!

 

[Tris]

If your neighbours are on side with this you might do better long netting them, although that does entail dispatching them.
A black widow catapult is probably cheaper than the bits to make one, a couple of air rifle plinking targets to practice on and bunnies beware!

 

[Inspector]

I can feel your pain but in my case it was prairie dogs/gophers in our own yard. When the wife finally decided there were too many I tried a big brand name trap and the little beasties wouldn't go though it and went out a different hole. I found some made in Saskatchewan traps and tried four and started getting them so I bough 6 more so I could blanket the area. Ended up getting a couple dozen in a month, more or less solving the problem for this year at least. I have a pellet pistol that would have been perfect but living beside a highway would have alarmed somebody and I would have been busted for using a firearm within 400 metres of a road. Going to have to look into slingshot rules. I have a lot of rocks so would use them. Funny thing is the gophers will dive down their holes if you are on foot but if on the tractor I can get within 5 metres easily. Good luck solving your bunny problem.

Pete

 

[Keith 66]

I used to be a good shot with a catty & regularly hunted rabbits with it. As to keeping numbers down forget it you wont even dent the population. Silenced .22 is only solution, or ferreting, but i dont suppose you have those in NZ, the consequences of ferrets escaping & beeding in the wild would be horrendous.

 

[Phill05]

"Slingshots" we called them catapults in the UK, Yes they can be very effective once you get your eye in, I always had one hanging out my back pocket wherever I went, I used to make them out of Hazelnut branch. Oh that takes me back.

 

[trvlr]

Bunnies have rights (to life) too…

 

[Fergie 307]

22 air rifle would be the best tool. Dont know what the law is there, may be you could use one with the permission of the landowner? Problem I can imagine having with a catapult will be getting close enough. Or could you employ a licenced pest controller to shoot them, or if its public land then maybe approach the local council, or whoever is responsible for it. Needs getting on top of as they breed like, well, rabbits! You will be overrun with them before you know it. Was a nice little earner in my youth. Local farmer only too pleased to agree, and you could sell the rabbits to the butcher. Word soon used to get around and my friend and I ended up spemding a couple of evenings at a local garden centre. Between us we shot over 100, far to many for the butcher. Lots of rabbits in the freezer for a while after that!

 

[Fergie 307]

Bunnies have rights (to life) too…

I can imagine that in NZ they are one of those introduced species that wreak havoc, and best exterminated.

 

[Stigmorgan]

Mmmmm haven't had rabbit stew in years

 

[Fergie 307]

Very tasty, and the difference in flavour between wild and farmed is really noticeable. Only tried farmed a couple of times and found it very bland. Wild is lovely and sweet.

 

[thetyreman]

I don't know if they're legal there but maybe this is an excuse to build a crossbow.

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Well if anyone likes squirrel stew and wants to catch their own I’ve got a couple of acres with them running riot. I’ve got a .22 air rifle but thats not a lot of use whe they can run out of range vertically up a tree in no time. any ideas?

 

[dickm]

Assuming slingshot is the same as what we would call a catapult, had a school friend who was a remarkable shot with one. Saw him hit a flying pigeon, though he didn't manage to bring it down. Rabbit control was a doddle for him. Then he went into a respectable job with the Met Office.

 

[Fergie 307]

Well if anyone likes squirrel stew and wants to catch their own I’ve got a couple of acres with them running riot. I’ve got a .22 air rifle but thats not a lot of use whe they can run out of range vertically up a tree in no time. any ideas

If the trees are too dense then you can use a live trap. Just put it on the ground in an area you have seen them, peanut butter is good bait. But they are quite territorial so you will have to keep moving it about. They are very intelligent so creeping up on them is difficult. Never fancied eating one, not enough on them to be worth the bother, i would have thpught, and they are essentially arboreal rats which would also put me off.

 

[Tris]

Well if anyone likes squirrel stew and wants to catch their own I’ve got a couple of acres with them running riot. I’ve got a .22 air rifle but thats not a lot of use whe they can run out of range vertically up a tree in no time. any ideas?

Look at the Kania 2000 traps, quick and little chance of catching non target species. Easier to set than the enclosed fen trap type too

 

[clogs]

Stifado....diferent kind of rabbit stew with cinamon and clovesn thick sticky tomato base..........

also I used to know a French lady who looked after me on cold, rainy afternoons in my yoof.....
Always rabbit stew and dumplings on offer.......those were the days....hahaha........

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Look at the Kania 2000 traps, quick and little chance of catching non target species. Easier to set than the enclosed fen trap type too

Thanks Tris, that does look viable, and acceptably humane - I may well give that a go.
Stuart

 

[mikej460]

Our land borders onto very old woodland that was being ravaged by grey squirrels until the local game keeper's son set live traps. He caught loads but within 2 years they are back. Our local rabbits have a warren in a neighbour's field that started to venture into ours (other side of a river) then suddenly the numbers depleted and I've no idea how.

 

[Tris]

There seems to be a bit of ebb and flow with myxy, which may have an effect, or there's a new cat around. Our ginger tom is great at catching rabbits, I've seen him hunker down in cover near a burrow, wait for an outbound rabbit to pass him, then sneak up on it knowing it'll try to get past him for cover. A previous cat would bring in 3 or 4 young rabbits a day in the season, so they can have quite an impact