Personally, I find winter hunting more successful. A flick through my diary shows that to be the case too, whether it’s rats on a farm, squirrels from a hide or rabbits at night. However, nothing epitomises the joy of air rifle hunting more than stalking the hedgerows in spring and…
Rabbiting
A good rabbit dog has to be extremely precise in everything it does
Whether you’re ferreting or shooting, going out into the field after rabbits marks as some of the best hunting.
You have to watch, listen and be physically and mentally alert.
Our experts have written about all aspects of rabbiting. Read on to find out the best time of day and year to go out, how to go ferreting for rabbits, which air rifles to use for rabbiting and the essential rules for rabbiting safely.
You can also learn more about the behaviour of rabbits. from how deeply they dig their burrows to the type of habitat they prefer.
We’ve also covered the diseases that rabbits are prone to and how to see if a rabbit is affected.
For more information on rabbiting covering trapping, read our pest control section.
Gundog rabbit trials
Once the staple quarry of the rough shooter, the humble rabbit has become something of a rarity in the countryside, with the result that generations of modern gundogs have little or no experience of them. Their scarcity may be most pronounced in southern Britain, but the rabbit population of the…
Lamping rabbits – what happens when they get lamp shy?
Lamping rabbits: The rabbits around here are definitely getting lamp shy and bolt as soon as I switch on. Have you come across this, and is there any way around the problem?
Hunting rabbits with thermal optics
After an alarming slump over the past couple of years, the rabbits in my locality are making a very healthy comeback. I’m delighted to see them around again, but several landowners are less pleased because the burrowing animals are causing them serious problems – so serious, in fact, that I…
What are the legal calibres for foxes and rabbits?
After many years shotgun shooting my partner and I have been looking into culling foxes and rabbits by rifle at the various farms where we shoot.
The rabbits are back
Rabbits have always had a reputation for being able to reproduce at a rapid rate, but there weren’t many signs of that happening on my patch last year. Thankfully, things are looking very different this summer and I am delighted to report that these resilient creatures are, once again, breeding…
How to control rabbits in and around solar farms
Rabbit management on solar farms Over the years, solar farms have popped up all over the country in a bid to utilise renewable energy. The sites vary in size, along with the amount of energy they generate, but rabbits often favour them, though they clash with the smooth running of…
When the king shot thousands of rabbits
No other animal in the British countryside has played both hero and villain like the rabbit. The great warrens of the sandy Brecks in East Anglia were constructed to serve the fur and felt industry and cheap, plentiful meat was a bonus. The free-draining soil of Breckland was perfect for…
Tips for shooting rabbits
Go out into the field shooting rabbits and you will improve your hunting and shooting skills, learning about how animals avoid humans and predators. The rabbit ranks as some of the best sport a shooter can have. It’s all about being in the fields, watching and listening. It’s not about…
Night of the long dogs
Taking lurchers lamping At the end of the beam, Blue turned hard, just inches behind the rabbit. It turned too and again Blue went with it, heeled over like a racing yacht. The rabbit made a last, desperate twist then Blue was trotting steadily back to Jake, the rabbit held…
So what is lamping?
Lamping is a simple procedure of shining a light around an area until a rabbit (or rat) is spotted, and the dog is then sent to get it. Lamping with a dog is best done on foot, as it causes minimal disturbance and damage, and often allows a good chance…
Night vision versus the lamp
With nightvision shooting equipment becoming ever more popular, Ian Valentine asks the experts to weigh the latest green-tinted scopes against more traditional plug-in lamps
Rabbiting with a second-hand CZ BRNO rifle
A classic CZ BRNO Model 2 E-S rifle lives up to expectations when Tony Jackson takes on the burgeoning rabbit population of south Some
What’s the best shot size and rimfire ammunition for shooting rabbits?
In your opinion, which is the best shot size for killing rabbits cleanly? I use one ounce Trap 7.1/2s but two 'keeper friends say I should be using 5s because they hit harder.
Why being a rabbit catcher is my perfect job
Rabbit control has been my job since 2000 and I can certainly say the past 18 years have gone quickly. People have said to me on numerous occasions, “That is my ideal job and you are very lucky.” True enough, and I do feel grateful to be doing what I…
Is a deadly rabbit virus affecting fox numbers?
Q: Four years or so ago the local rabbit population crashed. We have had myxomatosis previously but the population always seemed to recover to some extent — this time it has not. Could rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) be causing this? Since foxes that prey on rabbits also seem fewer…
Which .22 rifle should I choose for rabbit shooting?
Rabbit shooting: I have been shooting air rifles and shotguns since I was 10 and now have my first firearms certificate after getting permission to shoot on a large farm with a rabbit problem.
Shooting rabbits? These are the airguns you need to know about
Want more success when shooting rabbits with an airgun and wondering what to use? I’ll narrow things down with a run through of the different type of airguns that can be used to control rabbits and then follow that by a look at different calibres. Springers – probably the airgun that comes to…
How to set cage traps for rabbits
A reader asked a question regarding rabbit traps: I have been given some cage traps by a farmer friend, but the only things I have caught have been birds and hedgehogs (all of which were released unharmed). How and what is the best way to set this type of trap? Professional…