Hare's (not Hairs)

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Hare's (not Hairs)
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ohouston

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 14

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 12:58 pm Post subject: Hare's (not Hairs)

Last week a nearby farmer asked me to sort out a problem with Hares. His cabbage crop was sprouting and a gang of aboth 15-20 yobbish Hare's were nibbling them up at a horrifying rate.

Well, I've got a soft spot for Hares - so I was a bit dismayed to hear they had become yobbish. But he sold me a tear jerk story, livlihood being nibbled to death, kids crying and in rags and hungry. "When will the yobbie Hares stop Daddy" sniff sniff.

Well, he bought them an early Christmas present - a gas gun, and after making an example of a couple with the .22 it looks like the rest have decided to stay in the woods, so I can heave a big sigh of relief as I've not had to resort to my own version of a scorched earth policy.

I'm up in the Grampians and have been pretty heartened to see the numbers of Hares going up recently (minus two because of cabbage violations, despite repeated warnings in clear English).

My interest is this, have the rest of the UK seen more Hares around (great to hear if thats the case). And secondly, any other 'Harey' stories (boom boom) you'd like to share?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45676
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 1:00 pm Post subject:
Are you a professional then?

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 1:05 pm Post subject:
Gas gun! do you shoot em or suffocate them.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 1:08 pm Post subject:
I've noticed more around this year, but I never see enough of them to be able to say that there's a big increase. Seem to be more of them about in the fields South of Cambridge.

Alchemist

Joined: 02 Mar 2005
Posts: 123
Location: Aberdeenshire

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 1:12 pm Post subject:
I've seen a few too. Whereabouts in the Grampians are you Ohouston? We're in Durris by Aberdeen, but occasionally stay out towards Lumsden and i've seen quite a few up there.

Guest

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 1:17 pm Post subject:
No the "Gas Gun" is a thing powered by a propane bottle and it just makes a boom sound a couple of times every half hour or so. It is just for scaring things away and is harmless, unless your listening at the tube when it goes off of course. I'm not a professional, but was brought up on a Farm and love the countryside, hence my interest in this site!

ohouston

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 14

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 1:19 pm Post subject:
oops, forgot to log in, that was me as 'Guest' above.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 1:20 pm Post subject:
Thought so. There's damn few round here, but it's not really the right sort of country for them.

Jonnyboy

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 23956
Location: under some rain.

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 1:52 pm Post subject:
Doing quite well over here, studies showed on average six hares per square kilometre, a six fold increase from 2002. Or just a surveyor who couldn't count.

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 9:14 pm Post subject:
We have quite a healthy population of them here in our corner of Essex. The farmer next door has about 500 acres and I regularly see hares while out riding on her land. In a couple of places they almost seem to outnumber the rabbits.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 9:16 pm Post subject:
Not seen any down here. Actually I don't remember seeing one since I holidayed on the Fens when I was a nipper.

ohouston

Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 14

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 9:36 pm Post subject:
Sounds like a mixed bag for our friends the Hare, some areas up, some conspicuosly absent - possibly due to local factors [there are three, in order, 1. Food, 2, Predators (inc. man) 3. Disease] How about rabbits? There are thousands in the North of Scotland right now. Does anyone know if 'they' are going to introduce another strain of Mixie? Whats peoples views on Mixie? I don't like it.

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 9:38 pm Post subject:
We had a huge population of rabbits here last year, followed by a mysterious outbreak of Myxie....

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 9:41 pm Post subject:
Rabbits are everywhere down here. I've not seen any with mixie while walking this year but I have done in past years. I think more should be done to encourage people to eat rabbit before thinking about developing a better form of mixie.

Guest

Posted: Thu May 26, 05 10:01 pm Post subject:

Quite right, my sentiments too.

Rabbit is very tasty, much better than supermarket anemic tasteless factory chicken or pork, poor buggers. (come on, its white for God sake!).

But how do we make the most of this wonderful (free!) rabbit bounty before it is killed off (again) by a very cruel man-made disease? (is it DEFRA that introduces it?)

Ok, my view is to (responsibly) shoot, trap, snare and ferret them and enjoy a fantastic meat that is leagues above the "supermarket" Deli.

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