Kinda like vegetarian...but need to get rid of rabbits...and other issues.

[SirNomad]

Hey folks,

  Ok, I live in southeastern Arizona and where I live there is a pretty large rabbit population. Unfortunately, even though this area is still considered rural, with the housing "boom" not too long ago and the yahoos illegally driving ATVs, the coyotes seem of have largely made themselves scarce lately. This has led to a freakin' huge population boom of rabbits, gophers, and other burrow digging, victory garden destroying, flea and tick carrying little vermin. Now, my fiance is a vegetarian, and I'm mostly there myself (still don't feel bad about eating shellfish and most fish). I don't think I can bring myself to butcher and eat these guys. I know, I know, I'm a wimp I guess, and intellectually I have no big issue with the concept of using what I have to kill. So, any suggestions?

  Oh yeah, to get rid of these little vermin (which include jack rabbits and cottontails) I have to get a hunting license under state law. This is in spite of the fact that I'd be doing this in OUR yard. Much of our yard is "natural desert" so to speak, and there are fresh burrows almost every morning. I've tried every deterrent to rodents I could find mentioned, except those that were impractical for me due to expense or hazards to our dog. They even ate the garlic and onions that I planted to supposedly keep them away.

  Any suggestions? What do I do with the little carcasses if I can't bring myself to butcher them? If I CAN, I'm sure that they'd make good food for my dog and our 3 cats. I also can't cook them in the afternoon or evening (and I would have to cook the critters to kill any potential parasites) because the smell would literally make my fiancee sick. I really do need to thin out the vermin population here, that includes the ground dwelling kind and european starlings (I will NOT be shooting any other birds, if they're a native species they're safe, but starlings are a problem here, their nests and droppings are nasty and intrusive plus they're an introduced pest). I'm waiting to get my hunting license pending some good advice from you guys.

   Thanks guys, and please don't flame me for my food choices, I don't actually expect that from this crowd, but ya never know. :-)

-Tree huggin', free, and patriotic!

[Splash]

Michael, you could try a few plastic owl's and hawks, that should keep them scared off. Of course you'd have to move them around, every now and then. If that doesn't help enough, I'm sure you have a neighbor that would love the fresh wabbit.
Mike

[PBJ]

Even though my coyotes are scarce lately, they still come by every night to check out my "body dump" where I put out the vermin I shoot. They have never left one over night, always gone gone gone in the morning. A few kills I left out on the property did not get picked right away up so now I leave them on a yote trail in my back yard. You can make a "doogie doolie" digester by using a can with a tight fitting lid and no bottom that you bury to about 2" from the lid. Drop them in, put the lid back on and they go away sooner or later as mulch. Works better with some humus or vegetable matter. You can also dry them out in the sun, they go flat and non-smelly is a few days. My ants here eat them to a hollow shell in a week or so if I leave them near the mounds I have not killed out. Lastly, the good old plastic bag into the trash works well. I use a 36" grabber thingy to pick up my kill - I can see the fleas at times and we have the plague in our western ground squirrel population and other stuff also. Also, our rabbits are not safe during hunting seasons (June-December) and Jacks are not much better in the winter time - too warm here.

[SirNomad]

We've tried several decoys, but they're all over the place out here (both decoys and pests) and the things aren't very effective. What would be a good way to ask around about anyone interested in freshly shot bugs bunny? I don't want to come off as a sadist or psycho-rabbit-slayer.

[SirNomad]

That is VERY good to know. I know that I've seen plague warnings before. Also, any good ways of dealing with the burrows? I've never seen so damn many burrows in my life! I can't go more than a couple of paces in our entire acre (except for an arroyo that passes through the back) without having to step around a burrow of some sort. I don't know if I should try filling these in, we DO have rattlers here.

[Progun]

Michael , Splash is right. There are probably some good meals there that could go to a thankful recipient. Maybe you could get a shooting buddy who likes wild game? Also, please, please by all means buy that Hunting License. It will keep you legal and your states wildlife management dept. probably need the funds. When you buy your license you can probably find a lot of helpful info about  the various game species in your area as well as any health warnings about such.You do after all want to be a good steward of the resource that lives in your yard. Sounds like you got a good kind of problem to have if your an airgunner.Happy shooting!

[shadow]

I would be in heaven there and the icebox would be full 24-7:). As said though you might want to find a predator game trail and set up a food station for em, they will start check it everyday and night for eat's. and start to hang around the area steady therefore hunting and scaring off the  overpopulation problem. Ed

[PeakChick]

You might see if there is a raptor rescue center locally. They are always in need of meat to feed the hawks, owls, eagles, etc. They generally welcome donations of wild game.

[longislandhunter]

I agree with Ed,,,,, I"d be in hare heaven there :) !!!!!

Ed, I think you and I need to hook up and go on a road trip :)

Stephanies idea is a very good one,,,,, some years back when I was on a deer nuisance permit we used to donate the meat that we couldn't use to a state run animal rescue center... they used the venison to feed the carnivores that they were rehabilitating....

Jeff

around here the local food shelf (for people) was gladly taking in venison every year............until they realized the morons were just bad shots and giving them all the deer that were too full of lead to eat. I live in minnesota, you can find many stories about it with a quick google search.

you might check a local food shelf but you'd probably need to do all of the prep work yourself.

if I remember right (from my dad and various survivor type interests) rabbits are incredibly lean meat and good for you when prepared PROPERLY. I have been a bodybuilder for nine years before I took a year off, and finding lean cuts of meat was a prioirty for me. just finally getting back into lifting again..........

-Mark

[shadow]

Yup Jeff we can be like a traveling pest control, setup camp and shoot.:) Ed