February 2002
First Rabbit hunt for 2002 Photos
Have not been rabbit hunting for a while. Since the release of the "calici" virus, I have been reluctant, I heard about the release of the virus near the area I usually hunt and it put me off rabbit hunting for a while. It certainly seems to have had a drastic effect in some areas.
On with the hunt. We left home at 4:00am, after a two hour drive we were there. I had called the property owner the day before, and got the go ahead. Mainly just a polite call to let them know I will be hunting there.
On arrival I got the spotlight ready and Kim took the wheel. Had a couple of shots but missed, there was plenty of tall grass and we could not see many rabbits in the thick stuff.
Sunrise came quickly and we headed off. Only a couple of rabbits spotted. After crossing a fence we saw a fox, it took off and we chased it with lead. We got a hit and put it down, they are a menace to farmers and local wildlife. It was in very good condition, so either it has been feeding on an abundance of rabbits or native animals.
A roo was seen and a couple of wallabies. I got a couple of rabbits but they were very scarce. Kim had a go at a couple but no luck.
Max, the Jack Russell cross was had a great time. Rabbits were new to him, but soon got the idea that they are goo eating.
I did have a great shot at a young bunny at least 90 meters away, down hill, with some wind from the right. Clean kill. Then had to walk down to retrieve it and then walk up again.
After a three hour walk we got back to the vehicle before lunch, had a rest, a feed, and some target shooting, ok, a lot of target shooting.
We took off in the Landcruiser to explore some new territory, we got pretty far and were expecting to see a goat or two in the thick bush. But no luck there either.
We got back to the farm and had a rest, a nap, it was too hot to hunt anyway. A couple of hours sleeping, interrupted by Kim's snoring, did us good. Even Max had a good rest.
We set the plan for the evening hunt and headed off. We walked straight up to the highest peak, where we had shot at a bunny or two, and head down checking the gullies on the way back to the vehicle.
Not a single bunny spotted on the way up.
Up the top we did have a shot at one or two, I hit one but it went down a burrow. Max found it and was sniffing it out. It was a bit deep and the opening was narrow. It was Max's first experience with burrows. I made the opening a little wider for him and he eventually retrieved the bunny.
We did see a few other bunnies around but I REALLY MISS my FERRRETS, by the end of the day I was convinced that next time I come out for rabbits, I'll have a couple of ferrets to assist.
In all it was great to be back at the farm, very familiar territory, I will aldo make an effort to vist another known farm nearby.
I hope to see more bunnies next time.
Things change, unfortuntely my favourite Fish N Chip shop in Ballarat was closed, so we missed on the traditional Fish and greasies for the drive home. Instead we had a tasteless burger from a large fast food outlet, blagh! Checkout the photo album, click here