Lamping rabbits - When do you start?

[FrenchieBoy]

I love my rabbit lamping but as I am getting a bit long in the tooth now I don't tend to start my lamping till it starts getting dark around 7.00 in the evening. (I getting too old to want to be trapsing around the fields in the dark till "unearthly hours in the morning".

What month/time of the year do you guys normally start your rabbit lamping forrays?

 

[arron]

That depends on how many there are, if it's alive with them all year round , and I don't shoot the obvious milky ones, if there's not a lot mid September onwards , regarding the milky ones a lot don't care but it's just my thing !

 

[laphroig]

We start amongst rabbits as soon as the crops are cut, which has barely started up here with only the odd field being cut.going out an hour before dusk and a couple of hours after dark, dusk here is round about 9 to 9.30

 

[bewsher500]

usually after dark........

as above though. why stop if there is a problem, they breed all year round?

 

[FrenchieBoy]

We don't have any crops as such to cut on the hill farms around here where I shoot, the only thing that is harvested is either silage or hay. Most fields have been cut and baled now but there are still a couple that are waiting to be done.
The reason I asked was that I have a friend who is begging me to take him out lamping - I took him out last week-end and he "christened" his rifle with a couply of rabbits during the day time - and now the bug has well and truly bitten. It's getting pretty dusky at about 9:30 nowadays so I might just arrange a short lamping session for him some time over the week-end or the beginning of next week.

Arron - Like you I am not a big fan of shooting milky does but most of my permissions are purely rabbit control rather than "shooting for the pot", so any that offer a shot have to be dealt with regardless of size or sex etc!

 

[The Singing Stalker]

Lamping? Do people still do that then?
I don't tend to stop. I will be out an hour or so before dark then continue through the night to silly o clock. Not school nights though coz it is a 100 mile round trip. But seen the dawn come up quite a few times.
i still enjoy it.

 

[AN DU RU FOX]

as above an hour before dark for the young daft ones if ive got enough call it a day or stay to wait for charlie ,,,then carry on till my legs or feet hurt as like arron i dont like shooting milky does unless theres no other option,,atb doug,

 

[Fursty Ferret]

No "off season" as far as im concerned......cant afford to give them an inch or you give yourself an uphill battle

 

[jim from accy]

Will probably start in a couple of weeks with the lamp,taken quite a few young this year at the request of the landowner, more than i normally would.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Will probably start in a couple of weeks with the lamp,taken quite a few young this year at the request of the landowner, more than i normally would.

Same here so that's the same as I was thinking - Maybe give it a couple more weeks then start using the lamp. Till then I am happy just going out in the evening (When it isn't piddling down) and stalk a few followed by sessions of sitting quietly in the corner of a hedge and "sniping" them as they come out to feed!

 

[jim from accy]

Just been out for a look while out with the dogs,still quite a lot of little ones out early , so i may well have my work cut out soon.

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Just been out for a look while out with the dogs,still quite a lot of little ones out early , so i may well have my work cut out soon.

Yes Jim, I know what you mean. I've only just got in from an evening "walkabout" and noticed that there are still some milky does and plenty of young ones about. Should be in for a few good "pot filling" sessions on the lamp when I start.

 

[Shadrach2986]

I tend to go out couple hours before sunset, and depending on how many i get as to whether I stay late or not, I normally start in next few weeks and try to take all the younger bunnys

 

[tumbleweed]

No time like the present time, last few fields been taken care of and the rabbits are out and about, was good walking alongside with shotty and the machinery and my mate took care of a young fox as well so farmer over the moon. At night i use cz .22 rimmy for the pot with winchester subbies and my rifle absolutely loves them and get cracking head shots all night long along with a 2 year old Yukon Photon with doubler and Night Master 800 IR which gives cracking results. I also have .17hmr Cz which i use for longer ranges, I can also change to Lightforce 140 attachment or a Laser Genetics Sub Zero 3x50 all of these are Quick Release and can go onto any rifle. Only takes one night to get hooked, so hope yer pal and you have a good time.

 

[norma 308]

Maybe a bit contraversial but I like a few about at home mainly as they get myxi around the time my poults come giving the buzzards and kites and ravens something to feed on we have a session while the combines are here and a night on the truck with shottys and then I bag a few to order but never clear them completely we block farm the same crop on the whole of the farm so it's easy to see where they need control ,can't get reliable ferret boys these days either so the farms always got a rabbit or two to ping at
norma

 

[FrenchieBoy]

Maybe a bit contraversial but I like a few about at home mainly as they get myxi around the time my poults come giving the buzzards and kites and ravens something to feed on we have a session while the combines are here and a night on the truck with shottys and then I bag a few to order but never clear them completely we block farm the same crop on the whole of the farm so it's easy to see where they need control ,can't get reliable ferret boys these days either so the farms always got a rabbit or two to ping at
norma

I quite agree with you even if it might be a bit controversial - However not contraversial in my opinion!
I would not want to see rabbits totally erradicated, nor any other species come to that. I think the answer is in the name/terminology "Pest Control" - It's all down to trying to control the numbers of all pest/vermin species! OK some farmers/landowners might well instruct you to "shoot every rabbit you see" but I somehow doubt that anyone would ever be able to completely clear an area of land of rabbits.
No one (In my opinion) has the right to totally eradicate any species! Some might say or think otherwise but we are all entitled to our own opinions even if they do differ from others.