Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits.

[gt40]

I'm sure there are some gun enthusiasts here that could answer this for me:


Ive got some pesky rabbits in the back yard that are eating my veggies in the garden.
I've erected a fence, only to have them tunnel underneath.
my dog is just too old to care that the varmints are there, so I thought a BB gun with a low muzzle velocty and a few well placed shots in the buttock would let them know that my garden was out of bounds.
Would a low muzzle velocity BB gun (about 300 ft/sec) be just enough to hurt them without harming them? Are pellets more suited for this (I really don't like pellets - I understand they are made from lead)

[ND66]

Maybe this will give you an idea:

This one is delicious. The best part is you don't have do to much except throw in the ingredients and let the crockpot do it's thing.

My Crockpot Rabbit Stew

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil4 garlic cloves, crushed1/2 cup chopped onion2 cans cream of chicken soup (no water)1 can cheese soup (no water)½ can of chicken broth low sodium3 Italian sausage links (Optional, depends on how much rabbit meat)(I use a polish sausage or a kilbasa)
4 boneless chicken breast halves (or rabbit) Lemon pepper to taste1 teaspoon Italian seasoningred pepper flakes, to taste, optional

PREPARATION:

Heat oil in skillet. Saute onion and garlic until light brown. Slice sausages in 1-inch pieces. Add sausage and rabbit Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

[ZokesPro]

300ft/sec would be enough to pierce the skin of a small animal. If you go to Canadian Tire, you can get a Marksman .177 caliber pistol that fire BB's and pellets. Load em up wiht BB's (copper coated steel BB's) and if I remeber correctly, it shoots at 200ft/sec, which is enough to just hurt a rabbit without breaking the skin.

http://www.canadiantire.com/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672319&bmUID=1184604065146&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443248849&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true

$44.99CND

[gt40]

Maybe this will give you an idea:

Hehe, the kids actually like grilled rabbit, but really I don't need any extra meat at the moment, the freezer is well stocked.

[gt40]

300ft/sec would be enough to pierce the skin of a small animal. If you go to Canadian Tire, you can get a Marksman .177 caliber pistol that fire BB's and pellets. Load em up wiht BB's (copper coated steel BB's) and if I remeber correctly, it shoots at 200ft/sec, which is enough to just hurt a rabbit without breaking the skin.

http://www.canadiantire.com/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672319&bmUID=1184604065146&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443248849&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true

$44.99CND

I don't think they will let me get close enough to hit them with that.
I am looking for a rifle, and the weakest I could find was about 275 ft/sec.

[ZokesPro]

If your just looking to scare it off for good, why not get a paintball gun and unload a 200 paintball hopper on the . That'll teach em!

Seriously though, how far are you? The pistol gets a good 50ft of range before losing power. But if your further away I guess a 300ft/sec rifle might do the trick.

There's always the Marksman 2025 Laserhawk BB Repeater Air Rifle $59.99CND. It gets 274ft/sec. It's a pump action, like a shotgun, but I'd remove the scope cause if it's not sighted properly, it's useless.

http://www.canadiantire.com/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443248887&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672319&bmUID=1184607846775

[Dr Mordrid]

Personally I'd skewer one with an arrow & BBQ it, but if you want to be nice the old method is to plant a squash vines around the garden, usually a few meters apart. Once they start to vine wrap them around the garden, not leaving any entrance for short-legged critters. Unfortunately you have to do this early in the season.

Squash vines & leaves have sharp hairs all over their surfaces & soft-footed critters like rabbits tend to avoid crossing them.

You'll be up to your ass in squash, so pick varieties you like.

[ND66]

Hehe, the kids actually like grilled rabbit, but really I don't need any extra meat at the moment, the freezer is well stocked.

Let them grow a little then.


Until then.......

Rabbits

1. Tree guards: In fall wrap the lower portions of the trunks with commercial tree wrap, burlap, foil, or metal window screen. The wrapping should be 2' above the height of the deepest snow expected, rabbits can walk on top of the snow. Remove wrappings from the trunks in spring.

2. Sprinkle or hang cheesecloth bags of bloodmeal around plants. If sprinkled it must be redone after rain.

3. Vinegar: Soak corn cobs (cut in half) left over from a meal in vinegar for 5 minutes, then scatter throughout the flower or vegetable garden. Two weeks later soak them again in the same vinegar. You can keep reusing this same vinegar again and again.

4. Spray a tea made from cow manure and water as a repellent.

5. Soybean plants will repel rabbits or some say they attract them.

6. Onions will repel them. So will bonemeal.

7. Use red pepper, black pepper, cayenne, paprika etc. as a dust to repel. Rabbits are always sniffing so they snort this up and it sends them packing.

8. Mix 1 well beaten egg, 1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce, and 1 gal. of water. Paint this on the tree trunks to prevent munching. This will not harm the trees.

9. Plant "Mexican Marigolds" (Tagetes Minuta) and garlic in the garden to repel them.

10. Set old leather shoes (from the thrift shop) around the garden to give it that "humans are here" smell.

11. Garlic Oil Spray may help to repel rabbits.

To make: Combine 3 ounces of minced garlic cloves with 1 ounce of mineral oil. Let soak for 24 hours or longer. Strain. Next mix 1 teaspoon of fish emulsion with 16 ounces of water. Add 1 tablespoon of castille soap to this. Now slowly combine the fish emulsion water with the garlic oil. Kept in a sealed glass container this mixture will stay viable for several months. To use: Mix 2 tablespoons of garlic oil with 1 pint of water and spray.

12. Try planting some crops that rabbits will eat instead with, we hope, the intention of deterring them from your other garden crops. Try annual crimson red clover, planted as a strip border around the garden. Now even if it is not successful as a distraction the clover will up the nitrogen content of your soil. Soybeans are said to be good munchies for bunnies but some say they act as a repellant.

13. Pepper and Glue Spray: Mix together 2 tablespoons of ground red pepper or Tabasco sauce, 1 tablespoon of Elmer's white glue and a quart of water. Spray as needed but not right before you are ready to harvest as the solution may be difficult to wash off your produce.

14. A good rabbit repellent is a mixture of 85% raw linseed oil, 5% household detergent and 10% water. This can be applied with either a paintbrush or small sprayer. Use as a barrier spray but not directly on plant foliage.

Tabasco sauce and water mixture (not the "Glue" type) works well, or what Doc said.

.

[ZokesPro]

What about a tall fence, where half of it is underground that way the buggers can't dig under it?

I noticed a post that quickly disappeared that mentioned that you had a 75ft range. A decent rifle would do the trick, but nothing above 300ft/sec otherwise you'll injure the .

[gt40]

Those suggestions all sound great, but where would the fun be
Did I mention I also have gophers

[ND66]

Did I mention I also have gophers

No, you did not.

But since you did, here you go.....

Gophers & Squirrel are cooked similar to rabbits, are excellent when broiled or made into a stew, and, in fact, are very good in all the different styles of cooking similar to rabbit........

Just see my first post!

[gt40]

Lol!

[Dr Mordrid]

And they're good eating too. So are woodchucks (yummy!!), raccoon, beaver, opossum, wild turkey, duck/geese, frogs, snake, grouse, pheasant, armadillo and musk rats.

Antelope, deer, peccary (javelina), boar, bear and elk are high on our list too.

[KRSESQ]

Have you tried urinating on the boundries of the garden? Especially after eating something that makes urine especially stanky?

Or, have your cat-loving friends save their used cat litter (sans lumps) and sprinkle that around the perimeter.

Some larger garden shops have varmint repellant which is basically bottled fox urine or something to make it smell like a big, dangerous predator is close by. Of course, it needs to be periodically replenished.

Kevin

[gt40]

Hmm, used cat litter - got plenty of that. I'll give it a try.

Thanks for all the suggestions. My cucumbers thank you as well