Hunting Rabbits With Dogs Your Views

[Mike from Hereford]

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Bloody ell,

thought it was just a simple Q !!

The countryside I live in, has countless rabbits and they are a real crop consumer (Honest) 10 rabbits consume the same amount as an adult sheep. I,ve seen fields with hundreds of the pest in.

The rabbits are brought to me "Live" and I dispatch the white tails as quickly and humanely as possible, and with respect.

I have witnessed the disgusting treatment of humans in numerous countrys, and a by product of that is a a genuine respect for life.I do not enjoy killing rabbits, far from it.I see it as a challenge for the dogs to catch wildlife, (Sport ?) that are in prime condition.

If mixyed , again my humble thoughts, I honestly believe a termination of life is humane, and just. Hope I,m right ?

The posting of dogs on this forum with hunted quarry is not on.Its not the place to glorify "Death" or capture of a wild mammal.I did not realise that my Q would raise such emotions,( Sorry) regarding hunting rabbits.Hope some of the replies have not upset K9ers.

I have witnessed human torture and disgusting scenes that would haunt the majority of you. The K9 forum is ( I think a family) www and aplace for all ages to view.That said its my belief the pictures of wild animals caught by dogs are for other forums.

Mike

 

[~JO~]

The posting of dogs on this forum with hunted quarry is not on.Its not the place to glorify "Death" or capture of a wild mammal.

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I don't think it was ever the intention to glorify death - just to show an illustration of a dog doing a job :b Other than that Mike I agree with everything you say!

Its nice that this post has not got out of hand and we can discuss things sensibly - I hope!

 

[Mike from Hereford]

The word glorify is maybe wrong ? I agree its nice to have a healthy debate/discussion.

Mike

 

[Paul Melia]

Not stirring or bullying, just typing what I think. I just happen to think that it is a nonsense to be "offended" by pictures of dead rabbits or them being pursued. Particularly when human misery and death is on the news 24 hours a day.

Do these sensitive souls avoid the butchers counters or shops?

Fox hunting was a great sport. Read up the scientific viewpoints etc in the recent inquiries into hunting and make up your own minds.

 

[BeeJay]

Mark I think that you and June will have some problems resolving the name of this forum.

Lure coursing - we can't legally course anymore so there is little point in having a coursing forum in my view - involves no killing. I know people who go lure coursing who are appalled by the idea of killing a prey animal and who would find the 'boast' photos of multiple kills very offensive.

Thus working and lure coursing aren't at all the same thing. One involves the death of a creature and the other a plastic bag. :- "

I can't see how you reconcile this difference anymore than working whippet issues being in the racing whippet forum.

It isn't at all the same thing IMO.

However it would be a shame IMO if there wasn't a forum for lure coursing AND a forum for working whippets. But the same they aren't.

 

[nigelmcfc]

I`m thinking of starting an MSN groups type thing for owners of working whippets , if anyone is interested let me know.

 

[June Jonigk]

Isn't this surely a case of - if you don't like it, don't look! There are sites on the internet showing child porn, but we don't want to see them, so we don't look - easy isn't it? :- "

There are far too many people dictating what we should and shouldn't do nowadays - each to their own I say. Why can't people understand that other people have differing views, but all views have an equal standing. There is no right, and no wrong.

Mike is right when he says that there is so much suffering going on in the world we live in. Why does anyone feel the need to get so heated up about something they cannot change.

I don't go rabbiting with my dogs, for two reasons. I don't want to risk them getting injured (feet down rabbit holes etc), and I don't want to hear the bunny squeal when they shake it about. I would however be thrilled to watch them chasing one, and I am not against other people's dogs chasing them.

Come on now - all kiss and make up :huggles: Chill out a bit - you know you are risking your health from getting so steamed up - you'll have a heart attack before long!!

A little consideration for other people's feelings goes a long way. I can't remember who posted the piccies in the first place, but he/she was obviously proud of their dog - and why not?!

Yes, we are here to moderate this forum, but I personally don't see what the fuss is about.

 

[~elizabeth~]

I have heard a theory that I think has some truth in it.  It has been noticed that in populations that are well controlled there is a much lower number of mixie cases, and that where the population is getting too large mixie spreads quickly.   Certainly this is true of many diseases and is a negative feedback 'method' of natural population control, including in the human population.  So possibly, in theory, the spread of mixie could be controlled by keeping the rabbit population below a critical level.

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After F&M, the bunny population in our favourite rabbiting patch really skyrocketed - they also moved from their old warrens during the flooding and burrowed out a lot of the banks, making the Thames path very dangerous as the new tunnels subsided opening up dangerous holes in the most worn stretches. For a combination of these reasons the population must have doubled over the 18 months of unusual conditions.

The following winter we had an extraordinarily bad bout of myxamatosis. On the path I followed I counted at least 3 dozen of carcasses before giving up, so many the scavengers hadn't bothered with them; there must have been a couple of hundred over the full area. To be honest this was a more disturbing sight than the bunny pics here or merely walking through Oxford's covered market and looking at the game legally for sale there.

In many places round here similar overpopulations are being gassed. I really can't see that a few yards bolt followed by a quick bite to the thorax to stop the heart is a worse end than either gassing or death from a distressing disease. The level of disease seems to have been very low here since the population crash.

If these were rats being discussed, would people find it such a big issue? I personally hate many of the methods of controlling rats, much worse in terms of prolonged and extreme suffering than any kind of hunting. I think glue traps particularly cruel and would never use them, and I really don't like poison for inflicting a slow death and the possibility of poisoning other wildlife, but it has to be done as they are usually too intelligent to be caught out by spring or cage traps.

From a fruit growers point of view rabbits are very damaging - they destroyed a lot of mature trees in the village orchard - none in my own only because we'd already gone to the huge expense of caging them all with 1/2" chicken wire.

 

[Mark Roberts]

However it would be a shame IMO if there wasn't a forum for lure coursing AND a forum for working whippets. But the same they aren't

Thats a very good point BJ, so all we need is for Nigel to creat a new thread for lure coursing and rename this one for working whippets?.

 

[Max&Smokey]

The problem I have with this whole debate is people finding a photo of a dead rabbit in front of a dog offensive but happily drinking milk without understanding how its produced.

In my eyes there is no moral high ground unless your a vegan. The demand for meat / leather / milk etc causes animal's to suffer to an extent. So why is it so offensive to have a free range rabbit happily enjoying life until the day its caught and dispatched.

In case you havent guessed I think hunting with your whippet is acceptable but I promise not to share the photos.

 

[mally]

This post is directed at all of the bunnie huggers.

Why do you own a whippet? if you don't like rabbits being caught dogs.

in my extensive experience a dog caught rabbit is alot better off than a shot one,the shot one could be wounded and run off to endure an agonising death.

Why should we on the coursing forum stop posting pictures of our dogs and quarry? we are proud of our dogs and of there ability, if you don't like the pictures then don't look on this forum.

Whippets were bred for hunting and racing and if it wasn't for people like us keeping there instinct alive. The breed would end up like the westies scared of there own shadow.and couch potatoes.

 

[BeeJay]

However it would be a shame IMO if there wasn't a forum for lure coursing AND a forum for working whippets. But the same they aren't

Thats a very good point BJ, so all we need is for Nigel to creat a new thread for lure coursing and rename this one for working whippets?.

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That was what I was thinking Mark. Lure coursing I would have thought must become more popular through out the UK. And whippets will hopefully always be worked.

However I might have ended coursing too soon though. I've just been reading about chirk hawking on a list that I'm on. It's something that the North West Saluki Conservation Club has started. It involves 1 saluki and a falcon working together on hare. 3 dogs and 2 falcons took part all together.

They've had two meetings so far at the request of the landowners. I should imagine that it was very spectacular to watch.

 

[Mark Roberts]

That would be a sight to watch BJ,

best thing I've ever watched was a perigrin in full stoop hit a wood pidgeon! absolutly poetry in motion.

 

[Martina]

However it would be a shame IMO if there wasn't a forum for lure coursing AND a forum for working whippets. But the same they aren't

However I might have ended coursing too soon though. I've just been reading about chirk hawking on a list that I'm on. It's something that the North West Saluki Conservation Club has started. It involves 1 saluki and a falcon working together on hare. 3 dogs and 2 falcons took part all together.

They've had two meetings so far at the request of the landowners. I should imagine that it was very spectacular to watch.

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This is something you could really enjoy around here.. one of my good friends is the most recongnised saluki breeders here.. Beauty & Performance sort of breed.

This is a photo from one of his hunting trips...

 

[~elizabeth~]

:wub: my life-long fantasy! :wub: I briefly joined a falconer's club many years ago, most of them worked Harris Hawks with G-S-Pointers.

 

[Mike from Hereford]

Last season I invited a fella who owned a Harris hawk to hunt on my permission.It was just awesome, the hawk named Connie would either drop onto the rabbit or if the rabbit gained any sort of distance it would swoop up behind the quarry, with one talon/foot in the backend and the other around the head region.It is just so impressive.

Rob the owner told me of a chap who owned a Golden Eagle that would catch foxes and deer.Must be one hell of a spectacle.

 

[Levs]

Must be one hell of a spectacle.

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Yes it is!

 

[Levs]

Please don't click this link if you are offended by nature like so many of you seem to be :lol:

Here you go Mike have a look at this

A Gyr/Pere nailing a Gazelle

 

[June Jonigk]

Rob the owner told me of a chap who owned a Golden Eagle that would catch foxes and deer.Must be one hell of a spectacle.

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Since we've lived in Hereford, and amongst lots of buzzards/hawks, I have often wondered if my little 15lb whippet is at risk from being swooped upon!! Looks like I could be right!!

 

[John E Greenwood]

However it would be a shame IMO if there wasn't a forum for lure coursing AND a forum for working whippets. But the same they aren't

Thats a very good point BJ, so all we need is for Nigel to creat a new thread for lure coursing and rename this one for working whippets?.

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There is no such thing as "lure coursing"... I would be very interested to know how it is judged..........there is coursing, ie. live game, and there is chasing a lure..

When coursing, a dog is judged on its' ability to turn and control the quarry, often away from the dog with which it is running....In lure coursing, the lure turns of its' own accord, because the string goes around a roller, that doesn't seem to require the same skill from the dog???

If there is a new forum, dedicated to lure chasing, I for one would object to the word "coursing" being used.....I would also be interested in the qualifications required by the judges of such a sport.