2013 Great Easter Bunny Hunt

[LMBRJQ 60]

Hi Guys,
Just got back from the 2013 Alexandra Easter Bunny Hunt in the south Island of New Zealand.
My family have been putting in a team (12 shooters) for the last 23 years.
You start on the friday at 12:00 lunch time, get allocated your block, drive to it (up to 100Miles away), get set up, shoot for the day, gear up for a night shoot, shoot through the night and have to be back at the park in alexandra with all of your rabbits and whatever else you managed to bag by 12:00 lunch time on the saturday. 24 hours trying to get as many rabbits as you can. This year there were 37 teams, the top team bagged 1366 rabbits, we came in 4th with 1001 rabbits and various others (hares, ferrets and Stoats).
Had a real good time, but have a sore right shoulder at the moment.
Next up Duck shooting season then the opening weekend of the Quail season.
The old chev takes a bit of a back seat this time of the year.
For all those that now dont like me that much for shooting at poor defenseless rabbits, im sorry but in this area they are a major pest.
The total for the weekend over 17800.

Steve

 

[Ishiftem]

I've heard that. Deer too.

 

[BRYAN FUGATE]

AWESOME

 

[Phil Reed]

You need to bring your guns to Texas!! They have prairie dogs!!! Bigger targets!! But they don't have a "professional season" like you do!!

At least this is more fun than importing falcons or eagles.

 

[k9hotrodder409]

I hate those "WASKALLY WABBITS !!!

 

[Don Jacks]

Those Waskilly Wabbits make some mighty good eating Butch,but then what would a "Yankee" know about thhat??????????

 

[Phil Reed]

I hate those "WASKALLY WABBITS !!!

Around here ir's deer!!!They even eat Candy's rose bushes!!!! I'll take wabbits over deer any day.

 

[entourageguy]

question. what do they do with all the dead rabbits??

 

[k9hotrodder409]

Hey Phil , I got em all around here !!!

 

[Iowa 409 Guy]

Hi Guys,
Just got back from the 2013 Alexandra Easter Bunny Hunt in the south Island of New Zealand.
My family have been putting in a team (12 shooters) for the last 23 years.
You start on the friday at 12:00 lunch time, get allocated your block, drive to it (up to 100Miles away), get set up, shoot for the day, gear up for a night shoot, shoot through the night and have to be back at the park in alexandra with all of your rabbits and whatever else you managed to bag by 12:00 lunch time on the saturday. 24 hours trying to get as many rabbits as you can. This year there were 37 teams, the top team bagged 1366 rabbits, we came in 4th with 1001 rabbits and various others (hares, ferrets and Stoats).
Had a real good time, but have a sore right shoulder at the moment.
Next up Duck shooting season then the opening weekend of the Quail season.
The old chev takes a bit of a back seat this time of the year.
For all those that now dont like me that much for shooting at poor defenseless rabbits, im sorry but in this area they are a major pest.
The total for the weekend over 17800.

Steve

Sounds like a great time. Mostly using shotguns? The only thing i see bad about the whole thing is that with it being legal to shoot stuff in the dark would take all the fun out of it>>>>>>>>>>>>>There ain't a thousand rabbits in this whole county here in rural Iowa. What do you shoot mainly for ducks? Mallards?

Phil....where's all them dogs at? Haven't had a good p-dog shoot for a few years. Used to go to South Dakota and Wyoming twice a year.

 

[Phil Reed]

question. what do they do with all the dead rabbits??

Bar-B-Que???????????

 

[Don Jacks]

Fried,stewed,bar-b-que..................it's all good.

 

[LMBRJQ 60]

question. what do they do with all the dead rabbits??

The skin out and gut about 2000 of them and use them for bait for rats, ferrets, stoats etc on protected environments where endangerd birds etc live. (a lot of the native birds over here are endangered) we even have a parrot that cant fly as well as our national bird (KIWI) that cant fly either so the rats etc give them a real hard time.

The rest of them get processed into garden fertiliser and sold by the local council.

Steve

 

[LMBRJQ 60]

Sounds like a great time. Mostly using shotguns? The only thing i see bad about the whole thing is that with it being legal to shoot stuff in the dark would take all the fun out of it>>>>>>>>>>>>>There ain't a thousand rabbits in this whole county here in rural Iowa. What do you shoot mainly for ducks? Mallards?

Phil....where's all them dogs at? Haven't had a good p-dog shoot for a few years. Used to go to South Dakota and Wyoming twice a year.

I use a 12 gauge remmington 1100 and a Savage 17HMR, night shooting is great as they are either coming out of the underside of of the truck as you drive around or they are at the 100-150yard mark.

Usually mallards over here but there are a few other species that you are able to hunt in the country, not so much in the south island though.

 

[LMBRJQ 60]

You need to bring your guns to Texas!! They have prairie dogs!!! Bigger targets!! But they don't have a "professional season" like you do!!

At least this is more fun than importing falcons or eagles.

At least this is more fun than importing falcons or eagles.

I would love to do that Phil, might have to put it on the bucket list for our trip next year.

If any one of you guys is over here for Easter at any stage we would welcome you onto the team. Might even be able to fit a fair bit of car stuff in as well

Steve

 

[Iowa 409 Guy]

The skin out and gut about 2000 of them and use them for bait for rats, ferrets, stoats etc on protected environments where endangerd birds etc live. (a lot of the native birds over here are endangered) we even have a parrot that cant fly as well as our national bird (KIWI) that cant fly either so the rats etc give them a real hard time.

The rest of them get processed into garden fertiliser and sold by the local council.

Steve

I see stoats were introduced in NZ to control the rabbits. Did the same thing happen in Austraila?
The Department of Natural Resources in this country have pulled several of those kinds of deals in their infinate wisdom.

 

[LMBRJQ 60]

I see stoats were introduced in NZ to control the rabbits. Did the same thing happen in Austraila?
The Department of Natural Resources in this country have pulled several of those kinds of deals in their infinate wisdom.

Yep Dave, we have the same mental decision processes here in central government.
At one stage in the early 60s the NZ government was looking at importing cougars to control our Deer population.
At least it didnt get that far.
Our most dangerous thing in this country (apart from rampant politicians) would be wild Boar, Deer (Stags) or wild cows in the bush. none of which can climb trees as fast as i can might i add.
I have been on a pig hunting trip once (no rifles, just knives and dogs) and 5 of us were up one tree with a wild cow at the base of it. (not to be confused with a Mad Cow, one of which i divorced about 15 years ago)
We have no deer season here, they are fair game in the wild all year round. You just need to get a permit to be in certain parts of the bush.
Rabbits and Possums are all pests as well.

Steve