http://www.ajchomefinder.com/gardening/gardeners-gird-for-annual-423345.html?cxntlid=sldr
People think I'm joking or overreacting when I complain about the Rabbit menace. WHOSE LAUGHING NOW?
QuoteGardeners gird for annual face-off with rabbits
By DIANA MARSZALEK
For The Associated Press
When Barbara Jenkins first moved to her home in New York's Hudson Valley, she fell in love with the wildlife, including the "cute little bunnies" who romped so close.
Several years and many nibbled gardens later, the fluffy-tailed hoppers were not quite so cute anymore.
After watching the rabbits help themselves to her tomatoes and squash blossoms, Jenkins, of New City, erected a garden-protecting fence, which they adeptly found their way around. She sprinkled pepper flakes on the plants, which lasted only as long as the plants stayed dry. Planting marigolds — which Jenkins heard repelled rabbits — didn't work either.
"They just bypassed them and went right on in," she said.
Now that spring has officially sprung, home gardeners throughout the country are starting to lovingly prep, plant and — hopefully — protect their gardens. That often means facing off against rabbits.
"It's usually when you first start putting in the little plants, the seedlings, that the damage is really done," said John Hadidian, director of the Humane Society of the United State's urban wildlife program, adding that gardeners in no part of the country are spared.
"Rabbits are everywhere," he said.
The reality is there are no magic tricks for keeping bunnies at bay, experts said. There are some simple ways to try to protect plants — such as installing fencing or shade cloths that make them less attractive — but gardeners are unlikely ever to emerge the victor in this age-old battle, Hadidian said.
First, he said, rabbits are timid and largely transient — meaning that even once you've seen and identified your garden invaders, they could be long gone, munching elsewhere, by the time you figure out how to keep them out.
Those that do stick around tend to multiply — and multiply quickly. Known for being prolific, rabbits have babies young and quickly, something Hadidian said developed as "their strategy to cope with the fact that everyone wants to hunt and eat them."
The species that like to eat rabbits — hawks, foxes and owls, to name a few — are not always present in suburban or edge neighborhoods. And then there's the problem that rabbits — which are actually not rodents, as commonly believed, but their own genus called lagomorphs — are attracted to homegrown gardens for much the same reason we are: They taste good.
"Like any herbivore, there are preferred foods and less preferred foods," Hadidian said.
Garden-eating rabbits are only doing what nature programmed them to do, he said, so go easy on them.
"You can solve a conflict without harming them," he said.
Susan Littlefield, the National Gardening Association's horticulture editor, said the best way to rabbit-proof a garden is to install a fence that's about 2 feet high — 3 feet if you're up against larger hares.
In either case, rabbit fences should be made of 3/4-inch wire mesh, and should extend down into the ground about a foot. The underground wire barrier should also include about an extra foot that is placed at a right angle away from the garden, creating an underground L-shape, she said.
Young plants also should be protected with shade covers. Individual trees or plants could be protected with cylindrical wire guards.
Having a dog around doesn't hurt either, she said.
And look on the bright side: Having rabbits healthy and actively chomping away is a sign that things are working right in the ecosystem, Hadidian said.
"It's when you don't see them out there that we begin to worry about what's going on," he said.
That's a mantra Jenkins said she has reluctantly adopted. With her garden-protecting fence gone, she said she prefers the open look much better, even though rabbits still stop by to munch.
And while she is continuously on the lookout for plants that don't appeal to rabbits, Jenkins has turned philosophical.
"Basically, we've just come to the conclusion that we're all in this together," she said. "Maybe we can share a little bit better."
DIE RABBITS DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE
They are so cute. :wub:
Yeah, rabbits can ruin a veggie garden. One year they kept eating the small seedlings, killing the plants. But I think over the last few years that coyotes must have kept the rabbit population down, since I haven't seen any rabbits for a few years now.
Oooo those pesky wabbitts.
There are lots of feral cats around here, haven't seen any rabbits.
I see coyotes around all the time (and although I haven't seen one in town, plenty of reports of lynx around the edge of town) so rabbits aren't much of a concern here. :Canuck:
Quote from: Barrister on April 01, 2010, 01:05:21 PM
I see coyotes around all the time (and although I haven't seen one in town, plenty of reports of lynx around the edge of town) so rabbits aren't much of a concern here. :Canuck:
There is a bear that is supposedly showing up in the rural areas in between Dayton and Cincy. Which means the bastard will show up and eat my garbage one day.
Bunnies :wub:
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My backyard animal hatred is reserved for opossums. Little monsters.
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Meh - the one backyard animal that worries me are coyotes. They're the reason I don't let my cat outside at all.
Well, them and bald eagles. They look like they could take out poor kitty in one swoop too.
I've just signed a petition against the Newcastle city council's plans to genocide the bunnies living on a patch of grass in the city centre. Rabbit rights!
Quote from: Tyr on April 01, 2010, 04:33:06 PM
I've just signed a petition against the Newcastle city council's plans to genocide the bunnies living on a patch of grass in the city centre. Rabbit rights!
I'll think of you as I liquidate the rabbits in my yard.
:hmm:
Quote from: Barrister on April 01, 2010, 01:05:21 PM
I see coyotes around all the time (and although I haven't seen one in town, plenty of reports of lynx around the edge of town) so rabbits aren't much of a concern here. :Canuck:
That's the issue, I think. When I was growing up there were rabbits around, but never in the garden. People kill off the predators and then get upset when the rabbits take over.
We have coyotes (I saw one in my backyard last summer), but my dog is big enough now (79 lbs.) that I don't think a lone coyote would fuck with him. We also have had rabbits, but I believe the feral cats went ahead and fixed the glitch. :cool:
Dont Coyotes usually run in packs? I ran into two Coyotes hiking a couple summers ago. I gave one a dirty look and it ran off into the bushes, and the other one kinda circles around me and I took a step towards it and it ran off too.
It feels so good to be part of such a bad ass "don't fuck with me" species.Besides, my people have a long history of communing with nature. Had my initial approach failed I would have used my dog fetish to summon my Coyote guardian spirit to ward off my attackers.
Quote from: DisturbedPervert on April 01, 2010, 01:50:13 PM
My backyard animal hatred is reserved for opossums. Little monsters.
Around these parts its raccoons that piss me off personally (at my previous house a town over I had to put a little bleach in my garbage cans to keep them at bay), but there are rabbits around here a-plenty & if I had a vegetable garden I would probably get more use out of my air rifle...
A redneck who hates coons? :(
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 01, 2010, 04:59:43 PM
Quote from: Tyr on April 01, 2010, 04:33:06 PM
I've just signed a petition against the Newcastle city council's plans to genocide the bunnies living on a patch of grass in the city centre. Rabbit rights!
I'll think of you as I liquidate the rabbits in my yard.
Eat shit and die, Mr. McGregor.
Quote from: CountDeMoney on April 05, 2010, 05:06:42 AM
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 01, 2010, 04:59:43 PM
Quote from: Tyr on April 01, 2010, 04:33:06 PM
I've just signed a petition against the Newcastle city council's plans to genocide the bunnies living on a patch of grass in the city centre. Rabbit rights!
I'll think of you as I liquidate the rabbits in my yard.
Eat shit and die, Mr. McGregor.
:lol:
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http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/peter-rabbit-tank-killer-t22390.html
"But when Peter returned to his army, he held Farmer McGregor's head high."
http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp03202010.shtml
Everybody thinks rabbits are so cute and innocent. Let them take root and BAM! They are crossing your frontiers in a Slav like horde.
I will not sacrifice the garden. We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our yard, and we fall back. They destroy entire vegetable patches, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far and no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 05, 2010, 09:06:05 AM
:lol:
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http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/peter-rabbit-tank-killer-t22390.html
:lol:
Although to a nitpicker like me, that supposed Tiger II looks a lot more like a T-34.
I am please to announce a victory against the rabbit menace, as the cat Drut did kill a rabbit. Breaking its neck while trying to escape. It is believed the battle took place near the bridge:
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file photo
The Fuhrer has awarded Drut a can of tuna and the title of Brigadefuhrer.
Quote from: Agelastus on April 05, 2010, 03:30:22 PM
Although to a nitpicker like me, that supposed Tiger II looks a lot more like a T-34.
All of the Beatrix Potter books had a very hard time portraying World War 2 military equipment properly.
The goddamn rabbits are back in my yard. :mad: Stop falling down on the job, lazy semi-feral cats!
Quote from: Caliga on April 19, 2010, 07:06:53 AM
The goddamn rabbits are back in my yard. :mad: Stop falling down on the job, lazy semi-feral cats!
They have crossed Cal's frontiers. :(
I suggest rifle barrages.
Scorch Earth is the only way, Cal. Burn it! Burn it all!
Quote from: CountDeMoney on April 05, 2010, 05:06:42 AM
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 01, 2010, 04:59:43 PM
Quote from: Tyr on April 01, 2010, 04:33:06 PM
I've just signed a petition against the Newcastle city council's plans to genocide the bunnies living on a patch of grass in the city centre. Rabbit rights!
I'll think of you as I liquidate the rabbits in my yard.
Eat shit and die, Mr. McGregor.
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fpbfcomics.com%2Farchive_b%2FPBF106-Billy_the_Bunny.jpg&hash=ba69196b85e35e54564f65d8be1b44f8973c76e0)
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 19, 2010, 07:38:59 AM
Scorch Earth is the only way, Cal. Burn it! Burn it all!
I haven't heard the coyotes lately, but I'm hoping they come back to deal with this. We also have vultures, but I don't think they'll eat a live bunny.
In conclusion: goddamn useless cats. :mad:
Maybe you should introduce a wolf or 2. Contact BB.
Quote from: Caliga on April 19, 2010, 08:03:53 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 19, 2010, 07:38:59 AM
Scorch Earth is the only way, Cal. Burn it! Burn it all!
I haven't heard the coyotes lately, but I'm hoping they come back to deal with this. We also have vultures, but I don't think they'll eat a live bunny.
In conclusion: goddamn useless cats. :mad:
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The rabbits tend to lurk on the other side of my dog's wireless fence. He's learned the hard way not to chase them. :pinch:
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 19, 2010, 08:09:51 AM
Maybe you should introduce a wolf or 2. Contact BB.
I could probably score Cal a deal on a nice lynx or two...
Quote from: Barrister on April 19, 2010, 11:12:38 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 19, 2010, 08:09:51 AM
Maybe you should introduce a wolf or 2. Contact BB.
I could probably score Cal a deal on a nice lynx or two...
I would bet Canadian law would cause you to end up prosecuting yourself. :P
Quote from: Tonitrus on April 19, 2010, 12:05:08 PM
Quote from: Barrister on April 19, 2010, 11:12:38 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on April 19, 2010, 08:09:51 AM
Maybe you should introduce a wolf or 2. Contact BB.
I could probably score Cal a deal on a nice lynx or two...
I would bet Canadian law would cause you to end up prosecuting yourself. :P
:shifty:
But I don't think so. Lynx are in no way protected or endangered in Canada (exception in Nova Scotia), and can be legally trapped (and I know some trappers), so I can't see why you couldn't legally capture one live instead.
Now I could see Cal getting into trouble for
releasing a wild lynx into a suburban neighborhood, but that wouldn't be my problem... :ph34r:
There'd be no problem. The legions of hunters around here would bag it within a few hours. :)
Quote from: Caliga on April 19, 2010, 12:49:58 PM
There'd be no problem. The legions of hunters around here would bag it within a few hours. :)
I wasn't aware Kentucky had an open season on lynx. :huh:
I wasn't aware Kentuckians cared whether it was open season or not.
The very act of being in Kentucky makes you stupid. :P
Quote from: Barrister on April 19, 2010, 01:28:10 PM
I wasn't aware Kentucky had an open season on lynx. :huh:
I figured you realized I was joking, but this prompted me to go check, and apparently we do not have a lynx season at all... which makes sense given that lynx do not live in Kentucky. We do however have a bobcat season, which lasts from December 1st to January 31st. I wonder if the fact that we don't have a lynx season means:
a) it is illegal to hunt lynx in Kentucky
b) it is legal to hunt lynx without restriction in Kentucky
c) lynx would be classed as bobcat for hunting purposes, since they are so closely related
?
Lagomorphs need to be controlled, as their predators have been.
Quote from: Caliga on April 19, 2010, 01:48:57 PM
Quote from: Barrister on April 19, 2010, 01:28:10 PM
I wasn't aware Kentucky had an open season on lynx. :huh:
I figured you realized I was joking, but this prompted me to go check, and apparently we do not have a lynx season at all... which makes sense given that lynx do not live in Kentucky. We do however have a bobcat season, which lasts from December 1st to January 31st. I wonder if the fact that we don't have a lynx season means:
a) it is illegal to hunt lynx in Kentucky
b) it is legal to hunt lynx without restriction in Kentucky
c) lynx would be classed as bobcat for hunting purposes, since they are so closely related
?
Of course, we're both just joking around. Although a breeding pair of lynx would do wonders to keep the rabbit population down, since that is their main source of food.
I say you import a pair and we'll find out what happens. :ph34r:
Quote from: Barrister on April 19, 2010, 02:00:20 PM
Of course, we're both just joking around. Although a breeding pair of lynx would do wonders to keep the rabbit population down, since that is their main source of food.
I say you import a pair and we'll find out what happens. :ph34r:
Americans are incapable of living with predators. They find carnivores to be sinful.
:yes: You can shoot coyotes year-round down here. :cool:
Quote from: Caliga on April 19, 2010, 02:17:31 PM
:yes: You can shoot coyotes year-round down here. :cool:
And that's why you have too many rabbits.
Yet another Made-In-America failure.
Because I was curious...
If you have a valid big game hunting license, you can hunt and shoot coyotes (they are classified as a fur-bearing animal). You can not hunt or shoot other fur bearing animals like lynx unless you have a trapping license.
A significant amount of livestock is raised in this state, which probably explains the lack of protection for coyotes. I live within about a quarter of a mile of a cattle farm, and there are even a few alpaca farms here (which I think are raised for their wool).
Coyotes won't typically go after cattle though. :huh:
Calves?
You wouldn't think so, but they do.
Quote from: Caliga on April 19, 2010, 02:29:36 PM
Calves?
Yes, apparently. Only pretty young calves though.
Dude, I dunno, I was merely pointing out that I live near a cattle farm as part of my point that there are livestock farms here. I believe there is a fair bit of chicken farming here, too. I saw some UK Cooperative Extension video on the "coyote problem" once and all these hick farmers were bitching about coyotes and how they kept killing livestock.
They can bring down a fairly good size calve. 500 pounds.
What is a calve?
:lol:
I noticed these fuckers watching me while I was tilling the garden today. They will all pay.
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 03, 2011, 04:22:50 PM
I noticed these fuckers watching me while I was tilling the garden today. They will all pay.
They're trying to unlock the secret of your fertility.
They are the jews of the animal world and I'm Adolf Hitler. I will see the rabbits DESTROYED.
Schickelgruber only had the one nutsack. Not really the best metaphor.
A stab in the back from Yi? You'll pay too.
Quote from: KRonn on April 01, 2010, 11:52:34 AM
Yeah, rabbits can ruin a veggie garden. One year they kept eating the small seedlings, killing the plants. But I think over the last few years that coyotes must have kept the rabbit population down, since I haven't seen any rabbits for a few years now.
There used to be coyotes when I was young, but nowadays, there ain't much wood anymore, so they've migrated a tad more to the south. Haven't seen one or tracks of one in years.
No rabbits tough. Skunks and racoons, lots of them. City people and their idiocies of destroying all the surrounding forests, now we have to face these pests instead of occasional deer and coyote.
Did the Easter egg hunt this morning, since the rain WON'T STOP and the fucking rabbits were out in force this morning. They knew I couldn't get them with my kids running around grabbing eggs. Even Drut retrained himself and didn't go after the rabbit scum.
Goddamn rabbits.
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 03, 2011, 05:06:39 PM
They are the jews of the animal world and I'm Adolf Hitler. I will see the rabbits DESTROYED.
OK, I'll admit it: I've been supplying your rabbits with covert support and SpecOp advisors. The 85mm high-explosive anti-feline missiles are en route.
And none of them even volunteered to be the Easter Bunny? For shame! :mad:
Kill them, kill them all! The Easter Bunny will recognise his own.
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Slargos is gonna have a stroke when he sees those Hitler pics.
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 23, 2011, 08:46:56 AM
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Dick Cheney is yesterday's news, man.
Quote from: Ed Anger on April 23, 2011, 08:50:19 AM
Slargos is gonna have a stroke when he sees those Hitler pics.
I think he's cheerleading some genocide today, so he's busy.
My dog, Gruppenführer Stanley of the SS Kaninchen Killer Gruppe, killed his first rabbit the other day. I was Proud. Maybe I should make him a little Iron Cross to hang on his collar...
:ccr
Quote from: C.C.R. on April 23, 2011, 11:02:34 AM
My dog, Gruppenführer Stanley of the SS Kaninchen Killer Gruppe, killed his first rabbit the other day. I was Proud. Maybe I should make him a little Iron Cross to hang on his collar...
:ccr
You should award the dog, at least! Give him a real morale boost; that'll go great with the Kanine Korps uniform that I'm sure you gave him. :cool:
Quote from: viper37 on April 03, 2011, 11:13:47 PM
Quote from: KRonn on April 01, 2010, 11:52:34 AM
Yeah, rabbits can ruin a veggie garden. One year they kept eating the small seedlings, killing the plants. But I think over the last few years that coyotes must have kept the rabbit population down, since I haven't seen any rabbits for a few years now.
There used to be coyotes when I was young, but nowadays, there ain't much wood anymore, so they've migrated a tad more to the south. Haven't seen one or tracks of one in years.
No rabbits tough. Skunks and racoons, lots of them. City people and their idiocies of destroying all the surrounding forests, now we have to face these pests instead of occasional deer and coyote.
I used to have lots of skunks around too; used to have to often close the windows at night because a skunk sprayed. But very few skunks now for quite a few years. I'm thinking that coyotes might have caused skunk numbers to drop. Maybe the increased competition for food, and coyotes being the larger predator skunks moved out and/or are attacked by coyotes.