Garden rabbits
Massachusetts
Contributors to this thread:
Do you any of you guys know the legalities about shooting rabbits in your garden? I'm definitely well under 500 feet, but not sure if that rule applies to dealing with pests. I told me wife if I see them in our radishes or lettuce one more time they are going to meet a judo point.
Shoot them with the bow. No one will know
I have a couple i'm waiting to pellet gun assassinate...
The answer to the question is that they are game animals and technically cannot be shot out of season.
Yeah, groundhogs are fair game, rabbits not so much. Remember the rule is 500ft or permission. So if your land is big enough and/or your neighbors don't mind you're all set... if you're in the right season.
huntskifishcook's Link
I just found this link, which seems to be saying taking of animals damaging crops on your property is fair game.
Apparently so as long as you send a written report to the director every time you take a rabbit you're good. Nice detective work!
Scoped 22 out a window one shot who’s gonna know
Notme's Link
https://youtu.be/9Mn0jeL5Gb0
No idea... Though that link you noted Joe looks promising.
But I was 6" from testing the law last friday with a dang woodchuck trending to the beans, lettuce, ground cherries, strawberries, peppers, tomatos, carrots, beets and radishes. He heard the garage door open and got nervous. I was barefoot, stalking cautiously in my "Sunday best" only moments from going to the kids spring concert. He worked behind the giant pines in my backyard, and started along the lip of the pine flat behind the house. Using trees, I closed the gap, got to probably 10yds... But no shot due to the bushes and branches in the way. Then he popped out behind a pine, didnt like the looks of my tie and crashed off into the woods.
Little bugger!
I've resisted the urge not wanting to risk hunting privileges being lost. But my wife really put effort into the gahden this year and is really proud of it... I couldnt let that little bugger get in there.
Thus, saturday AM, I put up the fence. We dont like it and were hoping to avoid it this year... but seeing that little jerk around, it was the safest bet... up went the chicken wire... So far so good.
I'm trying to avoid putting up a fence as well. Two turkey decoys in the yard worked really well for about a month. I've never seen a turkey in our neighborhood, so I'm not sure the rabbits know what it is, but they know it spins around and is way bigger than them. It seems like the bunnies have finally figured out the turkeys won't actually hurt them. I aggressively chased them for a while hoping to create fear, but that didn't work either. If they are back in the garden tonight they might end up on my cutting board.
I just made a woodchuck casserole last week from a woodchuck that was getting a little too friendly. Wasn't half bad. Not a lot of meat on em though.
Lol nice. I wana make woodchuck slippers
Woodchuck casserole that is hilarious Matt!
Matt - you are a bigger man than I... Moons that's awesome.
They make a cute cod piece..think about it..lol
Came home tonight to see a woodchuck running from my squash mounds. No damage yet. Time to finish the fence on the new area I guess... or start tracing out a slipper pattern. I was trying to figure out what to do with the hides, anything big would be patchy as hell. Slippers are just the ticket though, thanks for the idea Moons.
The "casserole" was mostly just bacon layered with woodchuck meat. It was an old timey recipe I've wanted to try making forever. Pre cooked the chuck for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker with salted water with chillis in it before boning it out and making the recipe which I think helped. Viola! Grass fed chuck! Backyard to table :-p
How's that Chuck meat? Never heard of eating wood chucks, Hey How much Wood Chuck could a Matttheairy eat?
It's not bad, vegetarian diet and all. I'm not going to give up deer hunting anytime soon but I'd definitely eat it again.
Did it taste like chicken? Lol Dark or light meat? It’s all in the way it’s cleaned and cooked I guess. if I was really hungry I would eat it. I think I would prefer on the open flame wrapped in bacon with lots of BBQ sauce after a few beers, then a few more towash it down! Ha Good for you!
I have a qb79 those woodchucks are so fast I never have a chance to get a shot off. That gun is as loud as a mouse fart.