North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[jhecksel@voyager.net]

Hi Tom:

We are also besieged with rabbits.  I have been live trapping them using
apples for bait. I cannot seem to catch them quickly enough.  The
lean-to of the barn collapsed under the snow load this year and the trap
was underneath.  I was able to salvage the trap, slightly the worse for
the wear.

Like you, I noticed that rabbit tracks seemed to follow well defined
trails.  I assumed it was due to the difficulty in plowing through
fluffy snow.  The trails really narrow where they go through woven wire
fences or through feedlot panels.

I was talking to an old coot at work regarding the possibility of
snaring the little rascals.  He suggested using 18 gauge, bare copper
wire (4 cents US/foot or 20 cents Canadian/meter at warehouse type
building supply stores) and a swivel-snap (fishing style) where attached
to a whippy tree limb.  I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of the
method because I believe it is in violation of Michigan game laws. 
Snares are not considered very selective.  Heck, you might catch a barn
cat, possum, coon or other valuable wildlife!

I have also noticed that the rabbits will nail prunings before they go
after tree trunks.  I pruned very heavily this year and the kids lopped
the twigs into kindling for the fireplace.  We left them under the
doomed lean-to.  Many of those twigs/limbs are stripped.  

Regarding the heavy prunings:  I seem to go in cycles.  I will acquire
many cultivars, fruit them out, tolerate them for a while and then
eliminate most of them.  Wolf River and Ashmeade's Kernal were
eliminated due to shy bearing.  Another apple (a russet reputed to be
'pear like', cannot remember the name off the top of my head) got culled
because it cracked and I did not care for the flavor.  I culled Ozark
Gold for the same reasons.  All the limbs of Northern Spy and some of
the Melrose got pruned as well.  

"Lon J. Rombough" wrote:
> 
> Rabbits follow the same trail so closely that one way to catch them is to
> hang a snare loop at head height in the path.  The rabbit runs right into
> the snare on their regular trip down the path and is garrotted.  I don't
> personally do this as rabbits aren't a problem here.
> ----------
> >From: Tom Olenio <tolenio@sentex.net>
> >To: nafex@egroups.com
> >Subject: [nafex] Rabbits
> >Date: Mon, Dec 25, 2000, 9:09 AM
> >
> 
> >Hi All,
> >
> >I noticed something in the habits of a rabbit that passes
> >through my back yard almost nightly.
> >
> >1)  It usually follows the same route.
> >2)  If there is a path in the snow, the rabbit  sticks to
> >the path
> >
> >I only noticed this, as this season it is snowing most every
> >other day, and I can observe the rabbit tracks in the
> >morning.
> >
> >With these observations, I used my snow blower to make a
> >path through the snow that bypasses my fruit trees and berry
> >bushes.  I started the path where the rabbit usually enters,
> >and ended it where it usually exits my backyard.
> >
> >With a snow cover of about 18 inches right now, my path
> >makes a shoot that directs the rabbits through and away from
> >my seedlings, currants, and grapes..
> >
> >Does anyone know for sure if rabbits do indeed follow the
> >same nightly foraging route?
> >
> >This technique is working for me so far, but it will only
> >work as long as the snow is deep enough.
> >
> >Just finished my calculations to see if the dog will survive
> >chocolate poisoning (hopefully, not a yearly ritual with
> >small kids).  There is a formula if anyone needs to
> >calculate it.
> >
> >Oh yes...  The dog will live to chase rabbits another day.
> >I am keeping my fingers crossed on the vomiting and diarrhea
> >though.  8^)
> >
> >Merry Christmas,
> >
> >Tom
> >--
> >Thomas Olenio
> >Ontario, Canada
> >Hardiness Zone 6a
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 

-- 

                                                     -Joe Hecksel
                                                      Eaton Rapids,
Michigan


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