Rabbits are Australia's most damaging invasive mammal and the most accessible hunting available. An account of an evening's rimfire hunting on a grazing property.
The Numbers
Australia has an estimated 200 million feral rabbits. They cost the agricultural sector approximately $200 million annually in pasture damage and erosion. They are the primary prey of feral cats and foxes, whose populations are sustained at high density by rabbit availability — remove the rabbits and you starve out the cats and foxes that are killing native wildlife. Rabbit control is simultaneously a farming and a conservation objective.
The Evening
We parked at the edge of a harvested paddock on a Central Western NSW grazing property as the light was dropping. The warrens were visible as complexes of bare earth and burrow entrances in the native grass — large warrens that had been present since the property was settled. The station manager had given permission and asked only that we focus on the paddock edge where feeding damage was worst.
Rimfire rifles in .22 LR — accurate, quiet by centrefire standards, appropriate for the ranges involved (under 60m in the fading light). Bolt action rifles with quality 3-9x scopes zeroed at 50 metres. Bipods for stability in the sitting position.
Rabbits emerge from warrens at dusk and feed for the first 30-40 minutes in the immediate vicinity of the warren before dispersing into the paddock. This concentrated feeding period produces the most efficient shooting. Shot placement at ranges under 60m on a rabbit-sized target is straightforward with a properly zeroed rimfire and a stable position.
The Result
Thirty-one rabbits in approximately two hours across two shooters. Left in the field for the foxes and raptors — a management decision the station manager preferred. The impact on the warren will require repetition over multiple seasons to be meaningful. That is the reality of rabbit control at property scale. Browse our hunting accessories range.
