Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Varminting and vertebrate pest control. Small game, hunting feral goats, foxes, dogs, cats, rabbits etc.

Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by ThePlinkster » 20 Dec 2020, 4:09 pm

Hey guys

I hope that everyone is doing well

I would like to get into hunting very soon
I would like to hunt rabbits specifically
And I would prefer to hunt in state forests for now
(As that's a little easier for me right now)

My question is
In your experiences'
"How likely would I be to find rabbits in Victorian State Forests?"

Would I be wasting my time if I were to look for rabbits in State Forests?
Last edited by ThePlinkster on 21 Dec 2020, 7:45 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by ThePlinkster » 21 Dec 2020, 7:41 am

(By the way, it's TheFirearmEnthusiast here, I just changed my username)
:thumbsup:
Last edited by ThePlinkster on 21 Dec 2020, 9:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by allthegearandnoidea » 21 Dec 2020, 8:24 am

You’d be best off looking around the fringes where the forest backs onto cleared farming land
Try looking for such areas on google earth
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by ThePlinkster » 21 Dec 2020, 8:34 am

allthegearandnoidea wrote:You’d be best off looking around the fringes where the forest backs onto cleared farming land
Try looking for such areas on google earth

Thank you for the advice allthegearandnoidea
That makes a lot of sense
:thumbsup:
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by NTSOG » 22 Dec 2020, 6:31 am

G'day,

Also consider hunting along creeks and river banks that are zoned for hunting by DELWP. Have a look at this map:

http://services.land.vic.gov.au/DELWPma ... ?type=pest

The legal hunting areas are coloured mauve and can be seen when you magnify the map. The only difficulty will be gaining access to the streams where they flow through private farm land: you'll have to knock on a few doors to get permission. You'll also find foxes and 'joe blakes' around in the gorse and blackberries along the banks. In my area [south of Ballarat] the rabbit population is high in some areas, but non-existent in others. One thing I know is that I have only seen about 4-5 rabbits on my small property in 35 years, but there are lots of hares out and about on my paddocks. I could always find rabbits along nearby creeks and rivers when I was bow hunting years back.

Jim
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by ThePlinkster » 22 Dec 2020, 7:28 pm

NTSOG;
Creeks and Riverbanks
Got it
Thanks

Thank you for the map/link

I should have specified that I would like to hunt rabbits and hares
Not just rabbits
:)
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by YoungBuck » 22 Dec 2020, 8:46 pm

I will be honest and say I'm yet to see a single rabbit in State Forest and I've been in quite a few. Plenty of sign of the buggers but not seen one in the flesh.
Not uncommon however to spook out a hare or fox when walking through non-pathed forest.
It'll shoot the fleas off a dog's back at five hundred yards, Tannen, and it's pointed straight at your head!
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by ThePlinkster » 23 Dec 2020, 6:57 pm

YoungBuck;
I would like to hunt either rabbits and/or hares
If I can't find rabbits, I'm more than happy to hunt hares instead
I heard that hare tastes a lot better than rabbits
So, now that I think about it, I think I'd actually rather hunt hares instead

If I were to hike all day long in various Victorian State forests (near creeks and riverbanks etc)
Do you reckon that I would have high chances of stumbling accross haresYoungBuck?
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by Blr243 » 23 Dec 2020, 7:58 pm

Lots of thorough scanning ahead of you with binos will increase your chances of spotting hares before they see u. They put a lot of effort into seeing approaching predators. It really matters to them because they know if they get slack they will die. For success Your finding skills must be better than their survival skills ...switch on. Pretend that u are very hungry and that u only have a spear
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by NTSOG » 24 Dec 2020, 5:54 am

Blr243: "Lots of thorough scanning ahead of you with binos will increase your chances of spotting hares before they see u."

That's for sure. I have lost count of the times I have been walking through a paddock and have nearly trodden on a hare lying hidden in plain sight next to a small tussock of grass on an otherwise bare paddock. Generally the hare takes off like a rocket. It's worse when riding a horse as the horse invariably shies and nearly dumps the rider. Getting close to them at night using NV gear has been easier. I have been shooting them at ranges between 40 to 80 yards with the .22WMR after a slow stalk.

Jim
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by ThePlinkster » 24 Dec 2020, 6:34 pm

Blr243;
"Your finding skills must be better than their survival skills"
That makes so much sense to me
That makes all the sense in the world to me
Hypothetically
If I were to develop extremely high finding skills
I reckon I would do okay
I definitely look forward to developing high finding skills
That sounds very important to me for what I wanna do

NTSOG;
Nice
Very good
I am a big fan of the 22WMR caliber
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by Blr243 » 24 Dec 2020, 8:11 pm

When I was spending many years bowhunting pigs I never had to do anything smart initially other than hunt into the wind because their eyesight is so poor.. but as soon as they were sighted I had to switch on an turn into a patient, serious, careful hunter doing everything right to get to within ten metres .....so basically I could be lazy and slack walking around for the most part in a few hours walk in the morning during the hunt And still be successful..... but when I hunted deer , and the same would apply to rabbits or hares or anything with good eyesight that was keen to stay alive , I had to be perfectly well behaved, 100 per cent dedicated,,strict, focused, walking slowly, stopping glassing I had to give it ten out of ten. One minuscule error From me is all the game Needed to become aware that something was not right ....so many times I would be busted when I was confident that I was doing everything very well. Any sloppiness on my part was as bad as If I were walking around cracking a stock whip every 30 seconds .....there’s a ton of Continuous mental effort Required when seeking animals with great eyesight
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by ThePlinkster » 27 Dec 2020, 4:21 pm

Blr243;
Yeah
Hunting deer, rabbit and hare etc
It definitely sounds like it takes a lot of mental effort
For sure
Which is fine
It is what it is
The good things with me is that I enjoy just being in nature anyway
So if I manage to catch a few rabbits or hares, that's great, that's terrific
That would be awesome
But if I dont
It's no big deal for me
Not the end of the world
Because like I said, I would've enjoyed the hike/being in nature anyway
I will see how I go
:thumbsup:
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by Diamond Jim » 31 Dec 2020, 2:12 am

I'm envious that you can hunt in state forests. It's a no-go In WA.
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Re: Rabbits in VIC State Forests?

Post by Oldbloke » 31 Dec 2020, 7:48 am

Diamond Jim wrote:I'm envious that you can hunt in state forests. It's a no-go In WA.


Dig a tunnel and escape to Vic.
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Hunt safe.
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