Rabbits

Has anybody else noticed they are really thick this year? The ones in my yard are very brave as they will lay right where they are until I get right up on them. They have eaten just about every leaf off my sunflowers (about

2' high). Can anybody tell me, will these sunflowers continue to grow or do they die off after they've been chewed on by the rabbits?

Thanks,

Cecelia

Reply to
Cecelia Medbery
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Not so bad here; prolonged snow cover and a very, very wet May (when the first little bunnies should be coming).

If they've grown beyond the rabbits reach, and the rabbits aren't desperate or clever enough to chew through the stems to knock them over, they might continue growing. But they won't be as robust as ones that had never been stripped.

You will sometimes see circles of chicken wire in my yard to ward off rabbits that have taken a liking to some of my plants. (The veggie garden is fenced.) For non-edibles, Ro-Pel spray will also work, but needs to be repeated after a good rain.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

Homemade pepper spray works pretty well too, but in years of heavy infestation, I resort to a pellet gun. At first, I just pump it enough to sting and hope to scare them off. If they're too stupid to catch on, I occasionally shoot to kill.

The other day, we had 5 full grown ones cavorting in our (small) front yard. First time in several years we've had that many.

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

Larry,

Do you think that would work for groundhogs? I'm overrun with them. They seem to be either too stupid or territorial to take any of the hints I've given them. Not supposed to discharge a firearm in my community.

They were such a problem that I had to drive wooden stakes (a good use for those wood scraps I haven't turned into sawdust) every couple of inches around the perimeter of my garden to keep them from going under the fence.

Perhaps someone on alt.food.barbecue has a good recipe.

Reply to
Al Reid

seem to be either too stupid or territorial to take any

Usually that includes pellet/BB guns but if you don't have a softhearted neighbor, they're usually quiet enough not to attract attention. I try not to wave the rifle around for all to see :-).

My veggie garden is a small one in raised beds and I've put 24" fencing around each bed and spread bird netting over the top when things are small. So I have no problem there. But the little rascals are eating our flower beds to the ground. And they seem to prefer blooms. The other day they ate about 100 flowers in a bed of sea thrift.

I don't remember eating one, but when I grew up in the South they were considered tasty. IIRC, there are a couple of scent glands you have to remove before cooking (without puncturing them).

Good luck!

Reply to
Larry Blanchard
[...]

Country-style:

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site has a lot of game recipes, and they want you to join for about $9 a year. But there are a bunch you can access without joining, including one for groundhog:
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site of all, from NC State University, with info on dressing the critters:
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appetite!

flick 100785

Reply to
flick

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