Can You Shoot Rabbits in Your Yard?

If you live in areas inhabited by the rabbit population, you will understand the need to control them as pests. Every year, the rabbit population will fluctuate depending on predators and food availability. Rabbits are among the animals that can have a wild outburst of population. Because rabbits have many litters, at some point, control will involve shooting them. Even though shooting rabbits in your yard is an effective control method, there are limitations. 

In the United States, most states allow shooting rabbits in your yard as long as you reside in the areas that permit your firearm’s discharge. A hunting license is also necessary as there are rabbit hunting seasons for different rabbit species.  

Rabbits in Your Yard are a Nuisance

Rabbits are among the opportunistic feeders in the wild and are always active, especially at dawn and dusk. The rabbit diet is almost exclusively vegetative, and as studies point out, they feed on over 145 known plant species. 

The feeding habits of rabbits depend on the season as there are different plants suitable for different seasons. During summer and spring, rabbits feed on vegetable gardens, ornamental plants, and lawn grass. As winter and fall approach, rabbits shift their diet to accommodate twigs, barks, and available ornamental plants. 

Due to their small size, rabbits prefer feeding on small plants and foliage. Rabbits are a nuisance when they find their way into your lawn. They prefer to graze on new growth, causing patches that will never really heal as rabbits feed continuously. It makes sense considering that rabbits love healthy and more tender growth. Having a beautiful lawn with wild rabbits around is almost impossible. As such, this irritation needs to be controlled effectively. 

How to Control Rabbits in Your Yard

If you must get rid of rabbits from your garden, you must look for the many readily available solutions. Some methods are effective, while others are tedious and cumbersome to maintain. Among the best methods to keep away rabbits are erecting a fence. However, based on your lifestyle, preference, and finance, you can opt for other known methods. These should include exclusion. 

Chicken Wire Dome

New plantations like tubers and seeds need protection from rabbits if they are to survive. One way to ensure this is by covering your vegetation using chicken wire domes. It prevents rabbits from chewing up your upcoming vegetable garden. However, there is one drawback to this method. Chicken wire is hardly aesthetically pleasing and will make your garden look shambled. 

Planting Foliage That Rabbit Don’t Like

To discourage rabbits from feeding on your vegetation, you can plant strongly scented plants that rabbits find irritable. According to experts, such plants include catnip, lavender, ivy, beebalm, and holly. Rabbits also avoid tough leaves, prickles, or plants that ooze a thick sap. However, such plants may not be attractive to you or may not support your favorite plants’ growth. 

Cats and Dogs

Pets on the loose spell doom to rabbits in your yard. Rabbits are scared of dogs and cats, and the presence may deter them from browsing your vegetable plants. However, when your dog catches a rabbit, it can be a messy sight. Keeping pets around is a sure way of eliminating rabbits from your yard.  Check out our guide to hunting rabbits with dogs.

Fencing Your Garden

Rabbits are small and diminutive animals that can fit into tight spaces. If you have a garden fence, ensure that there are no burrows or holes underneath. If you are not sure about the fencing, consider placing large rocks on the perimeter fence so that the rabbits do not form burrows leading to your vegetation. 

Fencing is among the expensive options since it requires recurring costs on maintenance and repairs. In the end, it may be too much and not worth the hassle.

Reduce Rabbit Nesting Opportunities

Always keep your garden looking neat and fresh. Clear vegetation is devoid of pests like rabbits. If your garden is untidy and unkempt, the chances of rabbits nesting around it are ever so high. It would be best if you discouraged the rabbit habitat by having clear fields. You can do this by blocking off the area or removing dense vegetations, piles of leaves, and wood that rabbits may hide in. This activity needs to be regular so that it can be effective. 

Use Rabbit Repellents

Rabbit repellents work well and prevent rabbits from eating your vegetation. You can buy repellants from your local store or can brew your concoction. Among the known rabbit repellents are garlic, chili, and liquid soap. When sprayed to your vegetables, such a mixture of sorts discourages rabbits’ feeding habits as it changes the taste. However, repellents are not the best rabbit control methods as they can mess with the growth of your vegetables or hinder the smell of plants like lavender and roses 

Scare Tactics and Ultrasonic Devices.

Sometimes you can trick the rabbit by using scare tactics of their natural predators. Rabbits are afraid of snakes and owls, and fake animals act as the best scarecrows. Eve noise from aluminum pans is enough to dissuade rabbits from feeding on your vegetation. However, the downfall of using scare tactics is that the rabbits tend to get used to the scarecrows and, with time, will not run away. 

Rabbit Control Professional Services

When you call in the professionals, they will do a thorough assessment of your yard and place the best remedies. Using unique rabbit fences, they will control the rabbit invasion into your garden effectively. Some of these methods include laying traps in your land or gassing the rabbits out of your yard. Professionals effectively reduce the rabbit population and keep you safe from diseases that rabbits pose to your health. 

Conclusion

Regardless of the means, you choose to eliminate rabbits from your property; you must also understand the laws that protect rabbits. For example, shooting at rabbits needs you to be a licensed hunter and firearm owner. There are also humane ways to deal with the rabbit nuisance; hence trapping must include less cruelty. 

Keeping a rabbit trapped for more extended periods than necessary is inhuman, and you must either kill them fast or relocate trapped rabbits to some better place other than your yard.