J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Someone mentioned the execution of a Pigeon on another thread and I have been considering some Bunny slaughter, my in laws live on a farm and there are a lot of them, teeming in fact.

So, have seen some stuff on telly about shooting, skinning and turning them into a caserole, tasty organic and free with a hint of vermin control as justification. The whole River Cottage thing, I know people who kill them for fun and then then leave the corpse to fester, caused agro as our old Dog used to eat them, I reckon if you kill something edible you owe it at least to enjoy it.

I do find on here that there is a certain amount of rather over them top animal sentimentality on one thread and the same posters on another thread discussing the best way to cook Steak or the tastiest Sausages.

Now I am against cruelty and what worries me about shooting is my ability to kill something cleanly, if I cant, I wont so to avoid that situation I will practice until confident I can shoot to kill, not maim.

I appreciate I will get a flaming for daring to harm a cute little Bunny Rabbit but remember as its lunchtime and you will be tucking into a Ham Sandwich or M and S Chicken Tikka strips that these were once Animals (Bernard Matthews products excepted, Turkey Ham WTF) and can you really claim the moral highground if you actually eat meat, ok vegetarians excepted, thats not the debate.

So, whats crueller, a Battery Chicken that has had its life in a cage, then its head removed automatically on a conveyor then cooked and coated in Orange flavouring or a wild Rabbit in its natrual environment killed by a single shot to the head ?

Is it ok to eat something someone else has killed but not to kill it yourself, why is society so squeamish about killing yet so enthusiastic about meat, why are we so selective about what animals are eaten, Pigs, Chickens, Sheep and Cows are ok, Rabbit and Duck is borderline, Horse is dodgy ground and Cat and Dog are completely taboo in this country yet fair game in certain countries.

vindaloo

Shooting something as small as a bunny is difficult. Especially as you want to hit it in the head and not spoil the flesh with bullets, bone fragments and guts. Make the gun too small and bunnies will escape, though horribly injured. Make it too big and you <non-PC> "explode some varmints" </non-PC>.

The traditional method is wire traps and break its neck quickly when you catch one. There's a knack to to it and a certain lack of squeamishness required.

J.

davegtt

Just drive round the countryside and pick up some phesants. Alternatively I can supply you pigeon and pellet pie

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Nothing borderline about ducks - they're fantastic spit-roasted on the bbq.

I guess we just don't like to eat anything cute... bunnies excepted, of course

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Its just sometimes you speak to people and they get a bit funny about eating Duck, agree that its very nice though, nothing like one roasted and then smashed to bits on a plantter to put in pancakes, always think it looks like a Duck version of Air Crash Investigation.

Leslie

I agree with what you say J4CKO. I see nothing wrong in killing an animal to eat as long as it is done as humanely as possible. I certainly don't hold with any kind of mistreatment or just killing animals for the sake of it. Even when I go fishing I fish only for the pot and don't fish catch and release. Any fish I do catch are dispatched immediately.

Nothing wrong with rabbit pie-lovely delicate taste.

Les

stressymare

i keep my horse on a farm and there are loads on there too

i got a mate ov mine to shoot a couple for me and brought them home

my fella then skinned and gutted them in our back garden and gave one to a neighbour and one is now sat in the freezer waiting to be cooked

carnt beat it tastes nice and free

Tam the bam

Hmmmm If god didn't want us to eat animals he wouldn't have made them out of meat!

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

We used to waste hours trying to shoot rabbits as teenagers, they are timid little bastids and scatter at the slightest noise. Best to go lamping,you can get much closer and they just sit there when caught in the light.

BlkKnight

In my youth, shot loads of bunnies with a high powered .177.

I used to practice in the back garden until I could get a very tight grouping (10 shots inside a 20p @ 20 meters usually).

I used to go to the local golf course. If you sat long enough (down wind), the bunnies got fairly close.

al4x1

I shoot a lot of rabbits eat a fair number but not all, its in the name of pest control and as farmers crops are worth proper money now they're less keen to feed large rabbit populations, We use .17 rimfire rifles and shoot them anywhere out to about 200 yards makes for some good sport and you can't beat eating them, organic, fresh and you know they haven't lived in dodgy conditions. The downside is people frown as they come in furry jackets rather than cling film but to me that adds an extra element of honesty to being a carnivore

NotoriousREV

I only skim-read this post and saw "spit-roast" "cute bunny girls" and "barbecue". where's my invite?

Graz

As seen on the F-Word last night another way to get some rabbit for the pot is to go ferreting. Seemed like fair game to me, they found a warren and tried to cover as many holes as they could find with nets. Then they sent in the ferrets, the rabbits bolted, quite a few seemed to make their escape through holes they'd missed. Those that did go into the nets were quickly dispensed with by having their necks broken. Seemed quite humane to me especially as up to that moment Mr or Mrs bunny had had a good life

Ramsey then made his kid gut one of them Looks like his kids aren't going to grow up soft

Anyway I'm all for eating them (and have done so) though the other half isn't quite so keen She's picky anyway

Ferrets are cute though Couldn't eat one of them

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

OMG I can't believe you would shoot a rabbit .. people keep these things as pets and ...

Nah clean kill .. go for it

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

See, it does make you go blind

speedymonkey

I totally agree with what your saying mate, i believe that if your a meat eater you should be prepared to kill, gutt and cook what your about eat.

A good friend of mine, born and bred in the country, has taken me out numerous times shooting and lamping late at night, its a whole different way of life that i respect so much.
He regularly gives me and my dad game that he's shot at the weekend, that he's prepared for us (ive done it myself, he's just so much faster at it!)
Generally we will just chop what ever he's given us, and wack it in a frying pan with a few onions and gravy over mashed spuds and veg so tasty and it free too

coolangatta

Absolutely agree that there is nothing wrong with shooting rabbits and consuming, cooked in a rich sauce and accompanied by a good red wine
However, don't waste your time shooting with a rifle and bullets. With proper preparation a shotgun is much more efficient and has a greater kill ratio for an average shooter.

mrtheedge2u2

Just find the warren... all exits.... block all but two up.... smoke them out... and as they run out grenade them!!!

David_Dickson

Rabbits are not that common in the wild round here, they have been hunted a lot and numbers are right down.
I keep a few which I breed for meat though. Very nice.

urban

iTrader: (1)

Very difficult to shoot them with a rifle.
I've shot them before with a shot gun - isn't that bad getting the shot out.
Close range wouldn't be too good though.

Traps are best.

Nothing wrong with eating them either - lovely meat, especially if roasted

StickyMicky

as a side comment i tasted pigeon in a decent restaurant a few months back, and it was bloody lovely

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

As a vegetarian of some 20 years vintage I'd like to state for the record that I am not against natural hunting of food - my biggest complaint is the methods used in modern farming techniques.

I think anyone who can watch the 'life' cycle of the meat that turns up on your table and still eat it is doing well.

Personally I still wouldn't touch naturally killed food but in that case it is a matter of taste - I just don't like meat (as well as the multitude of ethical reasons behind factory farming)

c_maguire

Tell me about it! We have a house in France and as somebody who has used guns since my teens I tend to notice game. Here in East Anglia there are rabbits everywhere, they are now so cocky they are often out in the midday sun, but in France I rarely ever see any and only a few pigeons also.
You might eat what you fish but the fish aren't making a nuisance of themselves if you don't, whereas at the moment rabbits are devastating crops. So I will shoot them just to kill them, and although it would be great if people were queueing up to take them, the sad fact is most people are too bone idle to skin and prepare them so the majority just get dumped.
Rabbit and pigeon both make good food now and again so if you are thinking of shooting some for food only then as a start I would recommend a gas-charged 0.22 air rifle with a 4x40 scope. You'll be ok out to about 40 metres if you practice. To be sure you need to 'nut' the rabbits and you'll get pigeons in the trees if you hole up where they come in to roost. For the pigeons you need to be well camouflaged, for the rabbits just stay quiet and still and it'll come.
Kevin

ScoobyWon't

Jamie Oliver's Good Life cook-book has Essex Fried Rabbit as a recipe so it can't be that wrong if he's managed to sell so many copies.

At my last pub, we used to sell Game Pie, or Road kill pie as we had nicknamed it . Either way, we used to advise that there may be shot in the pie. Just make sure you have a good dentist

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Get differeing opinions on what to use, a colleague who is a gun enthusiast is lending me a nice .177, he has used loads of them but thinks that an air powered (as opposed to spring) is the way to go for accuracy, my brother in law reckons .22 so I suppose its down to personal preference. I have asked my brother in law to bag a few as he can just shoot from his window, I will then do the skinning.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Don't do it like this!.....Although I did always wonder why Elmer didn't!

YouTube - bugs bunny

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

YouTube - "Bright Eyes" - Watership Down

Jerome

I've killed and eaten a chicken.

They are surprisingly reluctant to die too.

It was an ex-chicken layer so the meat was as tough as old boots.

StickyMicky

would anybody eat horse ?

somebody asked me this once and looked stunned when i said yes
never seen it available anywhere, but i do like to try new things and i would give it a go, no worries.