“BUNNY” BUSINESS

Evening Star, Issue 25849, 20 July 1946, Page 5

“BUNNY” BUSINESS

RABBITERS GLEAN WINTER HARVEST , l [Written by G.F.E., for the ' Evening Star.'] Like some fantastic will o' the wisp, a small light flickers and dances through the darkness, sending the small night-prowling creatures flying in unreasoning panic as it approaches. Marauding- owls and timid, furry animals vie wth each other to escape this frightening phenomenon, „ unknown before in their wild existence. The light is a sturdy hurricane lamp, and the nocturnal prowler who swings it cheerfully as he strides along is our friend, the out-back rabbiter. While more civilised folk snore respectably in their beds he lights his smoky lantern, and, leaving his 'cheerful camp fire, sets forth over difficult and dan--gerous paths to visit his distant trap line for the midnight inspection. Catch must be collected and traps reset for their second victim before this hardy fellow can retire to the comfort of his whare and his well-earned rest, The crackling midwinter frosts and the biting July winds, blowing from the white-capped mountains; set in motion the rabbit's protective reaction. Skins grow thicker and fur longer, and the pelts are white as snow. .Gone are the black blotches .and baldness which detract from the rabbit's commercial value. Skins arc now at their apex of value, and the rabbiters move in swiftly to glean their rich haul. While skin prices soar they commence operations with an intensive trapping campaign, and soon the bales of skins are flooding into the markets in ever-increasing numbers. THE TRAP BLITZ.. Trapping is a difficult and skilled business, for the rabbit is alert and wily, and endowed with an uncanny instinct for danger. In addition, the landscape always favours him, for his wild, timid nature loves the security of rugged, perilous terrain. Into these remotest feeding grounds the trapper makes his way, followed only by his faithful pack horse. With a hundred steel traps clinking on its back; the agile little- animal scrambles along, following -where many men Would falter, slipping and sliding down cliffs I and gullies with complete, equine nonchalance. Professional rabbiters usually operate -about 20U traps, shifting half to .fresh ground each day and resetting the remainder in the old scrapes. They set them, as fai as possible, in a line, to facilitate their recovery if unsprung, and rarely indeed does an efficient trapper lose more than a dozen for the season. However, frenzied tugging by the trapped rabbit often loosens the ground, peg, and the unfortunate animal drags the trap away. These are usually lost completely. After centinuous trapping the rabbits inevitably become "trapshy," and will cunningly evade the most skilfully-set trap. When this trend becomes definite the rabbiter collects his traps and prepares for the second stage. ■ • POISON BAIT. The real blitz against the rabbit oomes with ..poisoning operations. . Of all the methods yet devised for his destruction, none can effect such wholesale massacre as does strychnine poisoning. It is by far the most economical method, producing huge results for a ludicrously small outlay. The now " trap-shy" rabbit is ravishingly hungry in late winter, and he seizes avidly--on the tempting bait. Soon the stiff, grey corpses litter the bleak hillsides in their thousands, to be loaded on pack horses and brought in for skinning. Many kinds of bait are used to tempt ' the wily rabbit, but the most commonly used are carrots, pollard, and gram. The poison line is made by turning sods —where possible—every dozen feet or so, and the bait is deposited on these. Attracted by the freshly-turned earth, the rabbit nibbles inquiringly at the tempting food. The bait is unpoisoned for a start, and each day is renewed. The rabbits' suspicions are lulled, and each night they turn up greater numbers for the feast. Finally, after four or five nights, the poison is laid—and the slaughter is thorough and complete. A thousand rab'bits is not an exceptional "kill" from a good line, and the profits are handsome indeed for the week's work. For many weeks the rabbiter lays his poison continuously, until, finally, the now heavilydepleted colonies of rabbits grow suspicions and wary again, and refuse all bait, however tempting. FINAL STAG'E. j " Moppiug-up " is the third and final stage in the season's operations. The scattered survivors of the previous campaigns are poison-shy, trap-shy, and suspicious of anything and everything. They " hole-up " in the most inaccessible retreats, and the rabbiter has to come and get them. He employs dogs, ferrets, and guns in his final drive against his furry quarry. The dogs are usually, a well-balanced pack, and work together as a team. A small pack will consist of a greyhound, a retriever or spaniel, and two or three' terriers The terriers fossick in thick scrub, the hound runs down escaping rabbits; the retriever carries them to the rabbiter; each is complementary to. the others. The ferrets are used to comb out the burrows and warrens, and a very thorough job'-they make.of it. . The rabbits are driven to the surface, and, as they burst from the holes, are entangled in small nets and quickly secured by the vigilant rabbiter. The ferrets follow the last rabbit out, and are picked up and replaced in their small box. The rabb'iter also uses his shotgun to good effect against rabbits fleeing from dogs and ferrets. Sniping -with the small 22-ealibre rifle • also helps in the final clean-up. Skinning the rabbits, and cleaning and stretching the pelts is an unpleasant and laborious job. but it has' to be done. Skinning .several hundred rabbits at a time is a huge iin- , dertaking in itself, but even more arduous is the cleaning and wiring of the pelts. Every particle,of fat and flesh must be painstakingly scraped off, for such remnants detract seriously from the market value of the skins. When this hack-breaking job is done the skins are stretched on hairpinshaped wires and hung out for several days to dry thoroughly, . Finally, they are removed, packed in small uiiidlte. then sewn up in bales. Soon they are speeding on their way to the big city markets. When the first-spring winds warm the b'eak landscape, the rabbiters' work is over. He collects his equipage and moves out to set his haul to other tasks. His is a seasonal job. but the accumulated profits of the, winter will cary him well rewards,the. I next. Behind him the scattered sur- ; ! vivors of the great, rabbit colonies emerge cautiously from deep, hide-out* to breed prolificacy through the warm summer months, ' and populate theranges again in their thousands be-, fore the return of winter. Truly the rabbiter's job is never done.