TroubleMakerAcres
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You shoot down through the head of the rabbit from above, not head on facing the spine. Eco2pia made a nice illustration above.
Tomorrow is our first dispatch.
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Rabbit Warren Man
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Yes between the ears downward or sideways between the the bottom of the ear and the eye which is approximately at the temple area.
I don’t like shooting straight on because the pellets can penetrate through to the body cavity and mess up the meat.
Rabbit Warren Man
Well-known member
If it works for you that is great! I am working in close quarters--literally on top of my washing machine, indoors. Down from the top is easiest for me as I am literally pressing against the rabbit's skull, and can control where they position their head, so in my hands the top down would also work with a rifle.
I assume you are working at a bit of a distance, and that is great too, for folks who are more rural. I am smack in the city these days, and have to be a little cautious of the neighbors views. A pellet gun is quiet and would work for me in town, but I would have to put the rabbit on the floor at my feet, and so I would still be above it.
In my location, a pellet that manages to escape the rabbit body would be a big problem, which is why I use the stunner.
I have stunned a young rabbit in the hutch with the rest once, when he managed to get stuck and I could not free him without doing more damage. They did not know what had happened and completely carried on with their normal behavior. I was surprised how well it worked, and have considered doing all stuns that way, but I am still concerned with the neighbors glancing over the fence.
It is a pity that we have to do what is most comfortable for the humans rather than what is most comfortable for the rabbits, but such is the state of the modern world unfortunately. I do my best.
Therese
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I agree about shooting from behind. Clear shot and bullet exit without damaging the meat. My favorite method for humane!
I am just starting to use the Hopper Popper I purchased. The fellow from the company who did the demonstration made it look very easy. Well, I will definitely have to practice, because I am sure it is a stress on the rabbits to have their head slip out or not quite enough pressure applied....sigh. 8-weekers are pretty easy, but the bigger they get, the more armored they get.
Four big plusses for the Hopper Popper:
1 no wasted bullets
2 no noise
3 immediate death (when it's done correctly)
4 no mess: the cervical dislocation creates a cavity in the neck so that when you immediately hang the dispatched rabbit the blood drains into the cavity forming a neat blood clot that can be fed to the dogs and not wasted or splattered (blood is a superfood--obviously! since it feeds the body)
Heartbased Homestead
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Read this whole thread almost convinced of other methods but immediately settled on cerv dis as I read your take. Thank you for detailing. This post is a few months old, have you noticed any cons to the hopper popper or is it still working for you?
Therese
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Good morning! I have definitely settled on the hopper popper as my preferred method of dispatch.
Two exceptions: sick rabbits (which can be a bit messy-- a bullet/pellet requires less handling) and rabbits older than 12 weeks (which are getting so large and strong that a .22 bullet does the job much more definitely, neatly and safely--for me, anyway...I just am sorry to lose the blood). I have American Chinchillas so they do get big fast and at full size are pretty unmanageable and a bit dangerous to wrestle into a hopper popper. Hope this helps!
I have yet to mount my "hopper hanger" which I got in the set. I have a large tripod and a cross-sapling, and I use pre-tied loops of paracord to hang each one as I dispatch them. I will do 6-12 at a time, letting them hang head-down while I do the entire dispatch. This is much like "bleeding them out" because the blood drains into the cavity created in the neck...without the mess and waste.
God bless you!
