Wet weather worries
I enjoy getting out from time-to-time at night with the lamp and .22 rifle. Sometimes I make a decent bag but other times – even though the conditions seem good – the rabbits are pretty thin on the ground. A pal tells me it’s not worth going out when there’s dew on the ground because rabbits don’t like getting wet. Is this your experience? What would you say are the best – or worst – conditions to go lamping in?
Edward says: I don’t lamp as much as I used to because much of my night-time activities are now spent with night vision and thermal imaging kit.
That said, I have done a lot of lamping in my time and you need the same conditions under torch light as you do with thermal imaging gear to make a good bag of rabbits.
I work a lot at night, and success depends on the time of year. From October to March, windy nights with light rain will bring the rabbits out and the natural background noise will give you more opportunities as it muffles your own sound.
Rabbits certainly don’t like getting their bellies wet and in such conditions (including when there is a dew) they will prefer to feed on shorter vegetation.
As the weather becomes milder and the days get longer, rabbits will prefer to feed at dusk and dawn. However, from May to August there is often a period between midnight and 3am when rabbits will feed regardless of weather.
Frosts or still nights are bad for night work because the rabbits will flinch at every slight move, making them much harder to get near to.