Originally Posted by
Flyblown
Hares are a massive problem. Just ask the guys in the Wairarapa who have abandoned the sheep farms in favour of timber and carbon credits. Hares have taken large chunks out of their recent plantings, hitting the seedling trees soon after they are planted. Some of the quantifiable losses being discussed are in the tens of thousands of dollars per new planting area.
There is now zero doubt in my mind having travelled about 4500 km through central and southeastern North Island farms this past six weeks... there has been a really significant increase in rabbit and hare numbers, and red deer. It's being spoken about more and more. On the back block roads in the evenings sometimes it's mental there's that many rabbits.
I shoot hares aggressively no matter where I am, I saw this kind of damage before in Southwest England on the the edge of the moors on shelterbelt plantations that were hammered by hares. That was in the 80s and it took a while for the numbers to be brought under control, but unfortunately then it went too far and now the species is relatively rare down there.
I was told yesterday by a cocky south of Ohakune that they are using small helicopters to shoot plantation hares over the other side of Waiouru. Whether that's true or not I have no idea but I can't imagine he was the kind of bloke to just casually bullshit me.