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First Annual Rabbit Round-up

21,964 Views | 103 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Dirty-8-thirty Ag
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
Edited because I can't figure out how to post pictures off of the imgur app any more, can't find the forum code links anywhere. The pics aren't embedded, but if you click on them, they will pop up on imgur.com.


Well, if any of you are familiar with West Texas, especially the area in between San Angelo and Midland, you know about the abundance of rabbits and the decimation they do to farmers crops in the Concho Valley and the Permian Basin. Some guys in Glasscock County got fed up with losing so much cotton and decided to do something about it. Hence, the contest was created.

There were 66 teams that entered the contest, and the competition started at 3 p.m. on Saturday ending Sunday morning at 9 a.m. sharp. Teams had to be checked in by 9 with ALL members, or they were disqualified. This will come in to play later in my post.

Me and two buddies left Knickerbocker outside of San Angelo with a pretty bad hangover, heading to Midkiff, southeast of Midland, the property we hunted for the round-up, and met up with our last team mate. Got about halfway to Sterling City and the back right tire on the trailer blew out, not what you want to happen when you are already running late and hungover. Changed it and got back on the road.

Got to the ranch about ten minutes til three and got the mule ready to hunt, started hunting about 3:15. Two team mates used .22 cal cans and 10/22's. Myself and another teammate used lever action .22 Mag Winchester and had a 12 gauge with 7.5 shot on board as well. We ended up killing 801 rabbits total in 18 hours, but only had 792 when we showed up at the check-in, still good enough for putting Double S Bunny Busters in third place overall and a $1,300 prize. First place took down 1178 rabbits for a pretty good chunk of change, $8,300. The second place team killed 938 rabbits and won $3,200. There was a team that killed enough rabbits to win second place but a guy never showed up to check in with the rest of his teammates, so they were DQ'd, and we were bumped from 4th to 3Rd for the last hole of money.

I had an absolute blast helping out the farmers and ranchers in the area, while working on my marksmanship as well. Here are some pics from the marathon hunt.











Only 35 teams out of 66 turned in scorecards, and the total number of pests alleviated were still just shy of 16,000.

agsalaska
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AG
Take me with you
Astrobo
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AG
So where did having all team member present at 9 come in to play later in your post?
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
Just edited that, had a brain fart and forgot to add that to my post. Thanks for pointing that out, my mistake.
Presley OBannons Sword
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if you're interested in some light reading, read about the rabbit round-ups during the dust bowl
Unemployed
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AG
Bored so helping OP out...









Astrobo
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AG
Seems weird that all team members had to be present to win. Unless they sent a spotter with you, how would they know you didn't have a dozen folks hunting for your team when you were in the field.
AgBQ-00
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AG
That is what I would call a metric ass-ton of quality glove lining.
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
Anybody that won money was subject to a polygraph test from an off duty policeman from SAPD. However many people signed up for the contest on your team at the beginning, that's how many had to be at check-in.
agsalaska
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AG
I have a Remington 121 Fieldmaster that would be devastating in that environment.
Lungblood
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Did you or any of your team members take a polygraph?
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
Each team that won money was pulled to the side and we had to guess a number from 1-10. Closest number to the officials number was the person from the team who had to take the polygraph. I didn't have to take it, but my teammate did, passed with flying colors because we didn't cheat. We each got our $323 dollars and went about our business, burying rabbits with a dozer.
bigfoot10s
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AG
Sounds like a blast

I would have used them to bait some coyotes that evening
12f Mane
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AG
I'm curious if TPWD is involved/aware and if you need permits to do this?
Lungblood
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quote:
I'm curious if TPWD is involved/aware and if you need permits to do this?


Ruin their lives, Booze.
The Fife
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Is the hole the rabbits went in the site of next week's coyote roundup?
Lungblood
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quote:
Each team that won money was pulled to the side and we had to guess a number from 1-10. Closest number to the officials number was the person from the team who had to take the polygraph. I didn't have to take it, but my teammate did, passed with flying colors because we didn't cheat. We each got our $323 dollars and went about our business, burying rabbits with a dozer.


Congrats. That sounds like a helluva hard 18 hour killin spree!
ccolley68
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AG
quote:
I'm curious if TPWD is involved/aware and if you need permits to do this?


Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
We left about 100 rabbits above ground so P could swing by and pop dogs off of them. His mom was adamant about not leaving 800 rabbits above ground in a pile. So we did what she asked us to do.
Kolache007
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AG
Poooor rabbits! Couldn't you have just shot their nuts off?
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
quote:
I'm curious if TPWD is involved/aware and if you need permits to do this?


No closed season or bag limits on rabbits/hares in Texas. So remind me why there would need to be permits and get to get TPWD involved.

We killed 801, and could have shot 200-300 more cottontail that night but we thought we had the contest won. Should have known not to get cocky, but oh well, placed anyways.

Honestly don't think we even made a dent in the bunny population on the ranch we hunted. Counted about 200 more on the 10 minute drive to the gate when we left the headquarters yesterday afternoon.
12f Mane
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AG
I'm honestly just curious, and I'd like to set one of these up for feral cats.
12f Mane
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AG
quote:
quote:
I'm curious if TPWD is involved/aware and if you need permits to do this?


No closed season or bag limits on rabbits/hares in Texas. So remind me why there would need to be permits and get to get TPWD involved.


It was just a question, no need to get defensive. I was curious about the bag limits since they are a game animal and a pest.
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
Didn't mean to come across defensively, just relaying the information I found on TPWD's website and wondering why the permit question would be brought up. I thought it was fairly common knowledge that there is open season on rabbits in Texas. Sorry if my response was taken the wrong way.
schmellba99
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AG
That just sounds like a good time!

So did you just drive around and shoot what moved or was there some type of strategy/baiting/etc. involved? Every time we've spotlighted rabbits, it's been just drive around and shoot what jumps, and it's been nowhere near those types of numbers.
12f Mane
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AG
Where I grew up we didn't see enough to really even think about it. Don't remember shooting any,
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
No baiting allowed. We were in a 4 seater mule with light bars rigged to the front and both sides. Wicked lights on all guns. Just drove through playa lake bottoms and shot what we saw while we were rolling through. Once we stopped to pick up one rabbit, we would end up shooting 3 or 4 more on every stop.
Colonel A. 1976
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AG
Are property locations assigned and how can an outsider enter
Tony Franklins Other Shoe
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AG
quote:
or was there some type of strategy/baiting/etc. involved?
Carrot on a stick.
att hello
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How much did you spend in gas and ammo?
Dirty-8-thirty Ag
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AG
Colonel: Teams are responsible for securing their own places to hunt. They even ask if you hunted public roads in the polygraph.

ATT: We filled the mule up at the beginning of the contest and again about 5 a.m. My buddy has a company pickup and fuel card that he can use any time. So he paid for fuel from Angelo to Midkiff and back, as well as the first tank of gas. Then the guy who owned the property used his fuel tank to fill it up the second time.

I shot five boxes of 50 of my .22 mag, and two boxes of 7.5 shot out of my 12 gauge. So not too bad of a trip, just my food and drinks and my fourth of the $200/team entry fee.
HookThis
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AG
cuz-i-can
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What about "baiting" or grain storing areas? This competition sounds like a blast..literally.
EFE
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AG
Adolescent me just got really big eyed and quiet at the thought getting to shoot 800 rabbits for 18hrs straight.
CactusThomas
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AG
Incredible. My favorite kind of hunting.
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