June 10, 2026 • 9 mins
Nigel Woodhead looks at the issues that rabbits are causing on his South Otago property.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This interview is brought to you by a Center South
Branches in Lawnville, Gore, Cromwell, Milton, and Renfilly. Drop by
your local Agri Center South Brunch today.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Niger would he had farms in South Totaga between Becleuther
and Milton. Had night's good afternoon. Now you just come
back from Stuart Island. Sounds like a good trip in
the afternoon.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, on the you just got home on Saturday, so yeah,
it was good. Actually it was a bit of a rough,
rough introduction being back home Sunday Monday. The old weirder
wasn't too fresh, but it's all good.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Was playing ball, it was.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We were leaving Bluff on the way over and Tyree
who was taking us overseat art. It's not the worst
I've seen, but it won't be real comfortable. And we
getting out of bath and up down, up down, splash,
a bit of water flying around. But actually it was
in his bed even Heatay, No, not as bad as
I thought it was going to be. But it was
probably probably worse on the way back, to be fear.
(01:08):
But there was nothing, nothing serious, to be honest that
I yeah, I was a weaver at average on the
way over, but I was fine.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
On the way home, I was going to say, what
are you see legs like they.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Have the moments they come and go. Sometimes I am
absolutely sweet, and other times, like on the way over
last year, man, I was no good. I was a
very unhealthy little boy. But then this year I just
got my got the obligatory vomb out of the road
real quick, and then he just went downstairs and lay
on a bed, and I was happy years after that.
(01:42):
So yeah, I think that's the key in those big
boats that they've got got a bed, just go downstairs
and get as close to water level as you can
and take some of that rocking out of it. And
and for me anyway line down helps me. But like
I say, on the way home, you I would speed
a fever at a time on the boats is in
round while we're down there fishing and diving and stuff,
(02:02):
so you start to get your starting to get used
to it a bit by the time we come home.
But then you know, like I say, even when we
go fishing up here, sometimes I'm all right and sometimes
I'm no good.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
My sea legs are terrible.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I mean, once upon a time I was up north
with Shen and her family were literally twenty meters off
shore and I got crooked here and they just say
just keep looking up, keep looking up, and I'm like,
bagger looking up.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I just need to lie down. But it didn't work
that way.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
I hit, I hit Tira firm, but I just lay
on the ground like any defraying getting.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Out of the prison I was. I was out of there.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
I've had moments like that too, But usually usually if
I feel average, I'll usually throw up and then I'm
all right, okay, Yeah, I make myself carry on because
there's nothing worse than being no good and then just
being a second ship the whole trip.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Even we went for a dive and then went out
fishinging and I felt a bit average. Then yeah, same thing,
force your hoseslf to carry on. But some that's a
state of mind.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Anyway, a bit of work stories on the muster mate,
how's everything on the ranch.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Yeah, it's been the first ten minutes about holidays. Yeah
you really got the ranch awesome. Actually I'm out and
about the moment. Just winding up some hot wise and
your ground conditions are really good user utilization on the
grass and giving a bit of baylage co two mobs
(03:29):
of ballcarbs on for a beat the same thing you
utilization is really really good. I think it's a messy
yesterday and one more that really hooking through eating a
lot more eerie than what I thought they would be,
and that being reasonably, I'm pretty much fully feed, So yeah,
(03:50):
I might just cut him back a little bit and
just poke a bit more bailage under them to to
try and push that crop out of bit. It's just
early enough in the season to be doing the mess
and the best is not ending up. So yeah, now
we're taking a loong really good. Actually, the plan was
for the Mixta jews to go on crop probably early
(04:14):
next week, but we don't have to don't have to
shoot right, we're right at the back at the moment.
Shoot home to the front of the farm and just
choose some blocks out. We've got some pretty big rabbit
shoes and some peedducks near the house, so we'll we'll
chew all of them out and get some poison on
later in the month, I think. So you will take
(04:34):
the us home now and get those paddocks chewed out
and eat some grass. Now that was probably going to
be eating later on, but then they can go and
crop a bit later and just shuffle ever the ground.
That's sort of what we're up to.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
How there's the river population here, population where you are.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Ah, he has done a problem. But rabbits in certain
parts of the farm are like plague proportion, like really
really really. We've got a peedicky young grass just near
the house that was planted in February. The other two
pettics that were planted on the same day with grazed,
one of them twice and one of them once. And
this one with the rabbits is beer. It looks like
(05:14):
a bowling green lot. There's just absolutely nothing there is.
You know, you drive out there in the in the evening,
and in the early evening there's probably turning of rabbits
on a fortep your pettit maybe even more like it's
bad and no amount of shooting can keep them and
they control you sort of cruise down there, even walking
(05:36):
with the rifle. You let one shot off, shoot one rabbit,
and the rest of them are in the trees in
a way. So the only way we're going to make
it done to them is with poison. And yeah, we'll
give them to that later in the later in the month.
So in certain parts of the farm it's really bad.
There's farms down below, so you spend tens of thousands
every year trying to control rabbits around here. It's yeah,
(05:57):
they're really bad.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
That's plague like proporse.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Oh yeah, like I say, losing a four he get
pat of a young grass. Cheers, Yep, that's not good. Yeah.
I was going to poison last year and then it
was a bit slack, and then kind of forgot about
and thought now it'll be right. Well, man, I wish
ahead because I don't know if it would have made
a big difference, but it would have done something to
knock that knock the numbers down in the winter a year.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
So what's a possum population like? Then If us like
that with the rabbits.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
The possums are climbing. But when we come home teen
years ago, you go out at night rabbit shooting or shooting,
and if you het one or two possums, you were
doing well most of the time. Now, if I go
to the lamp of all of the hot spots around
the farm, it'll be well into double figures, twenties, sometimes
thirty and yeah, So in like the forestry. We're going
(06:52):
to well probably two k's of forestry boundary at the
back and the company are working their way around towards
US harvest. So probably in months two years they'll be
on our boundary. So that's going to push all the possums.
Just work your way in front of the harvesters, obviously,
So in a couple of years, I do, you say,
we'll have a wave of the little bucker's turning up.
(07:13):
But I try and get out for a shoot as
often as I can and just try and keep a
little on things. And you know, like I say, you know,
twenty or thirty at night. If we can keep it
at that, then it's all right. But if we go
out and there's waves of them, it'll be it won't
be good.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Yeah, there's big numbers.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
You're talking like, is there any funding available to have
you guys out or is that just the lord of
the land what you're dealing with.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
I'm not sure if there's funding or not. The blaming
the Tuger Regional Council missed the track there a couple
and you're play a couple of long term plan rounds
ago and they didn't put possums in the peacet list
or and like go. For very small amount of money,
(08:01):
they could have your head. Funding available to control possums.
I was talking the old man about it. There was
some thing about it. They didn't put it in there
in a specific ranking. So now the regional council don't
do anything about it. It's really annoying. So I don't
know if there's funding available. Well, I mean, I don't
mind shooting them. We just keep on trying to keep
(08:22):
a lid on them. But I know that it's coming.
There's definitely funding for rabbits. I know that these guys
around us have had funding for rabbit control and rabbit
fencing and things. We're probably not quite at the stage yet,
but if we keep losing Petsy Young Grass, it might
get to there. But I don't know fencing fencing with
rabbit meeting around this four he companity I was talking about.
(08:45):
It's got about nine hundred meters of forestry boundary on
one for he compedit, So trying to keep rabbits trying
to rabbit fence that will be an absolute nightmare.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Good on your Ige'll leave it. They're good to see
you're back on ground. TIRA for rever after a good
holiday way and we'll catch up in due course. Got it,
Cheers Andy, Roger wad here in South Otago having real
issues with rabbits won't be the only one.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Either you're listening to the muster or going
Speaker 2 (09:15):
To plan next We're catching it with Mark Patterson on
the ground up at National Field Days.
This interview is brought to you by a Center South
Branches in Lawnville, Gore, Cromwell, Milton, and Renfilly. Drop by
your local Agri Center South Brunch today.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Niger would he had farms in South Totaga between Becleuther
and Milton. Had night's good afternoon. Now you just come
back from Stuart Island. Sounds like a good trip in
the afternoon.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, on the you just got home on Saturday, so yeah,
it was good. Actually it was a bit of a rough,
rough introduction being back home Sunday Monday. The old weirder
wasn't too fresh, but it's all good.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Was playing ball, it was.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
We were leaving Bluff on the way over and Tyree
who was taking us overseat art. It's not the worst
I've seen, but it won't be real comfortable. And we
getting out of bath and up down, up down, splash,
a bit of water flying around. But actually it was
in his bed even Heatay, No, not as bad as
I thought it was going to be. But it was
probably probably worse on the way back, to be fear.
(01:08):
But there was nothing, nothing serious, to be honest that
I yeah, I was a weaver at average on the
way over, but I was fine.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
On the way home, I was going to say, what
are you see legs like they.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Have the moments they come and go. Sometimes I am
absolutely sweet, and other times, like on the way over
last year, man, I was no good. I was a
very unhealthy little boy. But then this year I just
got my got the obligatory vomb out of the road
real quick, and then he just went downstairs and lay
on a bed, and I was happy years after that.
(01:42):
So yeah, I think that's the key in those big
boats that they've got got a bed, just go downstairs
and get as close to water level as you can
and take some of that rocking out of it. And
and for me anyway line down helps me. But like
I say, on the way home, you I would speed
a fever at a time on the boats is in
round while we're down there fishing and diving and stuff,
(02:02):
so you start to get your starting to get used
to it a bit by the time we come home.
But then you know, like I say, even when we
go fishing up here, sometimes I'm all right and sometimes
I'm no good.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
My sea legs are terrible.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
I mean, once upon a time I was up north
with Shen and her family were literally twenty meters off
shore and I got crooked here and they just say
just keep looking up, keep looking up, and I'm like,
bagger looking up.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
I just need to lie down. But it didn't work
that way.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
I hit, I hit Tira firm, but I just lay
on the ground like any defraying getting.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
Out of the prison I was. I was out of there.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
I've had moments like that too, But usually usually if
I feel average, I'll usually throw up and then I'm
all right, okay, Yeah, I make myself carry on because
there's nothing worse than being no good and then just
being a second ship the whole trip.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Even we went for a dive and then went out
fishinging and I felt a bit average. Then yeah, same thing,
force your hoseslf to carry on. But some that's a
state of mind.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Anyway, a bit of work stories on the muster mate,
how's everything on the ranch.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Yeah, it's been the first ten minutes about holidays. Yeah
you really got the ranch awesome. Actually I'm out and
about the moment. Just winding up some hot wise and
your ground conditions are really good user utilization on the
grass and giving a bit of baylage co two mobs
(03:29):
of ballcarbs on for a beat the same thing you
utilization is really really good. I think it's a messy
yesterday and one more that really hooking through eating a
lot more eerie than what I thought they would be,
and that being reasonably, I'm pretty much fully feed, So yeah,
(03:50):
I might just cut him back a little bit and
just poke a bit more bailage under them to to
try and push that crop out of bit. It's just
early enough in the season to be doing the mess
and the best is not ending up. So yeah, now
we're taking a loong really good. Actually, the plan was
for the Mixta jews to go on crop probably early
(04:14):
next week, but we don't have to don't have to
shoot right, we're right at the back at the moment.
Shoot home to the front of the farm and just
choose some blocks out. We've got some pretty big rabbit
shoes and some peedducks near the house, so we'll we'll
chew all of them out and get some poison on
later in the month, I think. So you will take
(04:34):
the us home now and get those paddocks chewed out
and eat some grass. Now that was probably going to
be eating later on, but then they can go and
crop a bit later and just shuffle ever the ground.
That's sort of what we're up to.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
How there's the river population here, population where you are.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Ah, he has done a problem. But rabbits in certain
parts of the farm are like plague proportion, like really
really really. We've got a peedicky young grass just near
the house that was planted in February. The other two
pettics that were planted on the same day with grazed,
one of them twice and one of them once. And
this one with the rabbits is beer. It looks like
(05:14):
a bowling green lot. There's just absolutely nothing there is.
You know, you drive out there in the in the evening,
and in the early evening there's probably turning of rabbits
on a fortep your pettit maybe even more like it's
bad and no amount of shooting can keep them and
they control you sort of cruise down there, even walking
(05:36):
with the rifle. You let one shot off, shoot one rabbit,
and the rest of them are in the trees in
a way. So the only way we're going to make
it done to them is with poison. And yeah, we'll
give them to that later in the later in the month.
So in certain parts of the farm it's really bad.
There's farms down below, so you spend tens of thousands
every year trying to control rabbits around here. It's yeah,
(05:57):
they're really bad.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
That's plague like proporse.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Oh yeah, like I say, losing a four he get
pat of a young grass. Cheers, Yep, that's not good. Yeah.
I was going to poison last year and then it
was a bit slack, and then kind of forgot about
and thought now it'll be right. Well, man, I wish
ahead because I don't know if it would have made
a big difference, but it would have done something to
knock that knock the numbers down in the winter a year.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
So what's a possum population like? Then If us like
that with the rabbits.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
The possums are climbing. But when we come home teen
years ago, you go out at night rabbit shooting or shooting,
and if you het one or two possums, you were
doing well most of the time. Now, if I go
to the lamp of all of the hot spots around
the farm, it'll be well into double figures, twenties, sometimes
thirty and yeah, So in like the forestry. We're going
(06:52):
to well probably two k's of forestry boundary at the
back and the company are working their way around towards
US harvest. So probably in months two years they'll be
on our boundary. So that's going to push all the possums.
Just work your way in front of the harvesters, obviously,
So in a couple of years, I do, you say,
we'll have a wave of the little bucker's turning up.
(07:13):
But I try and get out for a shoot as
often as I can and just try and keep a
little on things. And you know, like I say, you know,
twenty or thirty at night. If we can keep it
at that, then it's all right. But if we go
out and there's waves of them, it'll be it won't
be good.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Yeah, there's big numbers.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
You're talking like, is there any funding available to have
you guys out or is that just the lord of
the land what you're dealing with.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
I'm not sure if there's funding or not. The blaming
the Tuger Regional Council missed the track there a couple
and you're play a couple of long term plan rounds
ago and they didn't put possums in the peacet list
or and like go. For very small amount of money,
(08:01):
they could have your head. Funding available to control possums.
I was talking the old man about it. There was
some thing about it. They didn't put it in there
in a specific ranking. So now the regional council don't
do anything about it. It's really annoying. So I don't
know if there's funding available. Well, I mean, I don't
mind shooting them. We just keep on trying to keep
(08:22):
a lid on them. But I know that it's coming.
There's definitely funding for rabbits. I know that these guys
around us have had funding for rabbit control and rabbit
fencing and things. We're probably not quite at the stage yet,
but if we keep losing Petsy Young Grass, it might
get to there. But I don't know fencing fencing with
rabbit meeting around this four he companity I was talking about.
(08:45):
It's got about nine hundred meters of forestry boundary on
one for he compedit, So trying to keep rabbits trying
to rabbit fence that will be an absolute nightmare.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Good on your Ige'll leave it. They're good to see
you're back on ground. TIRA for rever after a good
holiday way and we'll catch up in due course. Got it,
Cheers Andy, Roger wad here in South Otago having real
issues with rabbits won't be the only one.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Either you're listening to the muster or going
Speaker 2 (09:15):
To plan next We're catching it with Mark Patterson on
the ground up at National Field Days.
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