Disposing of Dead Pests (In the Suburbs)

[l008com]

I made the mistake of posting this question in a hunting subreddit and boy oh boy did it not go over well. This is probably a better place for it.

In my state, it *is* legal to kill wild animals that are doing damage to your property. This includes rabbits and ground hogs. There are certain ways you have to do it, and shooting them with an air riffle is one ok way to do it.
I am not guessing this or assuming it. I contacted the Environmental Police who are in charge of this sort of thing and they confirmed it IS legal, you don't have a bag limit, you don't have to be "in season", you don't need a license or any of that. But this only applies to YOUR own property. And I'm really only talking about rabbits and groundhogs and possibly rats. I would never hurt the coyotes and if deer ever wandered by, I wouldn't certainly not mess with it. 99% of the problem is just rabbits and groundhogs.

So having said all that, we have a full blown rabbit infestation around here. It's been getting worse every year for decades. You can't look out the window without seeing a half a dozen in every yard, ALL the time. They eat everything you try to plant to death. In addition to that, there are groundhogs that are causing problems too, digging under supports etc. There are FAR fewer groundhogs than rabbits, but they all gotta go. There are also wild turkey from time to time causing problems, though there haven't been any lately.

The question is, the point of this post is, I need a way to dispose of these things. I haven't actually started shooting these pests yet but once I do, I'll easily be able to have a dozen in a day. And this is full blown suburbs. There's no hole I can dig to bury them in, no woods I can go dump them in. I fear if I put them in the trash, the trash would smell so bad it would be unbearable. I do have an outdoor fireplace, I could cremate them. But we're talking about so many, I don't think I can have enough fires to keep up with them. That's what I've done in the past when I've found dead ones in the yard.

We do have coyotes around here but not enough of them to take care of this rabbit problem. Probably because people keep calling animal control on the coyotes, instead of leaving them alone and letting them solve our other problems.

Many have also said "eat them!" Yeah, not doing that. Not turning their fur into hats either. I'd gladly give all of the rabbits to someone that wanted to do this, but again, I'm like 6 miles from a major city. People into that sort of thing don't live around here. And I don't want to buy a freezer just to store my dead rabbits in.

So, any ideas? I do not know if it's legal to sell or give away these dead animals (although I wouldn't worry much about giving them away if I found someone that wanted them. Selling could be iffy). I'm totally new to this whole thing. Definitely interested in any ideas people might have to manage what could potentially be a sea of dead rabbits.

 

[l008com]

I forgot to mention: A local friend of mine does the same thing to rabbits that get into his gardens. But he does have a large wooded buffer zone between his property and a large stream. So he just throws them down the hill and larger animals take them away.
I do technically have a similar setup but with a much smaller stream and muuuuuuch smaller wooded area. Basically just a small strips of land a few feed either side of the stream. I'm up on a hill and below my property on both sides of the stream are business parking lots. It's really not an ideal place to be throwing dead animals.

I grew up near a jello factory, I know how bad dead animals can smell!

 

[pepper]

Why do hunters care if you cull them on your property, especially ground hogs? Farmers shoot pests daily. Anyway you could ask someone who has a large dog if they want free dog food. I doubt many people would be up for that though.

 

[l008com]

Why do hunters care if you cull them on your property, especially ground hogs? Farmers shoot pests daily. Anyway you could ask someone who has a large dog if they want free dog food. I doubt many people would be up for that though.

Believe me I am not exaggerating when I say nearly everyone in the conversation was freaking out, tell me I was wrong, then telling me the environmental police are wrong, and telling me I was going to get arrested and that I was just trolling them yadda yadda. It was quite the shit show.

Anyway I don't think any one I know who has a dog, wants me to give them dead rabbits as chew toys.
HOWEVER I have told MANY people over the years to bring their dogs over to my house to let them run around and chase the rabbits away. Everyone jokingly says "sure!" but no one ever does it. That would be an idea solution. When my own personal living situation improves, I'd love to get a dog, and I'd definitely encourage him to chase the rabbits. Of course with my luck, I'd pick a dog so chill, i'd just go play with the rabbits instead

 

[Meadowlark]

Dogs, especially outdoor dogs can solve that problem forthwith. Just one beagle will clear your property of rabbits and you won't have to shoot them or dispose of dead ones. They are also a great deterrent to deer.

I live out in the sticks(fortunately), and I would never be without a dog(s). Most of the best ones I've had were drop offs that I take in from the "sophisticated" urban folks who live by out of sight, out of mind. Probably the same folks who gave you so much grief in your posts on a hunting subreddit

 

[l008com]

That would be a great solution but for now, that's not going to work for me.

 

[Rye]

Have you considered repellents? That would be my suggestion, to help you stay on top of them preventatively. Same thinking as the dog I suppose too, something to scare them off. Removal and elimination can be difficult especially when they can just move right back in. For the surplus of rabbits, it could be practical to bury them on your property; someplace deep enough that the coyotes won't dig them up.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

My brother used to take the same route every day, so would pick up road kill rabbits knowing they were fresh. He gutted them, then put them whole in an old pressure cooker and fed the cat with them, you would need a lot of cats for four or five a day, not practical.
The trouble with rabbits is they breed like ... rabbits. That means that they will always be coming back, no matter how many you kill, much better to put them off coming. I have a badger visits my garden, and he used to dig holes in my veg. beds, now I keep an old watering can to pee in if I am in the garden, add about the same amount of water, and water around the edge. There is something about human male's urine that puts off most animals. If not that you could try other highly scented things, rabbits have a reasonable sense of smell.
Otherwise rabbit proof surrounds for your veg and such, who cares if they keep the grass short?
Of course the dog is the ultimate deterrent, though if it were like my old one he would chase them all day and never catch a one.
Have you tried asking a butcher? My friend used to make a good few bob with his dog Bracken, she was a greyhound / wolfhound cross and would soft mouth them and bring them back alive. He trained her using a rabbit skin stuffed with gorse, she only chewed on it the once.

 

[cpp gardener]

That’s what they make dumpsters behind stores for.

 

[big rockpile]

I have a problem with Squirrels. I eat them the same as Rabbits and Groundhogs.

Trap them a bury the cleanings in my Garden.

When I'm at our Cabin Fish Cleanings are to be put back in the water.

big rockpile