How can I get rid of rabbits in my yard?

Question

I have rabbits that routinely build nests in my yard. How can I get rid of the rabbits legally? I don't want some officer from the DNR knocking on my door because I improperly hunted or poisoned them.

The rabbits cause several problems:

1. Our dog goes absolutely nuts barking at them through the window, chases them when she can in the back yard, and gently removes the young from their nest to play with (or tend to as a mother) when she finds a nest.
2. The nests are basically a hole in the ground about the size of a softball. They're easily big enough to cause a twisted ankle when stepped in while walking in the yard.
3. I'd like to start planting tomatoes and other vegetables, but I'm fearful the rabbits will have their way with my crops.

I've recently started using Liquid Fence, but it's hard to say if that's had much of an effect. I've certainly still had some rabbits, but maybe not as often.

What's the best course of action for me?

Answer 1

Deer and rabbits both have a very keen sense of smell. I use a mixture of garlic powder, chili powder and water to keep the deer out of the garden. I am pretty sure that would work for rabbits as well. Spray it around where they are nesting and see if they move. If they do make up a large batch and spray the whole yard.

I spray once a week on average. If it rains I spray again as soon as it's dry.

Answer 2

I've heard of dried blood working well as a repellent for rabbits as well as deer. If you were to plant a vegetable garden you could sprinkle some of this around the plants as a sort of combination fertilizer/pest deterrent.

Answer 3

After just reading the title, I was going to suggest get a dog. Our dog has killed a couple rabbits already this year. Perhaps you could simply leave your dog in the yard more often, letting him/her out when she's barking at them through the window. I guess this depends if your dog is fast enough to catch them. You could consider getting another dog, perhaps a bigger, faster one.

Another note: when putting in vegetables, make sure you have a sure method of keeping your dog out of them. Our dog ate quite a few of our green beans last year (didn't bother the tomatoes, though), so we had to put up a higher fence this year.