Whipping up a good haul

Nestling below the hill of Mill Buie, Knockdhu Farm sits at 1,100ft above sea level, allowing for breathtaking views across the glen. The vista alone would be enough to draw us here, but we have not climbed this high to enjoy the view; we are here to catch rabbits.

Year after year, from September until March, Georgie Bourner and I have ferreted this farm’s sloping acres in an attempt to hold back the burrowing, long-eared tide. No crops are grown at this altitude, but even land grazed by blackface sheep can be destroyed by rabbits. Their urine burns the sparse grass and what rabbits don’t eat, they bury with soil scattered from their excavations. Within a few years, these troublesome bunnies can turn productive acres into a cratered wasteland.

For this autumn’s first assault on