Rabbit season is off to another good start

[deputy jailer]

Since opening day in November My dad, cousin and me have bagged 152 to date. Looks like a lot of good breakfasts ahead for us and a lot of the older folks around the house. Other than turkey hunting this is my passion and gives me time with my dad, some memories just cant be bought

[Bigschuss]

[quote="deputy jailer"]this is my passion and gives me time with my dad, some memories just cant be bought


Well said. And nice shooting!

We don't have cottontails where I hunt...just snowshoes.

My grampa was a lifelong rabbit hunter here in the Northeast. Always had beagles, belonged to the hunt clubs, would spend hours on the mountain at all times of the day and night with his buddies....he called cottontails "grey-bobs." Have you ever heard of that in your neck of the woods. I've always wondered where that term came from?

Blair

[Virginia Mike]

In the sixtys we had plenty of rabbits. Getting your limit of 6 was a nice afternoon of listening to the beagles yodel.
Now, rabbits a few and far between. Deer are the abundant animal.

[deputy jailer]

Rabbits are very abundant here since the big ice storm in 2009 brought down a lot of trees here. Our dogs will jump usually 12 minimum during a days hunt here and we kill less than half of whats jumped. I dont know what we have the most of now, rabbit or squirrel And in our area we are 3 of the 9 that even hunt

[grumpy]

this is my passion and gives me time with my dad, some memories just cant be bought


....he called cottontails "grey-bobs." Have you ever heard of that in your neck of the woods. I've always wondered where that term came from?

Blair

Not sure if this is the same but my grandfather used to tell us NOT to shoot when you see the "grey a bobbin" cause you'll shoot em in the "butt" and have a skillet full of lead. Grump

[Yogie]

In the sixtys we had plenty of rabbits. Getting your limit of 6 was a nice afternoon of listening to the beagles yodel.
Now, rabbits a few and far between. Deer are the abundant animal.

Same here Mike, haven't seen one in the wild for several years.
I'd bet there ain't 152 rabbits in this whole state anymore. We had one living in the yard this summer and it was the talk of the neighborhood.

[Joe Malinowski]

I used to love rabbit hunting in the 70 s. There are a few rabbits around but nothing like it used to be. Nothing more fun than having a couple beagles running rabbits, I think the large number of coyotes is to blame.

[Bigschuss]

I used to love rabbit hunting in the 70 s. There are a few rabbits around but nothing like it used to be. Nothing more fun than having a couple beagles running rabbits, I think the large number of coyotes is to blame.

I agree Joe....coyotes take some, no doubt. But also the forestry practices are not what they used to be. In the 1950's through 70s, the forest in the Northeast was basically a young, early successional growth and was surrounded by more farmland. Lots of cover, and lots of browse. Now, those forests are over 100 years old are are now in a mid-successional stage...tall trees with large canopies which shade the forst floor, providing no cover and no browse. The farms are now all developments and cul-de-sacs.

So yes, poor habitat, lack of cover, lack of food, and more coyotes all equals low rabbit populations. And this probably won't change unless states get back to the practice of clearcutting.