The American Beagler Forum

I would like to know if there are any resorces on the web about improving Rabbit habitat. I can not find any. I heard Purdue did a study on rabbits and habitat in Indiana. Does anyone have info on this. I can find info on quail, phesants, deer but nothing for rabbits.

I always hear put salt out it helps, but where is this information so I can read up on it. When is the best time to put it out?

What have property owners done to improve there rabbit population? Food plots (what kind)??? Salt???? Feeders???? kill peditors????

What does your favorite running spot have. briars??? fields??? timber???

Matt, I run out on the airport property, perhaps you remember talking one day while you were working and I was running dogs. Anyway what I have done out there is plant clover, in the thickest stuff I have put out apple flavor salt or mineral block used for deer and kill coyottes and hawks. I plant the clover as close to real good cover as I can. Putting the salt or mineral in real thick dense stuff prevents deer getting to it. I shot a red tail hawk the other day that was lots bigger than any coon I have ever shot here in Indiana. I hunt coyottes at least once a week and try to hunt them more often than that. Alot of times I have my beagles on the truck when coyotte hunting. I will use my call box in two or three locations for about 15 minutes each. After that I start running dogs. Last Sat morning I thought one of my dogs and a coyotte were going at it. I ran over there and found her into it with a coon. I shot the coon and went on running dogs. The Indiana DNR told me that for every one rabbit killed by a coyotte four are killed by hawks and owls. I really don't have a clue what hawk or owl crap looks like, but I would bet the truck it doesn't look anything like hairy dog crap I see while running dogs. The Indiana DNR is worthless, they care about two groups only. They have done nothing in this state to improve small game hunting, bird hunting or fishing. Let deer or turkey hunters complain about something and they are all over it. We have been running in Coatsville all week. There is still alot of crop out and standing water. Had one in a standing cornfield the other morning that lasted every bit of an hour. With the heavy frost we have been having in the mornings it has really helped the running. I wouldn't care if rained here again until next spring. Take care and perhaps we can get together and run dogs one day. Andy

Glomski,

I called and wrote the VA Game Com. and Bio. dept a couple of years ago. They said here in VA there is plenty of natural food for rabbits, but what they need more than anything else is cover.

On the farm where I kennel my hounds I put out salt blocks with the mineral trace several times a year. The owner allows a trapper to come in and aggressively trap the foxes, both red and grays. No signs of coyotes yet. We don't hunt the rabbits, we just run them.

What I have noticed is that the rabbit population cycles from year to year and season to season. There are more rabbits in the spring and early summer than any other time of the year(crops are in the fields). There are fewer in the fall and less in the winter(crops are gathered and no cover in the fields). There are lots of groundhogs and even more groundhog holes. To get an accurate idea of the population we ride at night when the rabbits are out. During daylight hours, extreme weather, cold, heat, drought or even lots of rain, the rabbits readily retreat to the groundhog holes and take advantage of their tunneling system.

During late winter hunting trips I look for visible signs of rabbits, no, not their droppings but food. I look for places where they have been "cutting" on weeds and I really get excited when I find where they have been eating the bark off of saplings. I then know that my quarry is not far away.

I've trialed, ran dogs, and gun hunted in the strip mines of Southern Indiana. Those of you can that run there on a regular basis are truly blessed. It's a rabbit hunters and beaglers paradise. I've never seen cottontails run bigger or longer. When dogs run for 10 hours, they run for 10 hours. Maybe not the same rabbit but there are lots of others waiting their turn for exercise. One spends less time looking for a rabbit and more time running him. Here it's the opposite. During Indy's lowest rabbit cycle, when the numbers aren't as great and you go minutes between chases, it's still better than the best day of running in Central VA.

Bottom line, in VA if you want to find rabbits, first find cover, next a food source, then a low concentration of predators, the 4 legged and 2 legged type. Then and only then will you have the makings of a Honey Hole.


Nate

ps Dreamie is kicking big butts! She is a complete dog, lacking nothing as a rabbit dawg. I plan on breeding her on the next cycle. I'm down to two males, Viagra and Reggie. shhhhhh, it's a secret

Matt, I go to TSC and buy the small horse blocks of salt. I saw them in 2 inch blocks, drill a hole in them and use zip ties to tie them to shurbs with. I find where there chewing bark or wait till a little snows on and there are tracks. I think if you go on Missouri DNR site it will show you some thinks to use for habitat in a traing pen, which could also be used in the wild. I also buy some ear corn and throw it out.

Here is a couple of links to Rabbit Habitat.

http://www.mdc.mo.gov/landown/wild/rabbit/management/

http://www.dgif.state.va.us/hunting/va_ ... ontail.asp

There is alot of other links but they are PDF files and i don't have adobe on this computer. Just look up Cottontail Habbitat on google and it will give you a bunch of stuff.

I'm just starting to really get into making cover at our cabin. So far we've cut down small plots of trees and left them lay were they fell. Around the edges of the field we started cutting down trees about 40yds or so into the woods and left them lay were they fell. We also transplanted pine trees and planted them in groups. We have a 23acre clear cut that is 10yrs old that i have re cut some of the trees and made small brush piles. And made small food plots with brush around the edges and plant oats, rye, and wheat in them. This year im going to continue cutting trees down and start putting out salt blocks for the rabbits. This year you could see the increase in rabbits on the property.

We have food plots for deer. Clover field, CornFields, and a Biologic Turnip field. This year for rabbits we are going to plant Lespedeza Sericea, Sorghum, and maybe some warm season grasses.

just a friendly warning...

if you kill hawks... i wouldn't talk about it online....

-jack

I have taken several pieces of 8"x8' irrigation pipe and scattered them around my land. It make for a good escape place from predators. If your out with pups check the pipes for a rabbit if he's in there pick one end up and dump him out for the pups to sight chase Also if you have a starting pen use a dip net and transfer him. Be sure and put some where the sun can hit them they like this on cold days.

Thanks for the info guys!!!!

BJK why dont you send that Dreamie dog my way. You dont need anything that good....She needs to come back to Indiana where she belongs...LOL........Are you coming up to go hunting this year?

As of this moment I have not planned to come out this year. However bet the farm that I'll be there next year. I went to the kennel yesterday and asked Dreamie if she wanted to go back home. She said, "No, I like it here, now let's go hunting!"

What can a man do but give a dog her only wish.