MYTH or FACT

[T LEE]

Can hunting hurt the gereral rabbit population even more than any predator???

I've heard many times the rabbit population will bounce back from hunters taking a tailgate full of rabbits. It's said that one summer and the rabbits will be right back to the numbers before. I'm as guilty as anybody for taking tailgates full of rabbits.

Here is a story that I wanted to share.

We had an eye opener the 3rd week of rabbit season this year. We have a farmer that allows 1 rabbit hunt a year on his property. He always lets our group be that only hunt. He's very good with predator control . Most of the property we hunt is pines and honeysuckles. Four years ago on this property our group of eight hunters took 26 rabbits in an eight hour hunt. The next year there five of us took 19 rabbits. The next year four of us took 9 rabbits. This year the rabbit sign just didn't seem to be like in the past years. We took some rabbits but nothing like it was at one time.

Maybe it takes a little longer than one year for the rabbits to make a come back.

I just wanted to hear some other opinions on the topic.

[Dale L.]

I don't believe hunting has as much of an effect on population as most people think. We sex most of the rabbits we shoot and I would say at least 80% are bucks. I read a study one time by the dnr that stated predators and environmental issues accounted for most rabbit deaths. It said that you could take the number of rabbits in August or whenever they were at their peak for the year and by the time it was breeding season again their would be approximately 20% of that population left. This was in areas that were hunted and areas that were not. So if you have a place that would hold maybe 30 rabbits at the peak of the year you could expect about 6 to make it through. I can'y say for sure that this is right but I do know that the small farm I live on has a fair poulation of rabbits in the summer (you can consistently jump 4-6 rabbits most mornings) but this time of year you can hunt 2 hours and you will jump at most 2 usually 0-1. That is wether or not we kill any. This year I have not shot a rabbit on this place but it is the same as the years we have.

[Househounds]

Does predator control include hawks, owls, cats, skunks, raccoons, dogs, etc. Also has the landscape changed much? Are the pines maturing and not offering the cover they once did allowing the predators to have an effect on the rabbits? I have heard that there is a 7 year cycle to rabbit populations due to predators and illness. It does seem like something is having a large effect. I try to keep my shooting spots at about the same numbers and do not shoot many if they are not there but lately our spots seem to be getting better or staying the same. Good story, I am interested to here some others thoughts on this.

thanks

[Lee Cockman]

Depends on how the cover chnages. You take most cut overs we hunt I could see the population changing but it is due to growth. A place can grow alot in 4 to 5 years. No under growth. I hunt some public land a couple times a year we always kill 10 rabbits a day on it every year. But they do a lot of control burning that keeps the under growth where it needs to be for the most part. Seems to hold good rabbits. I no we are one of many that hunts this place. JMO

[Mo. Beagler 5000]

I think it is an "overall" statement that hunters don't hurt the population as a whole but in some areas you can infact over hunt the area and damage the population. I have seen it happen. Doesn't mean it can't/won't ever recover but it could take a while.

also, some areas are harder than others to destroy-- I have an EXCELLENT 30 acre or so place to hunt and we killed a TON OF bunnies and I was worried about the population so I stopped shooting there months ago. I didn't think there were many left but some dumb kids came to school braggin how they killed 18 out of that field a few days ago. Now that probably will desimate that area for a while.

[Lee Cockman]

Troy we killed 90 rabbits at the Tire Yard one seson. Trilled it hard as well. You have been there did not hurt it.

No cover is what hurts a place.

[Bunnyblaster]

The places I notice the biggest decline in rabbit numbers are areas where the habitat has changed. One area with pines has lost a lot of cover over the years because of the pines maturing and choking out the under growth like househounds said. Another was a place where the farmer cleared some areas to make his fields bigger and we lost rabbit numbers for a few years but as the habitat improves so has the rabbit population.

[warddog]

It is my opinion that everything everyone has stated to this point is relative to the rabbit population. With the expanding of people from the cities to the country much habitat is lost as well as the corporate farming techniques that utilize the ground from the edge of the roads right up to the fence rows. Now comes the increase of predators due to birds of prey being protected and the coyotes rampant increase in numbers. I also see a lot of ferrel cats and dogs that I suppose folks that have been hurt by the economy dump on the side of the road in the country. Then comes man, the best predator of all as they have all the tools to kill even when the habitat and other predators have a very difficult time in doing so. When ALL the above things come together the utlimate predator, man then is left with very few places where the habatat and predation aloow for holding of rabbits so that tract of property gets even more hunting pressure. When I think of man having an adverse impact I'm not alluding to pone man or single party of men but numerous hunters that are drawn to a tract of hunting property that holds game. the old saying of breeding like rabbits is true as they can raise up to 5 litters a year, that is if there is a doe and a buck alive to do so. Once a doe is killed that is 5 possible litters and the doe herself for her entire lifetime. I've never been against the taking of any game and I was taught by my forefathers to " Take what you PERSONALLY need and leave the rest for SEED". When I was gowing up the taking of game was a means of feeding the family not merely sport. Having seed for the future was a way of life and not something that was even thought about. Wildlife provided food for many families that hunted to augment the table fare and practicing conservation allowed many to reap the bounty of nature. I was taught that you "reap what you sow" and have never understood how continual piling up of any game is reaping from mother nature but rather IMO it is raping her.

[Lee Cockman]

WARDOG

I DO NOT understand your opionion at all. Every state is different in every way. Come to NC and you will see. If there was a problem we would not have a season. Let me guess you have family here and are planning a hunting trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bigdogpace]

I BELIEVE HABITAT CHANGES R MY PROBLEM EXCEPT THE FACT THAT GUN HUNTERS HERE KILL EVERYTHING THER IS JUMP SHOOT AND HUNT PLACE'S OVER AND OVER AND THEN FILL THE SAME AREA FULL OF TRAPS TO FILL RABBIT PENS 4 FEILD TRIALS AND PERSONAL USE I DO BELIEVE MAN CAN HURT POP. N SOME WAYS GOT PLACES THAT 2 YRS . AGO HELD LOTS OF RABBITS NOW U CAN'T JUMP ONE THERE HABITAT HAS NOT CHANGED N THIS AREA JUST WEEK AFTER WEAK OF HUNTING PRESSURE NOTHING AGAINST PENS' TRAPPING RABBITS OR GUN HUNTING . BUT U CAN RIDE AHORSE TO DEATH IF U DONT STOP AND REFUEL AND GIVE IT AREST .JMO I KNOW I HELPED CATCH A 100 FOXES 1 YEAR AND 130 NEXT YR. 3RD YR HAD TO BUY FOXES TO RESTOCK HUNTING GROUNDS AND THATS BEEN 20 YRS. AGO AND FOX'ES NEVER HAVE REALLY COME BACK LIKE THEY WERE.

[Lee Cockman]

Bigdog there is a difference in a hunting season and a idiot. You can do to much of anything. I hit a palce once a year at most two times. That is by picking and chosing. I never trap where I hunt and never hunt or trap where I run dogs year around. I have killed as many as most in NC. So I am not knocking any one. Hunt how you chose on the grounds you have. I have killed close to 200 for as long as I can remember. I pretty much hunt the same places year after year. I can not see that I have hurt anything. JMO

[rabbitearl]

I agree with lee on the burn off.I think this time of the year CATS are worst,But in the hot summer.TICKS,FLEAS kill more rabbit than we believe.Ever year the start of 1987 I ve had to put rabbits in my rabbit pens.They just get gone in aug,sept.You see them may,june,july, feed, salt blocks, looking after them,then gone.I don t know anybody rabbit hunting in aug or sept.Less say that if all the yotes foxes birds and cats were just gone,and we burn off the woods to kill the fleas and ticks.man there be so many rabbits.

I used to would not let anybody run in my pens in the spring and summer.I had less rabbits in it now that I never close.They would keep the other stuff out.Oh I ve heard that fescu 33 kill alot of rabbits.

[lebro]

i had more luck the past several years on public ground that is hunted hard, rabbits learn to deal with pressure. it is about loss of habitat. if everybody that runs dogs 5-7 days a week would spend 1 day a week on habitat improvement we would all have more than enough rabbits, but it is easier to point fingers at somebody else. the guys filling the tailgates probably do more for habitat than the ones who just run.this is not true of all cases but look at what you have done for habitat before you complain cause i get sick of hearing it

[likeemfast]

Predators hunt 365 days a year, wether they fly or walk on 4 legs. Man hunts a couple weeks a year, granted we may take a tailgate full at one time or another but we do nowhere near the damage to the population as predation. When your out running your hounds and you see coyote dung you have rabbits. When your out running and see hawks flying over you have rabbits. When your running at night and hear the horned owl you have rabbits. Its when your running your hounds and you see none of that then you have no rabbits. The predators move on and look for more game long before you even know your spot is void of game.

[sicososbe]

FACT