Rabbit Habitat in your area??

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Casey Harner
Posts: 3582
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:49 pm
Location: indiana

Rabbit Habitat in your area??

Post by Casey Harner »

In your region and terrain where do you usually find most of rabbits?? What do they mostly consume and how's your habitat while winter is around where are the rabbits usually found during the harsh winters??


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44magman
Posts: 48
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2013 2:03 pm
Location: Bridgton maine

Re: Rabbit Habitat in your area??

Post by 44magman »

I am in Maine we only have hare up here . We find most of the hare in the young forested areas. In the winter they seem to bunch up in the thicker softwood covers . In the winter they eat hardwood bark and buds .

BrownBear
Posts: 37
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2014 7:11 am
Location: N.E. Ohio

Re: Rabbit Habitat in your area??

Post by BrownBear »

I'm in N.E. Ohio. A couple of the key food sources for summer are all the native grasses and forbs (weeds). Legumes are near the top. On my own property, the lack of winter cover is problem. My woods are dominated by older growth Silver Maple with no understory. The rabbits thrive on early succession 1-5 year growth. A chain saw is Mr. Rabbits best friend. In winter I find them in the shrub and briar thickets. We have a lot of native raspberry. Buds and bark seem to be the key for winter dinner plate. I hunt several overgrown nurseries and the winter cover plant list is long but low shrubs and evergreens are dominate.
We have strong coyote pressure and brush piles are always a safe haven. I have started building some on my property. Started with 1 load soil, 1 load logs, 1 load brush. I laid the these materials out over the last couple weeks and started to build them over the weekend. As I moved the piles of brush I ran 2 rabbits out of them, the brush had been there only about 1 week. I'm glad to see this forum added. Over time it would be nice to see a comprehensive 4 season approach to the food and cover question put together here.

rabbitatfarm
Posts: 867
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 7:07 am
Location: Michigan

Re: Rabbit Habitat in your area??

Post by rabbitatfarm »

I'm in SW Michigan, about 15 miles from Lake Michigan, which has an affect on our weather. My own property is 80 acres, about half and half between woods and old fields. I've been working on habitat for over 20 years. Just started food plots a few years ago. I planted borders/travel ways of autumn olive and Roselow crab. Consumers Energy owns a strip through the middle of the property.There is a small swale just off their land. They mow the dogwood and sumac thickets every five years or so and it just keeps expanding. Both species respond to cutting when dormant. The woods is mostly older oak with a few walnut, beech, and some lowland shrubs, mostly spice bush. Not many rabbits there. Old fields are mostly timothy, clover, orchard grass and quack with blackberry, raspberry, sumac and dogwood patches. I hope to plant a couple of acres of native grass next spring.

I have done some edge feathering along the woods and generated a lot of berry canes. The rabbits just don't seem to use this area much. I plan to add a food source this fall. I have cut a couple of small aspen patches and regenerated young growth. It's getting close to time to cut it again. I also hinge cut some small maples. I have several brush piles of various sizes. I don't or allow anyone else to jump on my brush piles. One quick way to make brush piles is to drag a couple of cut trees where you want them. I try to locate my food plots near cover.

I started fooling with released quail for training my setter. That got me more interested in habitat development. Quail and rabbits use very similar habitats. I like the Missouri DNR's The Covey Headquarters. Comes out quarterly and has tips and suggestions for all four seasons. Just google The Covey Headquarters.

Looking forward to lots of response to this forum.

Larry
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TVE1998
Posts: 55
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 11:57 am
Location: BRADFORD, PA

Re: Rabbit Habitat in your area??

Post by TVE1998 »

HERE IN NORTHERN PA. WE DON'T HAVE MUCH FOR NATIVE GRASSES THAT STAND IN THE WINTER. AROUND MY PLACE ITS FILTHY WITH RABBITS DURING THE SUMMER, BUT AS SOON AS WE START GETTING HEAVY FROST THE RED TAIL HAWKS PICK THEM OFF IN A HURRY. WE HUNT MOSTLY MALIFLOWER ROSE PATCHES. IT'S A LITTLE RUFF ON THE DOGS, YOU NEED A HARD HUNTING BRUSH EATING DOG TO GET IT DONE AROUND HERE. I'VE PLANTED IMPERIAL CLOVER FOOD PLOTS FOR DEER, AND ONCE IT GETS OVERGROWN ITS FULL OF RABBITS IN THE EVENINGS, BUT DOESN'T HELP IN THE WINTER. I'VE ALSO TRIED SORGUM AND CORN MIXTURES, BUT THEY DON'T SEEM TO HOLD RABBITS. IF I COULD I WOULD PLANT MY WHOLE PROPERTY WITH MALIFLOWER ROSE, BUT I CAN'T FIND SEED.

Casey Harner
Posts: 3582
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:49 pm
Location: indiana

Re: Rabbit Habitat in your area??

Post by Casey Harner »

TVE1998 wrote:HERE IN NORTHERN PA. WE DON'T HAVE MUCH FOR NATIVE GRASSES THAT STAND IN THE WINTER. AROUND MY PLACE ITS FILTHY WITH RABBITS DURING THE SUMMER, BUT AS SOON AS WE START GETTING HEAVY FROST THE RED TAIL HAWKS PICK THEM OFF IN A HURRY. WE HUNT MOSTLY MALIFLOWER ROSE PATCHES. IT'S A LITTLE RUFF ON THE DOGS, YOU NEED A HARD HUNTING BRUSH EATING DOG TO GET IT DONE AROUND HERE. I'VE PLANTED IMPERIAL CLOVER FOOD PLOTS FOR DEER, AND ONCE IT GETS OVERGROWN ITS FULL OF RABBITS IN THE EVENINGS, BUT DOESN'T HELP IN THE WINTER. I'VE ALSO TRIED SORGUM AND CORN MIXTURES, BUT THEY DON'T SEEM TO HOLD RABBITS. IF I COULD I WOULD PLANT MY WHOLE PROPERTY WITH MALIFLOWER ROSE, BUT I CAN'T FIND SEED.

Try Milo. I've ran a lot of rabbits out of the milo fields before. It also helps with many other song birds and upland birds like quail. It provides great cover.
Isaiah 53:5
Philippians 3:13-14

RIP Harner's Briar Bashin' Blaze

Coal Run Jody
Harner’s Bush Whacker





Speed is fine, accuracy is final.

ericwaddle3
Posts: 313
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:28 am
Location: Harrisburg Illinois

Re: Rabbit Habitat in your area??

Post by ericwaddle3 »

Rabbits do love Milo, but man does it make ya itch!
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rabbitatfarm
Posts: 867
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2013 7:07 am
Location: Michigan

Re: Rabbit Habitat in your area??

Post by rabbitatfarm »

Casey;

Have you planted milo? What row and seed spacing do you use 0or seed population? I have broadcast it but would like to plant a plot next year either with a drill or a planter.
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