# Rabbit population question



## downrange (Dec 25, 2010)

I never see rabbits anymore. My old honey holes from 10-15yrs ago no longer have rabbits. New spots ive tried are even worse. I dont use dogs, im lucky to get 1 or 2 a year. I usually dont even jump a single one when i go out. Its def not an over-hunting issue, i usually only go a couple times a year in each spot. I like to blame coyotes. (In fact, im now addicted to coyote hunting because of this!!) 
So my question is this: Is everybody else seeing the same decline in population??


Sometimes life is greasy.


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

Lots of rabbits where I'm at. 

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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

downrange said:


> I never see rabbits anymore. My old honey holes from 10-15yrs ago no longer have rabbits. New spots ive tried are even worse. I dont use dogs, im lucky to get 1 or 2 a year. I usually dont even jump a single one when i go out. Its def not an over-hunting issue, i usually only go a couple times a year in each spot. I like to blame coyotes. (In fact, im now addicted to coyote hunting because of this!!)
> So my question is this: Is everybody else seeing the same decline in population??
> 
> 
> Sometimes life is greasy.


 Where I live a huge drop in numbers.


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## Patman75 (Jan 11, 2012)

Plenty around my house. Habitat can change a lot in 10-15 years.


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## downrange (Dec 25, 2010)

Patman75 said:


> Plenty around my house. Habitat can change a lot in 10-15 years.


Youre absolutely correct about habitat changing. My areas have actually changed for the better. Wider fence rows, pasture allowed to over-grow, small ag field no longer planted and allowed to go natural, still plenty of food and water, etc... It truly baffles me. Ide also say that it has pretty much been in the past 5yrs that ive noticed the biggest change in numbers of bunnies. 
Im in the Lansing area of the state, btw. Forgot to mention that. 




Sometimes life is greasy.


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## SlapchopKid (Aug 10, 2010)

Dog barks all the time during the night at em. Behind the house. 

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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

one thing you can do to help is create rabbittat. brushpiles designed to provide them a home and shelter. if your on public land this has to be coordinated with the dnr. on private land the owner can build as much as they want.
there is an increase in hawks so that may have an effect. but any one area can have population surges, and droughts. 
besides,,,this is the perfect excuse to get a beagle. i sugjest a association of rabbit hounds dog . their dogs are bred to hunt,,, not show.


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## john warren (Jan 25, 2005)

oh,,,and as an aside,,, my old cocker spaniel, well over the hill, jumped a rabbit last night when i let him out. got him circled half way back around to me before the poor old guy ran out of steam and stopped chaising.

ever notice? once your over the hill,,,you start picking up speed.


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## Neal (Mar 20, 2001)

With a surplus of dead X-mas trees about to become available, you could make some great brushpiles.


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## downrange (Dec 25, 2010)

Neal said:


> With a surplus of dead X-mas trees about to become available, you could make some great brushpiles.


Good idea! Im gonna give it a shot. 


Sometimes life is greasy.


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## Lumberman (Sep 27, 2010)

What makes for good rabbit habitat? I wondered if I could drop some on my newly cut thick filled with Brush pile property and have them take up residence. DNR approved obviously. 

In 20yrs I think one Rabbit up there. Lake county but now we have thick cover and some AG crops. 

Thoughts?


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## Neal (Mar 20, 2001)

Here's some ideas.

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=322041&highlight=operation+rabbitat


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

I've got about four acres of a virtual rabbit paradise. Eight years ago it was part of a wheat field. We bought our lot (about 7 acres), built a house, and mow about three acres. The rest was reclaimed by the nature gods. Filled in nicely with all sorts of waist high grass, golden rod, dogwood, cattails, rise bushes, and the enemy (autumn olive-lots of it). The AO is growing like crazy, but where it is, it's not hurting anything. It's nothing to see 4-5 rabbits each time you come in and out of the driveway. 

The way it's situated, no one can hunt in there because of safety zone considerations. 

Posted from my iPhone.


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

Come on dead short you know all that means is you need permission it doesn't mean you can't hunt it


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## Lumberman (Sep 27, 2010)

Neal said:


> Here's some ideas.
> 
> http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=322041&highlight=operation+rabbitat


That's great Neal. How have your results been?


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

limige said:


> Come on dead short you know all that means is you need permission it doesn't mean you can't hunt it


I know my neighbor would let me, but my kids named all the babies in all five litters that were born in our landscaping and under our pear tree this summer. I would have to at least cross the road into the SGA. 



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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Dead Short ..you should get ahold of Ivan and have me bring the dogs over. You guys do the shooting.


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

FREEPOP said:


> Dead Short ..you should get ahold of Ivan and have me bring the dogs over. You guys do the shooting.


My daughters would kill me. They would say wild rabbits yes, yard rabbits no. They see a difference. I keep telling them they taste the same as across the road. 


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

A narrow road from a pet cat and a feral 
I wouldn't want to do that to them.


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

Lol too funny. I was going to say live trap and relocate some to state land, I'm sure you know how to legally do that.


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## chris-remington (Oct 7, 2012)

i have about 15-20 thumpers on my families 5 acres of land, i always see them when im deer hunting and see deer when im bunny hunting, kind of sucks.


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## dead short (Sep 15, 2009)

FREEPOP said:


> A narrow road from a pet cat and a feral
> I wouldn't want to do that to them.


They definitely know the the difference between pet cats (they each have one - fixed, inside only) and feral cats. They know that a cat roaming around outside is good for nothing but killing critters. We used to have feral cats around and no rabbits. Old neighbor lady out front was feeding them. Now we have no feral cats to speak of and plenty of rabbits. Must have been the hard winters or something.


Posted from my iPhone.


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## griffondog (Dec 27, 2005)

dead short said:


> They definitely know the the difference between pet cats (they each have one - fixed, inside only) and feral cats. They know that a cat roaming around outside is good for nothing but killing critters. We used to have feral cats around and no rabbits. Old neighbor lady out front was feeding them. Now we have no feral cats to speak of and plenty of rabbits. Must have been the hard winters or something.
> 
> 
> Posted from my iPhone.


Governor Milliken would be pissed to hear this .

Griff

korthals Ugly Dog Owner


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## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Winter die off of feral cats :lol:

Now when PETA catches the feral cats to neuter them, they'll give them a sweater too.


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## flyfish (Dec 4, 2001)

Our numbers seem to be about average.


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## Neal (Mar 20, 2001)

Years ago I used to hunt a friends property that was managed for rabbit hunting (QRM?) He told me he had best results by building a couple HUGE brush piles on the property. These were the size of a school bus and included lots of tree trunks. He had a tractor to do the heavy lifting.
He then had many small satellite brush piles scattered throughout the property. 

His theory was by having these couple large fortress the rabbits would be protected and would multiply. The rabbits then would naturally disperse to the smaller (huntable) brush piles on the property.

Hunting the small piles was VERY productive​


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## KI Jim (Apr 14, 2004)

I hunt in Washtenaw, Jackson and Ingham counties. I have seen dramatic declines in the rabbit numbers. 10-20 years ago, it was limits pretty much every time out (jump hunting-no dogs). About 10 years ago, I began seeing a serious decline where now it looks like they are almost extinct in the areas I hunt. No tracks, no road kill. I haven't shot one in 5 years. Too bad because for young hunters, it used to be the best.


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## nick burk (May 3, 2012)

Coyotes has hit them hard

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