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Post by hornharvester on Jan 10, 2008 17:50:20 GMT -5
I took three of my beagles and went to the local reservoir today. I hunted a section that has several big thickets and always has at least one rabbit in it but not today! I walked over 3 miles with the dogs and not one jump. I think these guys with dogs that are pounding the reservoirs and public land day after day are taking a toll on the small game. Ive hunted these places close to 30 years now and always saw plenty of game until a few years ago. I see the same trucks with dog boxes sitting along the road every time I go and they are hunting these places out. Sad, h.h.
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Post by kennie on Jan 11, 2008 8:02:29 GMT -5
i went to salamonie reservoir last weekend and got 4. but was out there from about 8 am till 4 pm. alot of walking with no dogs ... did'nt do to bad .. hard hunting lot of woods to cover...
kennie
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Post by drs on Jan 11, 2008 8:36:32 GMT -5
I use to hunt rabbits a lot back in the '60's & '70's, and had great success in bagging several. Thesedays I see far more Deer than rabbits, to the point I have given up on hunting rabbits. I think the state of Indiana should investigate/study for reasons in the decline in Rabbit populations.
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Post by huxbux on Jan 11, 2008 9:10:32 GMT -5
IMO, the proliferation of coyotes and foxes due to the sharp drop in fur prices is partially responsible.
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Post by drs on Jan 11, 2008 9:39:38 GMT -5
IMO, the proliferation of coyotes and foxes due to the sharp drop in fur prices is partially responsible. Also, changes in farming, urban sprawl, Cats & Dogs roaming free, and lack of proper habitat. |
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Post by danf on Jan 11, 2008 9:40:50 GMT -5
We've got a lot of coyotes running around our house, but still a pretty decent rabbit population too. Summer before last I couldn't hardly keep the durn things out of the garden.  Did a little "pre-emptive" hunting last winter and took care of 3 of my problems. Still saw several rabbits last summer, but nowhere near as many as summer of '6. |
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Post by old3arrows on Jan 11, 2008 10:01:27 GMT -5
Not hard to figure that one out in my neck of the woods!  Number 1 loss of habitat due to urban sprawl and farming practices. For example, bulldozing every fence row, small thicket, and woods to put up a house or get another 1/2 acre of ground to farm. The absolute best rabbit patches are full of old junk equipment, cars, rolls of fence, and falling down out buildings with plenty of briars in between. Number 2 coyote populations out of control! They take a heavy toll on rabbits, birds, and groundhogs. Without groundhogs making holes the rabbits have no place to hide therefore the coyotes can pick them off easier. How many groundhogs do you see now compared to twenty years ago when we shot them for sport. Now I won't kill one unless he is doing damage that could cause a building to fall down or something. I don't care how many acres of beans an old sow and her pups eat. Same thing for foxes. I won't shoot one. Coyotes have either ran them off or killed them. When was the last time anyone saw a grey, especially in central Indiana. Until we thin coyotes down some, and I try to do my part, all small game will suffer. |
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Post by huxbux on Jan 11, 2008 10:25:51 GMT -5
We've got plenty of rabbits here in the spring. I've seen up to a half dozen at once out back. We also have good cover and plenty to eat. I own and am surrounded by acreage planted in cash crops divided by wide fence rows thick with briar's and raspberries and bordered by a 10 acre fallow field behind me. I have a 1/4 acre food plot they just love. I've made up several large brush piles. I try to keep the groundhog population in check, but there are plenty of holes in the fence rows for the rabbits to use. Habitats not the reason they disappear around here. No one hunts them here either. By fall, seeing a rabbit here is rare. Hawks and owls take their toll, but we definitely have coyotes and at least one fox around. I've never seriously hunted them, but this winter I'm going to see if I can make a dent in the population.
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Post by drs on Jan 11, 2008 10:27:08 GMT -5
I have a pet theory concerning the lack of rabbits. I think the Deer may be spreading a disease to cottontails. The two have almost the same "nitch" requirements, and I've read articles stating that Doe Deer will eat young rabbits in the Springtime for protein, before giving birth to their fawns. But lack of proper habitat, urban sprawl, predation, and farming pratices are main causes.
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Post by ripleyshooter on Jan 11, 2008 22:06:38 GMT -5
I sure don't see the rabbits I did years ago. I think a combination of what everyone has stated so far plus a big increase in the hawk and owl populations over the past few years have an effect also. I don't know if I agree on the Urban sprawl though. I live way out in the country and drive to a small town to work. I see more rabbits in town than anywhere else. Most people I know that live in town complain of rabbits eating their gardens up in the summer.
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Post by TagTeamHunter on Jan 11, 2008 22:12:59 GMT -5
Yup, I live in the burbs and have plenty of rabbits; see them hide under the back yard sheds ... perfect for them. Think it is bring in the yotes ... neighbor across the street swears he is seeing bright eyes shining in the brush in his back yard. How know .. we no longer have a stray cat problem so maybe.
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Did a little "pre-emptive" hunting last winter and took care of 3 of my problems. Still saw several rabbits last summer, but nowhere near as many as summer of '6.