Where are the bunnies?

[Mattkc]

The past few years has been pretty good bunny hunting, however this year hardly any.  I use my little French Britt. as a utility dog hunting both fur and feather. I live in the city but have a park down the street surrounded by brushy woods.  This summer I noticed fewer and fewer bunnies for my pup to chase.  By Fall couldn't find any, I figured the feral cats were getting them.  When we started hunting in areas full of bunnies last year we couldn't find any.  It's pretty strange to find more quail then bunnies these days.  At least the squirrel population is good or I would have one bored dog. A few days ago I went down to SE Kansas to pick-up another pup.  The owner and his son hunt and trap about anything and he said there were very few bunnies in his area too.  What ever caused the bunny population to crash must be bad for feral cats haven't seen any of them lately either.

[Dee]

Rabbit populations usually run in a 10 year cycles, under normal conditions. However, down here in North Central Texas we have very few rabbits and almost no quail in my area. I believe as do others it is the change in farming practices in regards to fertilizers, pesticide, and herbicide application methods changing.
Now a days they use large wheel vehicles specifically designed to SPRAY (key word) these chemicals on the fields with large BOOMS protruding off either side of the vehicle.
Rabbits and quail alike tend to hunker down, and wait for the vehicle to pass, thereby being COATED with what ever is being sprayed, and this also includes their nests, and their young.
The farmers argue it is the fire ants, but south Texas had fire ants decades before we did, and they have quail and rabbits. To argue this with the farmer, is to lose your hunting rights. They are very defensive, and deny, that now a days they are dependant on chemicals, as they have worn out the land, by seldom rotating crops, or letting it lay out and rebuild occasionally.
Also, I have noticed that ranch land in this area has fair populations of both rabbits and quail, as they do little spraying.

[Ranger J]

The main reason we have few quail or  rabbits in the Ozarks area is the change from row crop farming into cattle grazing.  Neither quail or rabbits can do well in the fesque desert.

RJ

[Dee]

fesque is a plague. Try getting rid of it if it gets into a pasture or lawn of bermuda.

[Ranger J]

It has spread into an old food plot that I am going to try to rehab this year and as you say I am afraid I am going to have a hard time getting rid of it.

RJ

[Dee]

We don't have that much fesque around here, but it is difficult to get rid of, unless the whole field is poisoned. Mostly farming with the main crops being corn, wheat, and milo. Mixed timber, with brush and trees seperating fields both big and small. Prime habitat for quail, and rabbits, but ahhhh, the chemicals.

[mrsfroghunter]

Bunnies are plentiful here on Fort Leonard Wood! No problems ! But all kinds of problems hunting rabbits in Delaware! I really like Missouri alto to do.

[Foggy]

I agree with Dee on the 10 year cycle just natures way. on the farm in Md when I was there you did not hardly see a fox then the bunnie population grew and grew and so did the fox population.the bunnies started t dwindle and I helped the foxes dwindle teh cycles of life I guess most wild thing have there ups and downs.

[hillbill]

i live near joplin mo and the bunnies this year are almost nonexistent, me and my son and a buddy of his went out last weekend and seen one in about 2 hrs.seems like we are on the bottom end of a cycle for sure. its been many years here since you could go out and kill 3 or 4 bunnies in a day. nothing has changed here as far as crops, fescue,or other vegetation. the only thing that has changed is nobody hunts or traps fur predators anymore here.yotes, coons, and bobcats are much more prevalent than they used to be.im seriously thinking about starting a predator trapline again next year.

[mrsfroghunter]

I haven't hunted off this base ,so I don't know what's out  you guy's way ! But here on this base yes it is good hunting! Yes there are day's that we only get two but they are out there you just have to know a bunny! The one thing here that isn't good hunting I found is the squirrels.Plentiful in the housing area,but hit those woods and slim to none! The froghunter does well at those ! Like I said before the girl's'''' Our Beagles'''''' do very well here in Missouri but took them up to Delaware and shoot they wouldn't track good there! I guess it is the sent thing!But will give it another shot this year! We are retiring from here in July, so back home  I guess! Take care.

Mrs. Froghunter

[Mattkc]

I finally found a couple of decent areas to hunt bunnies by talking to deer hunters.  They are a good source of info due to all the preseason scouting.  I'm also trying to thin out the predator populations in my old areas.  I found turkey hunters are a good source for info to and I pass on my turkey sighting.  To bad you can't hunt turkeys with a dog my Britt. finds several every trip, a bad habbit I'm trying to break.

[Sharps-Nut]

Matt this thread is old but 100 miles south of you bunnies are hit and miss.  The sharp edges from hayfield to timber tracts is a bad thing.  This according to a mdc rep that came out on my land where I am trying to build better bunny hunting.  Farming is fence row to fence row if a fence row even is left anymore hurts them but farmers are struggling to hold on.   I think the ice storms two years running put the squash to them as well.  I had a place by golden city that was butt deep in bunnies due to owner established cover and it sucked this winter.  Last two winters three of us limited out in one afternoon with no notable damage to population.  Bear in mind we hunt bunnies only once a year so we do fill our limit when we go so don't flame me. Conservation rules are folowed, and we are trying to build better land. But the owner induced habitat is outstanding and it is one of the few places in my area that has old time big time bunny hunting.  I am trying to establish my own retreat on 80 acres and cats could be a problem but what I see are free range dogs ass deep in my brush piles everytime I am out there.  If you hunt on private land go to mdc page and search wabbitt and qail habitat and it will give you guidlines to improve your hunting ground.  I will warn you three years in and my increase is slow but maybe visible.