What has happened to the rabbits"

Vannoyboy

Eight Pointer
I have never seen as many rabbits in my life as I did last summer. I have looked on 3 farms where I know rabbits were plentiful but not even seen a track in the snow. I have set rabbit gums and caught nothing but possums. What has happened to all those rabbits. I am wanting me a mess and thought it would be easy. Not so much
 

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
I remember reading about this Virus killing rabbits last year, but don't believe it's in NC. Hope it stays away and think it's just cyclical.
 

Blackwater

Twelve Pointer
I have never seen as many rabbits in my life as I did last summer. I have looked on 3 farms where I know rabbits were plentiful but not even seen a track in the snow.

Same here. I had eight at the same time in my sideyard this summer in broad daylight and now there's not enough rabbit pills out there to make a cup of tea. The hawks are pretty active on this ridge and I get coyotes through the yard at night on occasion so they must have pared them down some.
 

Vannoyboy

Eight Pointer
We got around 25 acres of nothing but broomstraw, briars and brush piles , holes all over the place,. no rabbits. In the summer you can run out a dozen or more mowing, now not even a track.
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
Always liked February they start back to breeding. Find one usually more close. We always looked for some sign before we hunted a cutover. If you check the paths and walk out in the cutover aways. If dont see where the rabbits have chewed on the hardwood sapplings around the bottom probably not alot of them there.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
we got a spot in Avery co where in mid jan - feb we 90 percent of the time kill 10...................we just always stop at 10 to leave some. usually we are pulling dogs of a track when we leave.................

Back when I was younger, one of my favorite hunts was running them in a Christmas tree farm in Ashe county. They were plentiful for sure.
 

Vannoyboy

Eight Pointer
I guess I am a little finicky but I am not really crazy about eating the red-sided mountain rabbits. We have both here and the regular cottontail suits my taste a lot better. I ain't wanting to wipe the population out but I would like a couple to fix. I rabbit hunted regularly when I was younger but places to hunt and having to delay the season until after deer season sorta knocked me out of that game. Ain't got any dogs, can't hold out long stomping brush but my appetite is still there.
 

pinkfletch

Ten Pointer
From all the Red tails cruising my neighborhood and the night time pics I get of yotes in my back yard, I'm not surprised there aren't many around my place.
 
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