Lost Cottontails of February

by Dan Buckley

Late season rabbit hunting this year yeilded no rabbits for this crew, but plenty of outdoor exercise. With six grown men stomping through acres and acres of brush piles and brumbles covered with snow, one would think that more than a few rabbits would kick out here and there.

The same woods would have produced more than enough rabbits in January. So where did they all go? Are there just no rabbits left in the woods? I have a hard time believing that. Why even now, taking a break from writing this article to let the dog out, we scared up a cottontail in my subdivision.

I actually saw more mice while out hunting than rabbit. The only potential hasenpfeffer quickly ran away from us while we were caught up in the thick thorns. One shot went off but down the hole he went. With a top speed of 18mph, its a bit tough of a shot. There were also plenty of tracks and other evidence of their presence too. Pictured below you can clearly see the bark eaten away by hungry cottontails when other green vegetation is scarce. For two to three hours we hiked up and down through state land and eventually just went home. It was good to breath the fresh cold air, but I would have liked to smell some powder go off.

Some say the coyote is to blame for low rabbit numbers this year. Of course February is late to be going out anyway, but could coyotes be decimating our lower penninsula small game? One University of Michigan website says that rabbit is a main dish for our coyotes. In fact it says that 90% of the coyote's diet consists of meat. The DNR doesn't track coyote numbers either, so its tough to judge their impact. However the DNR and I both know that the presence of the sly canine is here to stay in Michigan. The dog has spread from South America to the northern parts of Canada. Just like deer they live alongside humans just fine.

Our University of Michigan website also speaks about cottontails. With the males ready to breed in mid-February and the females ready in late February, one would think this would be a good time to hunt. I still think it is. With some good dogs, we probably would have had a chase on very quickly. Of course as the saying goes, "that's why they call it hunting and not shooting." However next year, I'll be out after the first good cold spell in December with my 20 gauge ready instead.