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Rabbits, rabbits, and more rabbits

onepopperonepopper Member Posts: 1,825 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited July 2015 in General Discussion
I have lived on this heavenly piece of land in Western Arkansas for the last 45 years. Never saw any rabbits. But I have seen, bobcats,
coyote, wolves, panthers, fox, that prey on rabbits. When I did see rabbits up in the National Forest (my Northern line is the Forest South line) they were in bad shape, sickly and full of ticks, so never hunted them. Neighbors the same thing. Now for the last three months I have seen rabbits near the house. They don't seem to be afraid of me, so I can get within 3 or 4 feet of them before they bolt. Amazingly they are fat and seem to be fit and healthy. Can any of the GBers offer an explanation?
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Comments

  • dcon12dcon12 Member Posts: 32,034 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by onepopper

    Amazingly they are fat and seem to be fit and healthy. Can any of the GBers offer an explanation?


    They must be eating good and under a doctors care. Don
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  • MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 14,146 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Surprising number of rabbits in north MO also. More than I've seen for years. I counted 14 in the 1.5 miles between my house and the hwy.
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  • discusdaddiscusdad Member Posts: 11,427 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    somebody has been eliminating the predators, so the ones that are left have a larger hunting area with less competition.
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  • Dondo7Dondo7 Member Posts: 98
    edited November -1
    At least around here (Missouri), I think the fox were late with their breeding but now they are finally out with their kits. I had a ton of Rabbits but then my momma Fox and kids finally showed up and the Rabbit population has nose dived.
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  • Big Sky RedneckBig Sky Redneck Member Posts: 19,752 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    We have cottonbunnies here at the house but they never number more than 5 or 6. They are healthy and they are left alone, like yours they are almost tame. We should have more but sneaky coyotes and hawks give them hell [:(!]
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  • hotshoothotshoot Member Posts: 4,227
    edited November -1
    Lots of rain, lots of food, lots of rabbits, has about 8 - 10 year cycle
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  • fishkiller41fishkiller41 Member Posts: 50,608
    edited November -1
    That means more Ferrel cats,foxes,*,opossums, u name it.If it eats rabbits,their will be a huge upswing in their population too..[V]
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  • chiefrchiefr Member Posts: 14,111 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    From Bio 401. you learn of "The law of exponential growth" which says the number of organisms will increase exponentially dependent upon food supply, climate, and depredation.

    Organism being anything from microbes to the largest of mammal.
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  • cranky2cranky2 Member Posts: 3,236 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Lots of rain this spring has give us a large supply of bunnies. I see 4 different sizes all the time. Usually only 1 or 2 litters a year.
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  • He DogHe Dog Member Posts: 51,593 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Invite Doc over. he says he is pretty scary looking, he can probably scare them right off the property.[:)]
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  • wundudneewundudnee Member Posts: 6,108 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a lot more rabbits this year, and hear a lot less coyotes. There is a lady about two miles from here had a litter of kittens that got sick and died. The vet sent one to Kansas State for an autopsy. The results were tularemia/rabbit fever. Bad stuff, they quarantined her place for a couple of weeks.

    We know a lady that got it several years ago. She'll never get out of a care facility.
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