 HUNTING
WILD RABBIT FOOD
Go to the Grass
EDITOR’S NOTE: Large-scale farming has affected
rabbits in the South. Clearing vast tracts of woods
and swamps to plant agricultural crops has meant losing
much of the rabbits’ habitat. Even though the
hedge rows between these large fields have produced
outstanding rabbit hunting that season, in the past
few years, we’ve watched rabbit populations decline.
Rabbits, like all other wild species, must have a combination
of ample food and proper cover to survive. If an area
loses either one, bunnies just can’t flourish.
Throughout much of our region, farming practices have
changed. The small-plot family farm either has been
abandoned or replaced with big-field farms, which are
 not
conductive to rabbit hunting. So where can hunters go
to find plenty of bunnies? The answer’s quite
simple – anywhere you find an abundant food source
and cover to protect the rabbits. Let’s see if
we can define some rabbit-food hot spots and learn how
to hunt them.
Some hayfields and pastures make ideal feeding areas
for rabbits. However, you have to know what type of
hay has been planted to determine whether or not the
edges of these fields will make productive places to
find bunnies. A hayfield or a pasture planted in fescue
means you may have a rabbit black hole instead of a
rabbit honey hole. According to wildlife biologist,
Keith Guyse of Montgomery, Alabama, “Fescue contains
a fungus that attacks the digestive system of rabbits
and gives them diarrhea.  Although
eating this particular food doesn’t result in
major rabbit die-offs, it can severely reduce the number
of rabbits on the edges of fescue fields. Fescue also
has a similar effect on cattle. Scientists have experimented
with different strains of fescue to try and breed a
fungus-free strain of fescue.”
Find green winter pastures and hayfields not cut until
the late fall if you want to locate bunnies. During
the daylight hours, the rabbits most often will hole
up on the edges of these fields or within 200 to 250
yards of these fields and move into the fields at night
to feed. You may enjoy some of your best rabbit hunting
early in the morning and late in the evening when rabbits
move. If you have beagles, hunt the edges of these fields.
Early in the morning, the rabbits’ scent will
be fresh just after they’ve left the fields before
daylight and late in the afternoons as they come to
the fields. If you  have
a good pack of beagles, often you’ll have two
or three bunny runs going on at the same time as the
rabbits congregate to feed on the greenery. Since much
of the South hasn’t experienced very-cold weather
in recent years during the fall or the early winter,
just like 2005 and 2006, often these greenfields offer
highly-productive rabbit hunting throughout those times.
TOMORROW: ENTER CANE THICKETS
AND PALMETTO SWAMPS
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