Rabbit cover and food for running pen

[T.Mayo]

I have 20ac of open field that i want to turn into a rabbit sanctuary. What would you guys do? I want everything a rabbit needs for all seasons. I kinda have some ideas on what to plant but how much of it and how to lay it out. Give me your thoughts please!

[Buckeye Blues]

Don't know where you are from, but if you go to your state's DNR web site they will usually tell you the popular foods of each game species. Most of your food plot mixes for deer will work for rabbits. They eat basically the same thing. Clovers, sorgum, corn, various grasses. Have soil samples done and seek the DNR's guidance in what you plant. They may suggest adding lime. Lime never hurt a rabbit enclosure. There is lime out there that will burn a dogs pads, but there is also stuff that wont.

Rabbit food plots should be planted right next to good cover so they can escape predators.

Build small brush piles that allow rabbits to get up under them. Compact brush piles are worthless. Large brush piles will ruin your running because you wont be able to get the rabbits out of them. One way to make a nice brush pile is to take a pallet and nail stakes at each of the 4 corners. Pound the stakes into the ground so the pallet is still 10"- 15" off the ground and then cover with brush. The rabbits can seek refuge from air born predators yet your dogs can still make it through the pile.

If you encounter harsh winters you may want to feed them rabbit pellets. We put 6-8 feeders out in each of our 15 acre enclosures.

Put out salt and sulpher blocks/ pellets. This will aid in keeping your rabbit population healthy.

Dont make your paths like a checker board pattern. Meaning paths that go all the way from the North fence to the South fence, and from the West to the East. These make great landing strips for hawks. Make paths more eratic and shorter. Have them dead end into cover. This also helps keep your dogs from becoming path hunters.

Hope this helps

[bill huttozac]

Buckeye - That was good advice.
May I add that Agricultural Lime will not burn a dogs food but help to balance the ph factor of the soil.
Your trails should be narrow, say about 30 inches wide. Beyond planting feed plots, keep the bushhog out of your running area. For wild rabbits, do not be concerned about a water supply. Do your best to control predators. Natural folage is likely the best cover and food source. Clovers, peas and Vetch are good sources of protein. Sweet potatoes (buy cuts and culls if you can find them) and whole grain corn are good supplements as they do not absorb moisture like rabbit pellets. If you put out Water Stations, add Sulmet ( available at Tractor Supply) at the rate of 1 table spoon per gal of water to prevent and treat cocidda in the young bunnys. Feral house cats will be high on the list of predators to dispose of.
Good luck and happy running

[dhoundman]

if you put in some small mounds of dirt that the dog can not see over when site chasing a rabbit that will help stop the wite chases so much. put in some sand for the rabbit to role around on that will help get the flees and ticks off them. you can all so spray the brush with flee and tick killer to help keep them under controle. guys up here put in those red eye light to keep night preditures from eating the rabbits. i plant wheat in my pen and i got a pumper gropp of little rabbits they do realy well in the spring wheat. in the realy bad winter months i feed alpha hay and keep it close to the pipes so they can get right back in the pipe for cover.

[T.Mayo]

I would like to make it where there is plenty of food and cover but not so thick i can't get around to observe the hounds running. I was thinking of mainly sericea and vetch or something similar cover,food combo. Any other suggestions?

[Lone Pine Beagles]

Rabbits like "edge cover".
So I try to keep alot of variety going.
20 acres thick brush with narrow trails, 3 separate locations of brush.
Full of tree tops, pallets, blackberry vines, swamp willow, etc.
I cut pockets of cover every winter to keep new growth coming.
10 acres of Hay. With pockets of pines scattered about.
Each pocket might hold 50-250 spruce trees.
Small 1/3 acre food plots with Sorghum, Rye, and Sweet Clover planted.
The rabbit population is great until we get hammered with snow.
When my pines get bigger i'll have more winter cover.

Electric fence on the top keeps Cats and Porkies out!

LPB