The American Beagler Forum

Here's a couple of the reasons I think the rabbits just aren't as plentiful as they used to be... CHH

Amen to that Pat. We went today to an area that is usually teaming with rabbits and got a few races, but nothing like we have in the past.

One more factor you can add to the two here though. You can overhunt an area as well. That's a fact. When you have pressure from birds of prey, coyotes, foxes, cats, vehicles and then add overhunting to the equation. It sure makes for a tough time.

I agree with ya there James. I have drove right on by several of my "honey holes" this year only to find others already there.... CHH

No big hound hunters anymore... The suckers are taking over in Texas

The first picture is a """THING OF BEAUTY""",, keep up the good work

im surprised we have as high a population of rabbits as we do here. we also have coyotes everywhere and hawks. but i think heavy cover and junk piles must help out a lot. stray/wild cats are also a big concern here and we "take care of" any we see in the timber.

I wish I could say I had somethin' to do with that string of yotes bunny harvester, but a friend of mine and some of his buddies have given up just about all of their other hunting since catchin' the coyote bug.They have an impressive pack of fox and coon hounds they have trained to run them critters and they hunt all over n.w. PA,n.e.OH, and s.w.NY. I have seen as many as 25 yotes hangin' in that tree at once.I do believe the hawks and owls contribute to loss of rabbits too, even more so than the yotes in my oppinion.And those darn CATS !! I hate them ferral cats.They really take their toll on the young rabbits in the spring and summer.The ones around here seem to have came down with some kind of lead poisoning epidemic..lol..The eagles.... I don't know if they take very many rabbits or not.The ones I am seeing are always around water and I think their main diet consists of fish and the like.I just couldn't resist posting the pic of the one above as I got so close to it and thought it was a beautiful picture.Wish it would have turned out better... CHH

Just a few months ago, my wife called for me to come outside. There was a Bald Eagle flying low and she wanted me to see it. It was so neat to watch him, that we got in our truck and followed him until he started putting too much distance between us. Unfortunately we had to follow the roads. Must be nice to fly wherever you want. He was a pretty good ways from any big bodies of water.

The Bald Eagles seem to be on the rise as far as numbers go. The last 3 to 5 yrs. we have been seeing more and more of them in our area.They have a pretty large range that they will travel for food and can be found crusing river shores as well as lakes.After thinking about it for a minute or two I decided to go clickin' for some info as I sure ain't no bird authority but I do enjoy them. Anyhow, I found this link that was interesting so I thought I'd see if yuns wanted to give it a look... CHH

http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/eagle3.html

CHH, I sent you a PM.

How did you get them to jump that high to get there foot caught in the traps?

LOL..jeff, you should charge admission..LOL.. GR.. got your pm, sent ya one back............ CHH

Yotes and cats are the worst problems around here too. As far as the eagles go, I don't know them to be much more than a scavanger (although I'm sure they'll take what they can get). They are one of the main reasons why waterfowlers can't hunt with lead shot anymore. A wounded duck shot with lead would eventually die and eagles would clean up the remains, thus ingesting lead and killing themselves. Government put a stop to lead shot on waterfowl to help preserve the eagles.

That first picture made me smile so big I hurt myself. Nice work!
NYH