You don t need to be killing them rabbits.

[JCM]

everyone needs to think why they got beagles in the first place. personally i got beagles so i could have some good gunhunting.

I think this is a great point. My dad taught me to hunt taking our beagles rabbit hunting. When I evaluate a dog, I think about what kind of rabbit hound it is first. When I make a cross to raise pups, I think about how those pups will be when I head into a rough clearcut and need dogs that will get in there, jump a rabbit, and pound it until I can get my sorry old slow butt into a spot for a shot.

Although I don't kill near as many rabbits as i used to, I think hunting is an important part of having and training beagles. I would never keep a dog that I wouldn't or couldn't hunt.

[THALL]

If you guy don't think humans affect the rabbit population just come visit me in northeast Arkansas. I can show you ditches and fence-row that were full of rabbits 15 years ago, and you might jump one rabbit. It wasn't shot-guns that killed them, it was farmers. Farmers have all these neat toys like backhoes and trachoes, they clean off all the ditches and tree-lines. Farmers have destroyed our rabbit habitat, just to get in one more row of their crop. They gripe about not having any water in the summer to pump out of the ditches, but they clean the ditches and kill the beavers that hold water. I could rant on and on, but they have made it where i fell guilty when i kill a rabbit. We have rabbits where there is habitat, but that's not very many places. We kill them, but wait 'till late winter because i know we can affect our rabbit population. I also know the numbers will rebound in the spring and summer. I don't need to be told by some scientist who hasn't hunted my part of the country for 20 years.

I say we all plan trips to Missouri. They have plenty of rabbits and don't think we can hurt the population.

[billi]

I would have to say the bush hog cleaning out the SINK HOLES in this part of the country played a bit part in the habitat problem in south indiana. The overall population , houses , industrial parks ,malls cant stop growth we have to drive much farther. I just am not motivated to kill near as many the older i get.

[blackdirt beagles]

i wont argue about farming and "bush hogging" affecting rabbit populations as i know it does affect the habitat greatly... which is a completely different topic. predators and modern farming tecniques do way more damage than any amount of gun hunting could do. all my comments were directed towards gun hunting and how that does or does not hurt the population. and here in IL they do a couny by county analysis every 3 years. i guess i will consider myself lucky to live here where we can limit out and be guilt free about it. but this thread is just getting old and offtrack and pretty much has run its course. i just hope newer hunters reading all this have enough sense to see thru some of the jealousy and misinformation and dont come away feeling guilty about gun hunting... because gun hunting is what its all about.

[Moore Beagles]

Thall you are exactly right habitat destruction is one of the major problems to the reduction of rabbits and quail. Also the predator factor is huge,because there are very few people that engage in trapping.The booming turkey population also contributes, because it seems eveything picks on the baby rabbits and quail, turkeys will scratch over a nest and disturb or kill the babies in the nest.
Missouris rabbit populations are a direct result of habitat improvements and the abundance of public land. Missouri has a 1/8 of a percent sales tax for conservation, and the state continues to purchase land and then allow areas to growover, burnoff fescue, and plant wildlife food plots. Missouri publishes thier conservation map (Outdoor Missouri) with all of thier WMA's, they cannot update the map fast enough, they really have alot of places to hunt! I have went and hunted WMA's all over the state for turkey, just picked a spot of the map, and was rarely disapointed.
I have also witnessed areas in Northern Kentucky where the Fish and game dept were consulted about habitat improvement, then burned off Fescue, and added native grasses, and the rabbit population boomed back like it was in the 60's. While other areas nearby you are still lucky to kick up 1 rabbit.
It has to be seen to believe.

[big mike 50]

Hey Moore you think they have a school that the Michigan DNR could attend.

They need it!!!

[bluemouse]

I have the perfect place for those that shoot and those that say don,t shoot, where I hunt there are a ton of rabbits, the cover is so thick with briars its hard to kill the rabbit, we run some rabbits for over a hour before we can see it, some longer, even with four hunters surrounding the rabbit its still hard to get in the right place. Then there is all the water that the rabbits use to elude the hounds. If you hunt here and you anit bleeding your are a road hunter. I say to each is own, good post on hunters effects on rabbit populations which are true and to the point. all places are created different so some will have tons of rabbits some not so many, use commons sense no matter where you hunt. And like hank jr sang, mine your own business and you will be busy all the time.

[Steve Mikkelson]

.

[Bunnyblaster]

I do worship them but it's in the form of a prayer before we eat em for supper!!

[rabbitsmoker]

IN THE POST I MADE I DONT CARE HOW MANY RABBITS IS SHOT I SHOOT A FEW MYSELF BUT IVE SEEN POST ON HERE THAT SAID I WENT COME HOME GRAB MY DOGS HUNTED FOR X AMOUNT OF TIME AND KILLED X MANY RABBITS I LOOKED AT AND THOUGHT THATS ALOT RABBITS FOR SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME I BELIEVE IT WAS A RABBIT EVERY 4-6 MIN. THATS SOME SUPER FAST DOGS KILL ALL YOU WANT EAT ALL YOU SHOOT

[blackdirt beagles]

I do worship them but it's in the form of a prayer before we eat em for supper!!

amen! and pass the salt

[bigjohn]

Missouri's WAs don't all have the same managers.Here where I live,corn is king and I've noticed the areas that use to be grown up fields is now crops.They don't leave as much crops in the fields as they use to either.One area that I hunt is managed as a waterfowl area.It has about 200 to 300 acres that is suitable rabbit habitat out of the total 5000.I was pretty much told they weren't that interested in doing much for the rabbits.Another area south of me they have done some feather edging of the timber ,but until they get rid of the fescue it aint going to happen.This area is about 1000 acres but it's mainly for turkey and deer.I think the 1/8 of a cent sales tax was great,but then they started to abuse it.We have a couple of different org. that are trying to get them back on track,it has yet to be determined if this is possible.

[T Hynes]

I used to jump brush piles before I had beagles, and now even with beagles I will shoot them on the jump unless I'm trying to start a young dog and if you don't like it too bad!

[ricky murphy]

I wish i had a plate full of them hind qtrs that had been boiled in pepper water first---then slow smoked with some red oak and hickory chunks!!!Just thinking about them kinda fixens make a man fell young again!

[desertrunner]

I thought this was rabbithuntingonline, never imagined that there where people on here against shooting rabbits, some one should start a forum called Rabbitrunningonline. or bunnyhuggingonline. ha ha