Rabbit population.

[okrattler]

Have y'all noticed a big decrease in the rabbit population where you're at? I have a Cottontail that stays under my shed but other than that I ain't seen very many rabbits. Cottontails or Jackrabbits either one. A few here and there but nothing like there used to be.

I don't know if it's from disease or predators or both but something sure wiped a bunch out.

[bugleboy]

I see plenty around Young county in north Texas.

[canny]

Have y'all noticed a big decrease in the rabbit population where you're at? I have a Cottontail that stays under my shed but other than that I ain't seen very many rabbits. Cottontails or Jackrabbits either one. A few here and there but nothing like there used to be.

I don't know if it's from disease or predators or both but something sure wiped a bunch out.

Small mammal populations are historically cyclical with the local predator population. Predators go up, small mammals go down. Eventually predator numbers go down allowing the small mammal population to rise back up.


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[Walker]

When I was young I always heard cottontails are on a 7 year cycle. Maybe an old wives tale???

[Fmjag64]

See lots/normal #'s in NTX

[okrattler]

Just seems strange because a few years ago my buddy called me one night and told me where he was and he said he saw probably close to 80 jackrabbits on one stretch of road. Now you'd be lucky to drive down that road and see 2.

[okrattler]

When I was young I always heard cottontails are on a 7 year cycle. Maybe an old wives tale???

That could be. It could be a wives tale too but I think a lot of times there's something to those sayings we heard as kids too.

[Rush2Judge]

Definitely a large drop off in my area of Plano over the last few years. But we also have a pack of coyotes that hang out in our backyard a night or two every few weeks.

[Mike Fangman]

I have noticed, had a ton at my feeder, the last few years, this season, there were very few.

[Goldeneagle]

Definitely a large drop off in my area of Plano over the last few years. But we also have a pack of coyotes that hang out in our backyard a night or two every few weeks.

I think they're all in Allen. When I left the house this morning, I saw probably 20 of them just going down the alley.

[okrattler]

Small mammal populations are historically cyclical with the local predator population. Predators go up, small mammals go down. Eventually predator numbers go down allowing the small mammal population to rise back up.


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That's how I've always judged it. High coyote population means we'll have fewer rabbits. But then again it doesn't ever seem like we don't have a lot of coyotes.

[El General]

Drought doesn't help.

[denimdeerslayer]

I've seen more this last two years than in 20 plus years. Not like back in the 80's but improving. And they survived on corn this year in the drought that I was putting out.

[ElPescador24]

I've noticed fewer cottontails on our lease in Laredo over the last several years. In the past you could count double digits down a sendero, now I'm only seeing 1-3.

Jackrabbits have almost disappeared since I was a kid. Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I think we had a lot more of them when I was growing up.

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[DUKFVR]

I see plenty around Young county in north Texas.

I have had my place in Young county for 2 years and very seldom see a rabbit.