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We all should organize, form groups that live close by. and start to buy pieces of land , do that in every state and every year we can swap hunts.
Place to hunt
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I’ve also seen a couple of examples of states actually doing some quail habitat improvement by cutting swaths of trees creating brush piles. I think what helps the quail helps the rabbits.
This was some public ground in Missouri.
If farmers would just leave small swaths on sides of the ditches instead of planting right to the edges that would help.
We need to lobby state biologists to create better habitat for rabbits. It occurs, but very little.
I have a state biologist come to my property about every two to three years to improve various sections of the land.
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Good idea in theory until you start to look closer. Land prices are the highest ever, especially tillable land which makes the easiest and best hunting. Not many people can afford to purchase a large chunk of land these days. How many rich beaglers do you know?
Also, maintaining a good rabbit population takes a lot of work all year long. In winter, you are cutting trees/saplings, spraying stumps to stop regrowth, and building brush piles. In spring and summer you are planting food and cover crops and mowing paths and feedstrips. In fall, there is rotational bush hogging to control growth. In other words, always work to be done. Not many would do all that and let others come hunt their rabbits. Maybe if you had a quail plantation of several thousand acres you might consider it.
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I looked into this several years go when land prices were not so expensive. The property was about 30 acres with a small brick home that could have easily been converted into a club house and a large size barn that could have been made into kennels. One side of it was a river and one side was a paved road. I worked up a plan to split the buying price per acre and the buyer could buy it in shares depending on what they paid. They would have to sell their shares back to a club member in order to keep ownership within the club. At that time our club had around 25 dues paying members so it didn't end up costing a lot per acre when bought. I presented the plan to our club members at one of our monthly meetings. It went over like a lead balloon. That land is now a nursery farm.
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If you’re referring to actual hunt land that’d not work imo. Some guys are the type run good spots into the ground hunting every day until it stops producing.
They never leave stock for seed. Beyond that what huntsman said.
Regarding price, there are deals to be had in certain areas. I can give a for instance. One gun club I was a long time member of purchased some ground in the Black Dirt region that abuts my place. The dirt is super rich and black. Highly organic. When there is a fire the dirt actually burns and the nutrients go away. The farmers sell it off cheap after that. This area now was surrounded by farms. There were only farm dirt one lane roads. Deep Ditches on both sides and a mile in before you even turned. Also had some real wet spots going in. Every year the roads cracked and washed out.Not a place someone was putting a house on. They got this real cheap. It was a great spot but the club decided my rabbit hunting a month after they stocked Chinese chickens was scaring the non existent, by that time, Chinese chickens away. They cut all the briars down to the dirt and plowed it just to avoid my dogs scaring anything and made it old man easy to walk through grass. The rabbit population left. So did I.
That kinda thing though, gotta key in on areas w less value. They aren’t everywhere.
They never leave stock for seed. Beyond that what huntsman said.
Regarding price, there are deals to be had in certain areas. I can give a for instance. One gun club I was a long time member of purchased some ground in the Black Dirt region that abuts my place. The dirt is super rich and black. Highly organic. When there is a fire the dirt actually burns and the nutrients go away. The farmers sell it off cheap after that. This area now was surrounded by farms. There were only farm dirt one lane roads. Deep Ditches on both sides and a mile in before you even turned. Also had some real wet spots going in. Every year the roads cracked and washed out.Not a place someone was putting a house on. They got this real cheap. It was a great spot but the club decided my rabbit hunting a month after they stocked Chinese chickens was scaring the non existent, by that time, Chinese chickens away. They cut all the briars down to the dirt and plowed it just to avoid my dogs scaring anything and made it old man easy to walk through grass. The rabbit population left. So did I.
That kinda thing though, gotta key in on areas w less value. They aren’t everywhere.
The unfortunate truth is.... It's easier to provide top notch running areas, than it is to provide hunting areas. My property is fantastic for training dogs and keeping them conditioned but when my neighbors swing through each year during a rabbit tournament, they put a real hurting on the population. One morning of jump shooting. Suddenly 20 bunnies are gone. Mind you, it's perfectly fine, and they're welcome to it. I have wonderful neighbors, who put up with barking beagles that don't understand property lines. If multiple houndsmen are popping away at rabbits for a couple months. I wonder how long the population could last.
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Not many beaglers would alow their neighbors to do that. Too much work to keep rabbits in most areas because of all the predators we have today.
My own neighbors can hunt deer and turkey on my farm, but they know we protect the rabbits. In exchange, I occasionally run rabbits on their farms, just in summertime so I don’t interfere with their deer and turkey hunts.
My own neighbors can hunt deer and turkey on my farm, but they know we protect the rabbits. In exchange, I occasionally run rabbits on their farms, just in summertime so I don’t interfere with their deer and turkey hunts.
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I was fortunate enough to buy some land after I retired . I built a house on it last year , so I can walk out the door to hunt or run . I found since I live here now I don’t hunt here , I just run dogs . I don’t have a lot of rabbit, but I have a few . I am working on planting food plots and making brush piles and getting rid of predators .
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It does seem every other group (DU, Wild Turkey Federation, Quail Unlimited, etc.....) is organized and pushes for habitat improvement or programs. I dint know much about their activity beyond that. I dint believe we have anything to promote rabbit hunting, habitat improvement, etc.. on a large scale do we?
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I guess I am fortunate, I have a 70 acres that I managed for deer and rabbits, it’s a lot of work yes , but like they said ( if you love what you doing You never work a day in your life ) I love what I do I enjoy the woods , and it’s not just about harvesting an animal, just be out there it’s awesome, I don’t shoot to many animals I want to preserve them for the next generation. My kids come hunting and when they shoot something I Am more excited then they are. Keep the land is costly yes , but I cannot take the money with me when I die , so enjoy now life is to short and precious to waste . Happy hunting to everyone
Kyridgerunner is right... there's a lot of very organized groups and organizations but we don't have one... So we don't have much of a voice. Speaking for us Michiganders, our DNR and Forestry Department has failed us in the past decade. Our Hare habitat and winter deer yards have all "but" been destroyed. If it wasn't for private ownership it would be gone. It basically boils down to careless cutting and very little oversight. It's truly sad and frustrating
Huntsman, I'm truly fortunate to have wonderful neighbors. I'm sure you would do the same. MY hounds run rabbits through horse barns, under sheds, decks, and under 80k RVs. I'm not going to lie... I pace around like an expecting father. Even if I'm not home my kids count the number of shotgun blasts. I tell them, I don't want to hear about it, I hope they're having fun!
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