The eastern cottontail rabbit, Kentucky’s most abundant and widely-distributed rabbit, is found in all 120 Kentucky counties.

Posted November 3, 2008

By Art Lander Jr.

OutdoorsKentucky.Com

                                                              Small Game Populations in Long Term Decline

    While rabbit and quail populations in Kentucky have experienced decades of decline, the short term outlook is favorable for hunters this season.

    "We had a great spring for both bobwhites and rabbits," said Ben Robinson, small game biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "Rainfall and temperatures were ideal for nesting and the survival of young, and growth of the plants they rely on (for food and cover)."

    The trend data on quail and rabbit populations comes from the mail carrier survey, conducted during the last week in July each summer since 1960. "This is a visual survey. It’s the number of rabbits and quail that rural mail carriers see along roads or crossing roads," said Robinson.

    Hunters can expect to see more rabbits in Central and Eastern Kentucky, with the largest increases in the inner Bluegrass, and Eastern Coalfields region (up 77 percent), according to the survey.

    Rabbit and quail seasons opened last Saturday in 92 Central and Eastern Kentucky counties.

    The season dates are Nov. 1-7, and Nov. 10 through January 31, 2009. The daily bag limit is four rabbits and eight quail.

    In 28 far western Kentucky counties, rabbit and quail seasons open Nov. 10, and continue through Feb. 10, 2009.

    There are three species of rabbits in Kentucky -- the swamp rabbit, eastern cottontail, and Appalachian cottontail.

    The swamp rabbit, the largest of the three species, is found in western Kentucky, associated with river bottom wetlands, and islands in the lower Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

    “Swamp rabbit numbers continue decline, because of the loss of habitat,” said Robinson. “There are isolated pockets, but by no means is this rabbit abundant.”

    River bottom hardwoods, that periodically flood, and canebrakes, are preferred habitat. “Swamp rabbits have been found as far east as the lower Green River, but they are more common in the Purchase Region,” said Robinson.

    The eastern cottontail, found in all 120 counties, historically has its highest populations in the Knobs/Outer Bluegrass region and the Eastern Coalfields. This is because rabbit numbers are tied to early stages of plant succession, which includes areas where timber is harvested, or where soil has been disturbed.

    The Appalachian cottontail, which lives in the same habitat as ruffed grouse, is strictly a woodland species, never seen around abandoned farms, or open land, grown up in weeds and brush.

    Very similar in coloration to the eastern cottontail, the Appalachian cottontail can only be differentiated by details on their skulls. The Appalachian cottontail is present in all counties of the Cumberland Plateau, as far west as Lincoln and Boyle counties. Its numbers have declined in part because eastern Kentucky’s forests are growing into maturity, with less in shrubs, brush and saplings.

    While rabbit populations have been fairly stable in recent years, bobwhite quail populations continue to experience a severe long-term decline - almost 80 percent since the late 1960s.

    The sharp decline is tied to loss of habitat, with the culprits being fescue-dominated pastures and hay fields, and modern agricultural practices that include: the widespread use of herbicides and pesticides, larger field sizes, and the annual cultivation of fields, instead of leaving them fallow on alternating years.

    Other factors that have caused the loss of quail habitat are mowing for appearance, mature woodland replacing shrubs and brush, and the urbanization of rural areas.

    Research has shown that quick fixes - stocking pen-raised quail, and planting food plots - don't work.

    Management practices today are focused on the enhancement of sizeable tracts of land, 10,000 acres or larger, through prescribed burning, and the maintenance of vegetation in various stages, because biologists know that the creation of quality habitat will show that quail populations can make a comeback.