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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Vesty on December 28, 2012, 01:09:00 PM
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I have access to 30 acres of overgrown farmland that looks so perfect for bunnies it is screaming "wabbits". I haven't hunted it yet but I'm wondering how effective brush piles are for drawing them.I have permission to build as many as I like. Worth the effort?
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My thoughts. . if they have a way to avoid being eaten by foxes and coyotes and everything else, they will survive and you will have some to hunt.
I make brush piles all over my place.
ChuckC
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Originally posted by ChuckC:
My thoughts. . if they have a way to avoid being eaten by foxes and coyotes and everything else, they will survive and you will have some to hunt.
I make brush piles all over my place.
ChuckC
Yes build them!! We would be happy to come help you test them :bigsmyl:
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Absolutly! when I was a kid I knew where every brush pile was in the woods i'd hunt and would go from one to the next kicking the pile. Killed a lot of rabbits that way... I should really get out and do that again, ton of fun!
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Rabbits love cover!
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Pallets are great to use. Put them out and cover them in sticks etc and let it grow over. I put mine over a log/big stuck with a fulcrum so we just jump up and down on the "handle" and it shakes them right out!!!
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Originally posted by Brianlocal3:
Pallets are great to use. Put them out and cover them in sticks etc and let it grow over. I put mine over a log/big stuck with a fulcrum so we just jump up and down on the "handle" and it shakes them right out!!!
That is exactly what i was going to say.
X2
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Yes, I built many brush piles on my land. I live on 5 acres. When I first moved there the place was void of wildlife. After trimming the trees that were in the yard and making brush piles, there are lots of rabbits. One important thing is when your trying to kick out a rabbit is to not destroy the brush pile. The brush pile needs to have a secure atmosphere. One idea is after christmas is to run an add in the paper offering to take discarded christmas trees. about 5 or 6 christmas trees makes a decent rabbit house.
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Originally posted by kill shot:
Yes, I built many brush piles on my land. I live on 5 acres. When I first moved there the place was void of wildlife. After trimming the trees that were in the yard and making brush piles, there are lots of rabbits. One important thing is when your trying to kick out a rabbit is to not destroy the brush pile. The brush pile needs to have a secure atmosphere. One idea is after christmas is to run an add in the paper offering to take discarded christmas trees. about 5 or 6 christmas trees makes a decent rabbit house.
Another great idea, as Bob the Builder says," reduce, reuse, recycle"
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You may go by Wally World and ask them what they do with the trees they have left over after Christmas.
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Yep. And rabbits aren't the only critters that like them. Grouse will nest on their edges as well. The pallet in the center is a good idea. I usually try to lay some larger logs or limbs -- 4-6 inches in diameter -- on the bottom then pile with brush.
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We have done the pallet thing but I will say now after many years they are broken down and I'm afraid of the nails for me and my dog. Yard waste, tree trimmings, Christmas trees... it all goes out to the rabbit piles and gives them great cover.
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I hunt ranches. The old vehicles and piles of pipe from irrigation make great habitat. Pallets are a great idea. Why not build circular habitats so they can be used as a ground blind? I do not jump on the piles, but rather use binos and stalk them like deer. On cold days they sit on sunny sides. Yesterday i followed coyotes as they hu ted "my" rabbit habitats. The snow helped me take inventory of what was on the lower end of the ranch
I will build habitats usi g bebris from cleari g beaver dams out of irrigTion ditches. Thanks for the idea
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Pallets work great, and also cutting 4 or 5 4 inch logs, criss crossing them as a base, and piling brush on top works great also. Security from fox and coyotes is important, and a place to dodge owls.
I see several of you guys are from Michigan. Daisy and I are always looking for a new spot, give us a call!
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h227/rnorris/DSCF5003_zps0262831e.jpg
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A little different thought. The best rabbit hunting I've ever seen in my life was on a christmas tree farm. It seemed like every tree had a rabbit underneath, makes sense they used them for cover and food. With that in mind I'd call around to the extension office and see about free seedlings. Might take a while but pines grow pretty quick.
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Be sure to throw some salt in those brush piles. The does need it for gestation. I buy cattle salt blocks and bust them up with hammer. Push some chunks down in the piles. Cheaper than buying regular rabbit salt. If you have what might be called "trash " trees at about 6" dia, cut them half to 3/4 thru at about 18" high and push them over. Pile brush up on that. Remember, rabbits are mostly edge creatures, so make you piles around the edges of fields. Feral and farm cats used to be the bane of our rabbits but now it's damn coyotes. They are on my hit list anytime , anywhere. I have a friend who actually live traps groundhogs (they are kinda scarce around here too, damn coyotes !) from barns and out buildings for folks and transplants them to a back corner of his property. Their dens are wonderful rabbit cover too. I hope before I pass from this earth I can once again hunt one of my favorite small game animals.
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Great advice with the larger logs and brush them in. It gives the rabbits a nice escape area. Christmas trees are put on the curbs in town and work great as the logs and brush.
I trap at the house and take out to a 20 with many rabbit piles.
There are now highways from rabbits after it snows.
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You can also clear some trails and use the brush for building piles. This will give the added edge habitat that rabbits as well as quail and other critters like.
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Fence rows and edges are important to rabbits as well. They provide natural cover areas. I would mow a winding path through the area and use that to access your property. You will frequently see rabbits out feeding on browse that grows back up in your mowed lanes.
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Oh, and if you REALLY want to attract rabbits, plant green beans along those paths.
(It sure works for my vegetable garden...) :rolleyes:
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Paul, that's what i was gonna say. The best way to attract rabbits around here is to plant a fabulous garden- the bunnies will shoe up in droves.
Tom
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Rather than pallets, I lay small logs (6-10") diameter parallel on the ground about a foot or two apart, then stack a layer of logs (any size) across the top of the bottom logs and then pile your brush.
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A food source is key if you want a lot of rabbits. Ladino clover food plots with brush piles nearby come to mind. As said before, rabbits are creatures of the edge but a few brush piles back in the the timber away from the edge are beneficial at helping rabbits escape predators. Hadn't thought about the salt thing but that makes perfect sense. Thanks for the tip.
If you harvest a few rabbits from your property every year, make an effort to control predators as well. Trap a few or call a few foxes, coyotes and bobcats. It's a good way to extend your outdoor experience and benefits the bunnies.
It's refreshing to read a thread geared toward small game management. I've been cleaning up some brush on my small farm and cutting a few cedars. Was planning on burning it but after reading this thread, I think I'll plan a couple late season work parties with my daughters to build some "rabitat"
Thanks, Trap
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"rabitat"..I like that. :thumbsup:
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Instant rabbit-tat. The "T" provides escape options from predators, the tin adds to the cover. Works best with cedar or conifer limbs on the base layer (better covering).
(http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv120/nontypical_photos/P1010671_zps615cd875.jpg)
(http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv120/nontypical_photos/P1010673_zpsc93207c2.jpg)
(http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv120/nontypical_photos/P1010675_zpsf9a25c8a.jpg)
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That "T" is a great idea.
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Cool thread. I don't understand the "T" idea though. Does it act as an alarm of sorts to the rabbit?
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Chris,
the "T" allows rabbits a place to escape pursuit, turn and go out another direction if needed. 4" pipe is too small for 'yotes and most foxes to get into.
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Damn brilliant idea ! Thanks
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Smart way to re-purpose pvc scrap pipe and old tin. :thumbsup:
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Neat idea.
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Yeah, great idea non-typical, thanx for sharing.
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Man you guys are creative. I'm glad I started this thread. I think I'll go with the logs parallel on ground and then adding brush on top. I have no shortage of either. Also, the cutting of trails and using that brush. It is thick cover and trails would help me get through it and likely the rabbits would graze there as well.
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I've built several somewhat as described in the posts. I have a forest mgmt plan and they are part of the requirements. Search online under the NRCS for specs and design plans that are downloadable.
JL :archer2:
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Around my area some guys like to use the black plastic corrugated pipes (like what's used for drainage, tiling, etc). I don't have any experience hunting rabbits, but just wanted to add that to your discussion as a possible idea.
I've greatly enjoyed this thread. Makes me wonder if I'd enjoy hunting and eating rabbits!
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Iron man, could you pm a link? I searched and found nothing about ''rabitat''. Thanks, Mike.
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I use two pallets sticking one on top of the other which keeps the rabbits off the ground. then I cover the pallets with brush and pine trees.
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I've been building "Brush Fences" for years mainly because they work so well as small game habitat. Just realize as the years go by they settle and rot, so they need to be revitalized periodically. The best thing I've found is discarded Christmas trees.
We sell them, so each year there's always some left over to place out. Other vendors will be in the same boat. The week before Christmas drop around to a few lots to see when they'll be closing up and offer to take away the unsold product. That's the best way to get a bunch in one place, but the post Christmas roadside pickup will work too.
I always start with some heavier pieces at the bottom and build up. I stretch mine out "fence style" as opposed to one clump. Also maybe find 2 clumps of alders/spruce/whatever and "join" them with a brush fence. Doesn't take too long to get to being very natural looking.
I never jump on my piles, just work the edges, kicking at them a bit.
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not much new info that hasnt already been shared but someone asked for the link
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/Wildlife_Brushpile_Jobsheet.pdf
Trap
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Headed to the farm yesterday with chainsaw, some discarded christmas trees from the neighborhood, and a small but energetic work crew to build a little rabitat.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/4507DE2A-AE1A-454A-B88C-FF209EE61626-223-0000005223D8FEC4.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/1F1EE842-D1F3-4E4A-835D-41C37BBEC877-223-00000051E0A95AC5.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/903F8B5B-5387-45BA-B941-468703AEA449-223-00000051F44C776F.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/8AFD9FDF-151E-4C25-BA59-CDC9B0E1C699-223-00000051CEA60746.jpg)
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/531F13AD-41B6-4877-9F25-EFE63899A291-223-000000523F253BC8.jpg)
We got 4 really good piles constructed and have material for about 9 more. Being immediately adjacent to an L-shaped Ladino clover plot and near a 15 acre CRP field we should see some results in a couple years. There's already a few rabbits around so we are just improving what they already have.
The girls had a great time and were proud of their conservation effort. Needless to say, I had a blast.
Trap
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Originally posted by Roger Norris:
I see several of you guys are from Michigan. Daisy and I are always looking for a new spot, give us a call!
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h227/rnorris/DSCF5003_zps0262831e.jpg
Awesome offer right there. I have had the priveledge of hunting with Daisy and Roger, along with my boys, and she deffinatly knows her job. Looking forward to doing it again Roger. See you in Kzoo, and I will have all the info for the hunt with me by then (hopefully the holiday doesn't mess up the map delivery).
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We hunted this morning at about 20 degrees and pogonip painting all the sage white. The rancher is a redeo rider and has bulldogging cattle, horses, team roping pens and shepard dogs. Somehow he has half corgies and shepards pups. They followed us for a while, then got down on the chase the bunnies.. The little cottontails have longer legs!!! Needless to say it was a lively hunt with nonbeagles "hunting" for us. We still got 5, but it was different.
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I would say brush piles would be a great idea! With all the predators they need all the help they can get...KY