How to find wild rabbits

The last major study on the wild rabbit population of the UK was conducted in 1995 by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, who put the number of wild rabbits at 37.5 million. Since then rabbit numbers have increased in England and Wales while declined by as much as 80% in Scotland, believed to be from a combination of diseases.

Since they are very paranoid animals and mostly like to leave their burrows after dark there’s a good chance that you live much closer to them than you think. You only need to go to your nearest farmers field to have a good chance of seeing some, or at least finding out if there’s any near by.

Since they are so small and fast its much more reliable to look for the signs of their presence instead of the rabbits themselves, as you’ll never get an accurate idea of their numbers during the day. Here’s a few things to look out for when trying to determine if rabbits are in the area.

1) Droppings

This is the most obvious one and gives an impression of how close their burrows are to their pooping site. Unlike other animals, rabbits will not only go to the toilet in the same places they eat, but also sometimes eat their own waste to digest it for a second time to maximise the nutrients from it.

Rabbits don’t like to go far from where they live and can stay within 100 metres of their burrow for their entire life. The more used to seeing people and experiencing loud noises, such as being close to a road or on a public park, the braver the rabbit will be and the further it will venture from its home. Keep this in mind when you spot droppings as their burrows may be much further away in busy areas than it will be in remote countryside.

2) Pass-throughs

When it comes to feeding and exploring, rabbits are creatures of habit and like to use a path they know is safe. Over time this creates a noticeable opening in the grass or hedgerow it passes through and can not only indicate the presence of rabbits, but also provides an opportunity to use a snare trap, should the situation call for it of course.

As long as no one is around, they aren’t afraid to cross roads and venture into neighbouring fields, so to determine which direction they originally came from can be tricky as they run both ways through their pass-throughs. This is good as an indication to show how many are in the area, as they normally stick together in small groups and don’t like to use each others paths, so the more pass-throughs you find in the same are the more rabbit groups.

3) Active or abandoned Burrows

Rabbits normally only survive in the wild for no more than 2 years, so burrows can change hands quite quickly. To tell if a burrow is active or not just check around the entrance to see if anything looks like its come in or out over the last 24 hours. Rabbits like to feed daily and come out at night to stretch their tiny legs, so if a burrow has anything over it that’s settled into the ground or looks like its been there for more than a couple of days you can bet the burrow has been abandoned.

The reason its been abandoned will also determine how long it stays empty for. If the rabbit died suddenly in an accident or from getting eaten then the burrow will be occupied again after a few days when the original owners scent wears off, and another rabbit happens to find it. If a rabbit has died inside the burrow, a common occurence when disease is in the area, then it can stay abandoned for months if not permanently. Unfortunetly theres no way of knowing the cirumstance of a particular burrow unless you find a diseased rabbit in the area.

The size of the entrance is also a good indicator of how many live within the burrow. Large openings may be a warren containing several burrows that branch off after the entrance, while smaller thin openings indicate that only a single rabbit may be present.

4) Root digs

Everyone knows rabbits like to eat grass, but every now and then they need something more nourishing to keep them healthy. If there are no crops available then they will dig down to the roots of certain plants and eat them. These small digs normally don’t go any deeper than 3 or 4 inches but since rabbits feed as close to their homes as possible, it not only shows their presence but also that they may be struggling for food.

This could be because their isn’t a descent food source near by, or it could indicate that their numbers in the area have gone above the local food sources, making it a great place to hunt a few. When you find digs consider the amount of food nearby that a rabbit could eat, and if there’s a good enough source then it would indicate their numbers are up, but if nothing else is close by it could mean they are lacking food and are most likely much fewer in number.

Things to keep in mind when locating wild rabbits.

They love to sunbath and are more likely to be out in the field during warm sunshine.

They hate rain and only come out after its finished and the ground is still wet only to feed. They spend as little time as possible out in wet grass and prefer to wait until its dried.

They have an amazing sense of smell and will sense you on the wind from well over 100 metres away.

Rabbits can detect sound from up to 2 miles away, and anything unnatural like coughing or talking can cause them to dart back to the safety of their burrows.

They are VERY paranoid and wont take any chances. If you see a truly wild rabbit in a large field you’d be lucky to walk within 50 metres of it.

They have excellent eye sight and are always on the lookout for predators.

So there you have it, a few things to keep in mind when trying to locate rabbits in the wild. Just remember its more productive to look for the signs than it is the rabbits themselves, and even though you may see the occasional one during the day this will never give an accurate number of how many are in the area. If you intend to trap or hunt them you will need permission to do so from whoever owns the land. Check this out for a quick guide on How to get permission to hunt on private land in the UK