For those of you who fancy a hunting trip or just want to do some photography, rabbits are one of the wild animals that you can always count on being close by, even if you never normally see any.
Found across most of the world in one form or another, these furry creatures are much more common that people may think and can be found in the most unusual places. But whatever your reason is for wanting to find them, here’s a few things to look out for:
1) Burrows
This is of course the most obvious one, as seeing active burrows will tell you that rabbits are nearby, as they normally don’t like to go to far from where they live. The only thing to look out for is if the burrow is still in use, which you can easily see by how clear the entrance is. If there’s sticks or plant matter fallen across the hole that looks like its been there for more than a couple of days, its probably empty.
2) Rabbit Digs
one of the things rabbits like to eat are the roots of certain plants, which they do by scooping out small bowls in the ground to get to them, If you see any of these digs you know rabbits are close.
3) Droppings
Most animals normally poop a good distance away from their food source, but rabbits are the exception. Not only do they poop pretty much anywhere except in their burrows, but they sometimes eat it as they don’t have very effective digestive systems and this helps them get the most out of their food.
4) Paths
Rabbits like to use the same routes when venturing outside, and when they pass through a fence or hedge they often push the grass into an arch shape. In the event that you are in a survival situation and know how to make a snare, this is the place where it will be most effective.
Apart from the obvious signs of where rabbits have been, there a few other things to keep in mind. One major point is that rabbits are crepuscular which means they are most active during dawn and dusk, so you’ll have to get up while its still dark to catch them at their most active.
A few extra points to help you in your rabbit search:
- Rabbits hate water so don’t bother trying to look for any while its raining. They also like to avoid very damp ground so expect them to be quiet after a downpour.
- They love sunshine and can normally be found sunbathing close to their burrows in warm weather.
- They have a very sensitive sense of smell, which means that if your trying to get close to one make sure you’re down wind so it cant smell you.
- Same with hearing, try staying as quiet as possible and watch what you’re stepping on. Their sense of hearing really is quite incredible, and not matter how sneaky you are, there’s a good chance you still wont get anywhere near one.
- They are super paranoid to the point where they might hide in their burrows for hours is spooked. If you take a shot at a rabbit from a hide, don’t bother waiting there for it to come out again as they sometimes stay inside all day and wait for the cover of night before going outside again.
- They don’t like to live in the middle of large wooded areas unless there’s a clearing. They normally eat grass and like to nibble at the roots of plants that grow in hedgerows, and sines these kind of plants don’t usually grow right in the middle of woods due to the lack of light, rabbits don’t live there. The exception is woodland with a grass floor or anything small enough so they can access the middle of it from the edges where they live.
- Hedgerows, scrub land and the first 50 meters of the edge of woods are the best places to look, with fields where one side is against a woodland the best place and normally the only place you’ll clearly see them.