Here at my property in Arizona I have cottontails and jackrabbits. In Alaska it was easy enough to set snares on snow trails to catch hares, but the ground here is so rocky I can't see where they frequent. Is there any sort of bait that will lure them?

Hi wolfwoman, glad to hear your enjoying the land. I've caught them unintentionally. As the landscape is similar to mine. ... Usually around sage or other brush, under juniper cedar, pinon and small rock crevices are all honey holes for rabbits and skunks. Usually they will travel between the trees in straight lines. Start by looking under the trees for their dens. Also look for bite marks on prickly pear cactus, most of the animals will eat both the fruit and the leafs.

salt will whack them right out

Try Salted Apples

I know when I set my foothold with the dry dirt that is sifted they get caught in it that is set for coyote.also like stated about the holes set some 160 if you are able to or 220 or snare if you can but the other traps will be able to re use.

Make sure it is legal.

we used to use apple to lure cottontails into our box traps

Salted apples, can do! Not much prickly pear here at all, unfortunately - or I would be harvesting them! Plenty of juniper trees, but I'm thinking they den under the house and shed.

Awesome. Keep us updated on the progress.
Awe man Prickly Pear is incredible too.

Never ate it, sure got poked a lot with it!

Pick it around Aug- end of September. You can also drink it

Yes it is, friend has a bunch that they let us pick!

Awesome. My aunty's make a candy out of them. It's a pain to make but it is worth it. I don't know how to make it.

You eat the fruit of it, or new leaves?

We have juice from the fruit. Haven't tried the leaves yet.

Both. I'm not a big fan of the leafs but know many who are. There's a lot of Mexican dishes that use them.
Slice open like a fish either grill or remove the meat and chop up. The other way is to remove all needles and stubs grill whole eat like a steak.
Flavor depends on how it is made. Deer elk cows and other animals eat both. I often find a bunch of bite marks when out and about

I love how this went from catching rabbits to using cactus...lol!!

Leaves are not good. Kind of bitter. Some people eat them. Enough you can buy leaves in grocery stores in the southwest at times. Fruit and even the yellow flowers are delicious. When the stickers fall off the fruit they are sweet. MaKe a wonderful jelly or quick snack while you are out and about. Coyotes and fox eat them pretty quick when they get ripe. Red "coon" scat is often coyote or fox sign if they are ripe. Deer cattle rabbits and rats eat them when they get purple and the stickers fall off too.

Salt really is a good rabbit attractor

Lol wolfwoman.
Danny the bitterness is part of why I don't like them. Yup red scat the more ripe the brighter.

Try bacon grease!

I'm not giving up my bacon grease to rabbits!! lol

Mmmmm bacon fat fried rabbit.

Any luck yet wolfwoman

I quite using bacon grease as a coyote attractant because of its affect on bunnies and porkies!

I would love to catch a porky. Dispatch would be interesting

Haven't tried yet. We don't have any apples and haven't been out to shop...lol

Keep us posted.

What elevation are you at? That (and time of year) makes a huge difference on what brings desert cottontails in. Also, how will you be trapping?

5600' and just simple wire snares like I used in Alaska for hares.

Wolfwoman have you read the AZ trapping regulations? Look under ARS.301D Line 3.....

Well overlooked posting the online regulations. Here ya are Wolfwoman. http://www.azgfd.gov/regs/2013-14%20Trapping%20Regs.pdf
By the way there's a trapping couple that live some 50 miles or so North of Seligman. If you're interested I'll contact them asking if they'd reach out to you. They're in a remote area and have little contact with other AZ trappers.

In winter sardines are the best rabbit bait I've ever seen. I also caught two this winter using mackerel for gray fox. Probably wouldn't work well in warm weather due to spoilage.

What am I missing? It says public land, right? I'm not on public land I'm in my yard.

PM me their names, I might already know them...I'm 32 miles NW of Seligman.

If it's legal, I had an uncle that caught cottontails for the table using 110 conibears with whole wheat buttered toast with cinnamon and sugar on it. He'd put a piece on the wire trigger and get them by the head. No damage. Of course it was winter and cold out and they wouldn't spoil.

Well I have to say I'm glad that I have a friend at Game and Fish here in Arizona, she clarified the regulations for me and you can't snare rabbits or hares at all. Kind of stupid but it is what it is.

What's even more crazy is that you're allowed to use a slingshot...lol

Good thing you checked!

Wolfman excuse the lax reply. I talked with the Northern AZ trapping couple in the last couple of weeks. They've had to fracture their season with outside the area commitments. I'll get in touch with them again, passing along your Trapperman moniker. He has been making his own cages to use on public ground. Wolfman we've a trapping club/group here in AZ, http://southwestfurharvesters.com/. If you're interested in meeting up with dozens of AZ trappers that can surely be configured. Our facebook page goes by the same name, Southwest Fur Harvesters Association. Reach out for inclusion and I'll surely include you.

I'll check out the website/Facebook for sure!

Let them know it's WolfWOMAN. I'm a female...lol