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Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits #6872840
05/14/20 11:50 PM
05/14/20 11:50 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,142
Wisconsin
M
Moosetrot Online content OP
trapper
Moosetrot  Online Content OP
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,142
Wisconsin
Now, don't accuse me of being in quarantine too long, or hitting the bottle, or anything like that...I saw something yesterday I have never seen nor heard of in my life.

I had just gone out in our backyard with our Jack Russel, just walking around, and I heard and saw a crow on the ground in our neighbor's yard. He was squawking his head off like they do when they are fighting and there was another one doing the same in the background. Through all the shrubs and stuff I could not see what he had on the ground, but I suspect it was a baby rabbit as our property is over-run with them this year. If it was a baby rabbit I assume it had been squealing. As I watched I saw 4-5 adult rabbits converging on the crow, like they were going in for a fight. As the rabbits moved in, the crow flew off, I assume with the baby rabbit. As I watched the rabbits all started moving back to the various brush and log piles they came from.

I have never seen cottontail rabbits do anything like that before. They literally looked like they were going in to fight the crow.

Moosetrot

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6872847
05/14/20 11:56 PM
05/14/20 11:56 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,440
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Sharon Online content
"American Honey"
Sharon  Online Content
"American Honey"

Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,440
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Fascinating behavior . So cool to get to observe that.

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6872865
05/15/20 12:13 AM
05/15/20 12:13 AM
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,511
Oakland, MS
yotetrapper30 Offline
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yotetrapper30  Offline
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,511
Oakland, MS
[Linked Image]


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Last edited by yotetrapper30; 05/15/20 12:15 AM.

~~Proud Ultra MAGA~~
Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873030
05/15/20 09:03 AM
05/15/20 09:03 AM
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 606
Southaest Kansas
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Coyote Clayton Offline
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Coyote Clayton  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 606
Southaest Kansas
I've seen that behavior using a rabbit in distress call. Jack rabbits mainly. Three, four times.



Compulsive Coyote Washer
Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873046
05/15/20 09:40 AM
05/15/20 09:40 AM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,751
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
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Law Dog  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,751
Central, SD
Even the smaller birds will attack a bigger bird when they have young to protect nature looking out for its young.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873064
05/15/20 10:05 AM
05/15/20 10:05 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 827
Kansas
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Swifty Offline
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Swifty  Offline
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Posts: 827
Kansas
Obviously they were members of the Lagomorph gang, looking to make trouble.

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873075
05/15/20 10:25 AM
05/15/20 10:25 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,364
east central WI
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k snow Offline
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k snow  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 6,364
east central WI
I have seen that myself when moving baby rabbits out of the yard (away from my dogs). Once they start squealing, the adults show up from everywhere. Creepy.

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873116
05/15/20 11:10 AM
05/15/20 11:10 AM
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 540
Ohio
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Cooncreek II Offline
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Cooncreek II  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 540
Ohio
You might have to start packin a pistol when you go out in the yard!

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873247
05/15/20 02:09 PM
05/15/20 02:09 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,989
Oregon
beaverpeeler Online content
trapper
beaverpeeler  Online Content
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,989
Oregon
I have been attacked by a herd of mule deer does using bambi distress sounds for coyote.


My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873291
05/15/20 03:33 PM
05/15/20 03:33 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 10,787
Asheville, NC
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charles Offline
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charles  Offline
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Posts: 10,787
Asheville, NC
A week ago I was enjoying a beverage on my patio and noticed two crows circling a shrub and two adult cottontail doing the same. The rabbit got very aggressive and leaped three feet into the air to drive away the crows. I feel certain there were baby rabbits under the shrub.

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873297
05/15/20 03:42 PM
05/15/20 03:42 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,142
Wisconsin
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Moosetrot Online content OP
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Moosetrot  Online Content OP
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Wisconsin
Pretty soon we will start hearing about joggers being mauled by cottontails.

Moosetrot

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Law Dog] #6873324
05/15/20 04:24 PM
05/15/20 04:24 PM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 25,692
nm
A
adam m Offline
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adam m  Offline
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Posts: 25,692
nm
Originally Posted by Law Dog
Even the smaller birds will attack a bigger bird when they have young to protect nature looking out for its young.

Yup I see that often with sparrows. They will chase hawks crows eagles and Falcons until their young is safe enough.

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873342
05/15/20 05:11 PM
05/15/20 05:11 PM
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 999
Illinois
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dkrug Offline
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Posts: 999
Illinois
I've never seen that before either. I had no idea they would attack in the wild. They did bite when caged, we had to wear leather welding gloves when kids.
But they also eat the young, if short of salt blocks, mineral or alfalfa. We put them in what you call chicken tractors and moved them around the yard.
They are a social animal if not threatened , and will come visit you like a cat or dog when working on something

But I have watched nests that I mow around and the mother doesn't visit often, but will come and stretch flat over the nest to nurse; then leave.
However I have a Killdare bird that screeches louder than my mower to distract me.

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: dkrug] #6873345
05/15/20 05:21 PM
05/15/20 05:21 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,293
East-Central Wisconsin
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bblwi Offline
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East-Central Wisconsin
Rabbits live in warrens and some can have high numbers of rabbits and thus there can be enough rabbits (adults) to gather and protect. Many species have similar behaviors.

Bryce

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873351
05/15/20 05:26 PM
05/15/20 05:26 PM
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 7,142
Wisconsin
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Moosetrot Online content OP
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Wisconsin
Maybe I will have to start referring to my yard as a "warren" since the rabbits are literally everywhere this year. In previous years we had coyotes, fox, and cats to keep them down but this year it appears none.

Not real sure what happened to the cats. They just kind of...uh...disappeared.

Moosetrot

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873375
05/15/20 05:48 PM
05/15/20 05:48 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,414
Idaho Falls, Idaho
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Furvor Offline
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Idaho Falls, Idaho
I have not seen that with rabbits. I did have an experience with magpies.

A baby magpies too young to fly fell from a cottonwood tree and into my fenced garden. With the fence protecting the baby bird from my two puddles, I did nothing. Soon the baby bird was out and some distance away from the garden. As I picked up the baby bird and was carrying it back to the garden 4 or 5 adult magpies were flying near me and protesting loudly. The adults became quiet as soon as I sat the baby down just inside the garden fence. As I walked back to my house one adult magpie flew low over my head and briefly sounded off as if to say "thank you."

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873488
05/15/20 07:55 PM
05/15/20 07:55 PM
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,575
N. Carolina
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Scout1 Offline
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N. Carolina
I've seen adult rabbits running around with crows harassing it. I just assumed there were baby rabbits involved. Crows aggravate everything in the wild!


-------------------------------------
DJT & MTG in 2024!
Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873590
05/15/20 09:23 PM
05/15/20 09:23 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 11,269
Indiana
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brianmall Offline
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Indiana
We run hounds a lot.

Here recently I started posting my boys up on trails like I would if we were hunting. They are coming of age and I plan on taking them this year.

Anyway, dogs circled a rabbit back at the boys. The rabbit had nowhere to turn because of the way the boys were positioned. It was either turn back toward dogs or take on one of the boys.

It literally sized them up and went for the smallest of my 3 boys.

Laughed so hard it took me 30 minutes to stand up straight again.

Kid didn't know what to think of do. Lol, he had a cat tail in his hand. Just ran around in circles swinging at the rabbit like he mom was lighting his butt up.

I don't think he will ever be so glad again than he was then when the dogs caught up.

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: brianmall] #6873644
05/15/20 10:04 PM
05/15/20 10:04 PM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,144
Ohio
BuckMink Offline
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BuckMink  Offline
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,144
Ohio
Originally Posted by brianmall
We run hounds a lot.

Here recently I started posting my boys up on trails like I would if we were hunting. They are coming of age and I plan on taking them this year.

Anyway, dogs circled a rabbit back at the boys. The rabbit had nowhere to turn because of the way the boys were positioned. It was either turn back toward dogs or take on one of the boys.

It literally sized them up and went for the smallest of my 3 boys.

Laughed so hard it took me 30 minutes to stand up straight again.

Kid didn't know what to think of do. Lol, he had a cat tail in his hand. Just ran around in circles swinging at the rabbit like he mom was lighting his butt up.

I don't think he will ever be so glad again than he was then when the dogs caught up.



LOL! good memories there..

Re: Interesting Experience with Cottontail Rabbits [Re: Moosetrot] #6873668
05/15/20 10:30 PM
05/15/20 10:30 PM
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 5,536
fayette,al.
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grisseldog Offline
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Posts: 5,536
fayette,al.
Put’em back in the ash trays guys.

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