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Old 11-10-2017, 12:30 PM
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Jerry D Jerry D is offline
 
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Default Brush Piles for Rabbits

Looking at purchasing some skids like below for 5.00 each. I was planning on putting about 12" of pine needles and leaves etc on them to make a habitat for rabbits. They are 48x48" and 6" high. There is a runner along the bottom and top so probably a 4" gap to let the rabbits in.

I'm sure I could fine some brush but there's 6" of needles out there right now which would be a lot more convenient to cover them with

I'm not all that interested in using wooden skids because they will rot.

What's everyone thoughts?

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  #2  
Old 11-10-2017, 01:26 PM
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aulrich aulrich is offline
 
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Plastic left in the woods on purpose is just trash, even if you did it for a good cause.

I can't imagine there is a shortage of dead fall that you could not organize into piles, to serve the same purpose. Un like plastic which will still be trash in 1000 years.
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  #3  
Old 11-10-2017, 01:51 PM
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Jerry D Jerry D is offline
 
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Thanks for the opinion.

One mans junk is another man's treasure.

We own the land. It was a swamp 60 years ago. My grandfather dredged the swamp and made a pond. He also planted approx 150 acres of white pine, white spruce and red pine. The red oak he planted are approx 12-18" diameter and are now produsing good crops of acorns and the critters are reseeding them.

I've planted 30 pear trees on the property to compliment the 100's of wild crab apples and I've got a batch of oaks to plant as well to help them spread faster.

I've heard of using wooden skids and they break down and rot for brush piles. And then there are nails when you flush rabbits out for hunting with the kids

Let's keep this to a discussion of making brush piles. I wouldn't consider it trash if they are making habitat for the next 10000 years for small game and I put them there. If they fill solid with debris and become useless that would be a problem but I doubt that would happen and if it did, I would pull them out because I care about the property and if I had to pull them out after 50 years... I would probably just remake them!

I think they would make a great affordable base layer for the rabbits and other small animals to make homes in without having to always spend time fixing them and putting more brush on top. I love my wife and our boys but she doesn't always appreciate when I go into the woods when we are at the cottage with friends so I want to do it once.

Last edited by Jerry D; 11-10-2017 at 02:03 PM.
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Old 11-10-2017, 02:01 PM
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1899b 1899b is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry D View Post
Thanks for the opinion.

One mans junk is another man's treasure.

We own the land. I've heard of using wooden skids and they break down and rot. And then there are nails when you flush rabbits out for hunting with the kids

Let's keep this to a discussion of making brush piles. I wouldn't consider it trash if they are making habitat for the next 100 years for small game and I put them there. If they fill solif with debris and become useless that would be a problem but I doubt that would happen.

I have 200 acres to manage myself for hunting while my boys grow up and I don't want to be fixing 100 brush piles all the time with planting food plots here in ontario and trimming back a few kilometers of trail.
Ontario??? Wait a minute...
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  #5  
Old 11-10-2017, 02:07 PM
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Jerry D Jerry D is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1899b View Post
Ontario??? Wait a minute...
Yea from Ontario. I think that has been beside my name since I joined. Really like this forum.

I edited the post but you get the point.

I care about the land. I want to make good habitat. Time is limited.

I don't litter. I actually pick up all the trash along the road.

If I know I put them there and they don't work. I'd pull them out and sell them on Kijiji for a couple bucks each.
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  #6  
Old 11-10-2017, 02:25 PM
st99 st99 is offline
 
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I'd be worried the rabbits would eat the plastic and maybe die from poisoning, even if they don't die, it's still not good for them. You do know they chew on anything?
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Old 11-10-2017, 02:33 PM
Gary K Gary K is offline
 
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we did the same (abet on accident) with wood for rabbits back in Manitoba.
had some laying around and used it as a base more or less for that years brush pile.

the rabbits could get under it perfectly after figuring out it was safe.

i cant see you having a problem with those.
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  #8  
Old 11-10-2017, 02:40 PM
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Speckle55 Speckle55 is offline
 
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which kind of rabbit do you have ?

sure that will work

out here the Snowshoe Hare's like Aspen Poplar

even cut a few poplar for food ... we will out here

my bud has tame ones that got away they are under everything

David
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  #9  
Old 11-10-2017, 02:54 PM
The Spank The Spank is offline
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Looks like they’d make good cottontail brush pile bases to me. Growing up in the niagara region of southern ontario I kicked cottontails out of piles at backs of fruit farms with some pretty nasty stuff thrown into them. I can remember pulling out a first aid kit to patch up the dogs paws on more than one occasion when he’d step on something unseen in the long grass or around scrap heaps turned bunny homes.
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  #10  
Old 11-10-2017, 02:54 PM
Scott h Scott h is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry D View Post
Thanks for the opinion.

One mans junk is another man's treasure.

We own the land. It was a swamp 60 years ago. My grandfather dredged the swamp and made a pond. He also planted approx 150 acres of white pine, white spruce and red pine. The red oak he planted are approx 12-18" diameter and are now produsing good crops of acorns and the critters are reseeding them.

I've planted 30 pear trees on the property to compliment the 100's of wild crab apples and I've got a batch of oaks to plant as well to help them spread faster.

I've heard of using wooden skids and they break down and rot for brush piles. And then there are nails when you flush rabbits out for hunting with the kids

Let's keep this to a discussion of making brush piles. I wouldn't consider it trash if they are making habitat for the next 10000 years for small game and I put them there. If they fill solid with debris and become useless that would be a problem but I doubt that would happen and if it did, I would pull them out because I care about the property and if I had to pull them out after 50 years... I would probably just remake them!

I think they would make a great affordable base layer for the rabbits and other small animals to make homes in without having to always spend time fixing them and putting more brush on top. I love my wife and our boys but she doesn't always appreciate when I go into the woods when we are at the cottage with friends so I want to do it once.
Sounds like a great piece of property and I would be doing the same thing if it was mine. I just saw some of those skids and I'm pretty sure it was at the recycling depot at our dump. Worth a look if you have one around your place.
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  #11  
Old 11-10-2017, 06:31 PM
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Jerry D Jerry D is offline
 
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We have snowshoe hare, european hare and cottontail.

Sounds like it will work. I'm going to give it a go. Start with some and add more as we go.

How far apart should they be spaced? 100 or 150ft is about what I read?

How many would you want in each cluster?
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  #12  
Old 11-10-2017, 10:29 PM
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Red Bullets Red Bullets is offline
 
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An excerpt from a university article on cottontails. http://www.naturalresources.msstate....ail-rabbit.asp

"The species survives because they reproduce up to seven times per season. For successful reproduction, the cottontails’ habitats must be in close proximity to one another. Eastern cottontail rabbits do not travel far and usually spend their lives in an area no larger than 10 acres. A small area with open fields for foraging and plenty of edge brush for nesting provide the most ideal habitat. Proper maintenance of these types of habitats allow eastern cottontail rabbits to thrive."

So this give you an idea of distance apart for the cottontails. Consider carrying capacity for your ground too. If you have lots of brush and grass the land could support lots.

The hares like fence lines with open fields nearby. Maybe put a pallet hotel or two along a fence line too.

Rabbit population cycles go on 9 to 10 year highs too so it may not increase rabbit populations for a year or three.
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  #13  
Old 11-11-2017, 05:31 AM
calgarychef calgarychef is offline
 
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I know a feller who did that with pallets, he had bunnies running all over the place...it worked well indeed. Talk to your local bread company, they use something close to what you're looking for.
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  #14  
Old 11-11-2017, 06:16 AM
Pioneer2 Pioneer2 is offline
 
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Default rabbits

Cottontails would be the only rabbits that would use a brushpile usually.They all like to have beds sheltered from the wind where they can sun themselves on cold days.
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  #15  
Old 11-11-2017, 02:35 PM
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winmag winmag is offline
 
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Default cotton tails

plant low junipers , use to jump hundreds of rabbits south of Trenton close to lake Ontario in junipers, not sure of the name but they had purple like berries and the amount of bunnies was unreal
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