squirrel and rabbit numbers
01-20-2014, 02:45 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 12
squirrel and rabbit numbers
Hey im coming here to you guys from kansas. I want to ask particularly to people in kansas if possible. Rabbit and squirrel numbers in the wild are they down? Been hunting several times this year and just aint seeing the numbers in squirrel. And as for rabbits haven't seen a one this year even on the road. I got an idea about low numbers. Im thinking that the hawks and coyote populations are big and reaking havic on our small game. Any ideas, or number reports?
01-20-2014, 08:17 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 3,915
From Kansas, hunt south "central", mid-central, and south west ks. little bit in North Central ks. Been having this discussion for months with different hunters.
Rabbit numbers are down everywhere I have been. Haven't paid as much attention, but I'd comfortably say squirrel numbers are down also.
100% confident that hawk numbers are down.
Also 100% confident, and feel I can speak expertly on this fact, that Coyote numbers are down.
Doe numbers were WAY down for us this year, and deer numbers were pretty weak in general.
Turkey numbers were fairly good early this year, but the buzz is that they have NOT been over the winter.
It's contrary to what you might expect. In the last two years, we've had terrible drought conditions over most of the state, hundred year and even thousand year drought conditions, so I have heard, and blazing hot summers back to back with mild winters. But the game was thriving during those years, surprisingly even the pheasants and quail numbers were up. Upland numbers were "strong" this fall, but weren't anywhere near what they were 10-15yrs ago still.
Then turn around this year, a rather mild summer with steady, healthy rains, and we all expected the game to be thick and plentiful. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
My wife, after 12yrs so far in veterinary medicine, speculates that much of the game "shortage" is likely due to the prevalence of parasites and disease because of the water availability. She has noticed a trend in "wet years" versus "dry years" where they see a big swing in parasitic and certain disease cases, high when it's wet and lush, low when it's dry. Not saying that's the answer, but I'd be confident that she's right about it being a contributor.
Rabbit numbers are down everywhere I have been. Haven't paid as much attention, but I'd comfortably say squirrel numbers are down also.
100% confident that hawk numbers are down.
Also 100% confident, and feel I can speak expertly on this fact, that Coyote numbers are down.
Doe numbers were WAY down for us this year, and deer numbers were pretty weak in general.
Turkey numbers were fairly good early this year, but the buzz is that they have NOT been over the winter.
It's contrary to what you might expect. In the last two years, we've had terrible drought conditions over most of the state, hundred year and even thousand year drought conditions, so I have heard, and blazing hot summers back to back with mild winters. But the game was thriving during those years, surprisingly even the pheasants and quail numbers were up. Upland numbers were "strong" this fall, but weren't anywhere near what they were 10-15yrs ago still.
Then turn around this year, a rather mild summer with steady, healthy rains, and we all expected the game to be thick and plentiful. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
My wife, after 12yrs so far in veterinary medicine, speculates that much of the game "shortage" is likely due to the prevalence of parasites and disease because of the water availability. She has noticed a trend in "wet years" versus "dry years" where they see a big swing in parasitic and certain disease cases, high when it's wet and lush, low when it's dry. Not saying that's the answer, but I'd be confident that she's right about it being a contributor.
