cottontail rabbits in north Texas

I have a new versatile hunting dog and I wanted to get her on some cottontail rabbits. Does anyone have any suggestions in north Texas for public land? It seems like they are all shot off of the public land I usually go to. I can't even find them at my house this year. I hit the grasslands a month ago and found only one in 4 hours. Maybe I was in the wrong unit.

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Confirmed in Texas, Die-Offs Reported


https://www.kut.org/texas/2020-05-08/a-mysterious-virus-is-killing-texas-rabbits

I hunt private land in Archer and Clay county and also the Grasslands in Decatur. All of it has good cover. Haven't seen hardly any cottontails the past couple years even when out using a spotlight. Not sure what the deal is.

I used to hammer them near Stephenville on my grandfathers place. He was covered up. Might check feed stores for access to private properties….

They are inside the cities, like morning dove.

If you can find some public land with a railroad running through it try there. For some reason the areas on both sides of the tracks seem to be a place they like.

"they wonder why there ain't no rabbits left this day and time
to tell the truth I think we ate them all in 89....."

Check some of the East Texas WMAs. I am in Van Zandt County and we're flat covered up in cotton tails.

😎

2 hours today on public. Not a rabbit seen.

let me know when your ready for a road trip.

Nope, it is predators. Coyotes are out of control. Lots of bobcats too. We use to see lots of jacks and some cottontails in NW Burnet County then the coyotes moved in. I have seen one jackrabbit in 5 years.

We have had very few compared to normal this year.

I doubt they were shot off. Cottontail populations are cyclical. A population can slowly increase over 5-10 years or so just to then crash and start all over. Then outside of that of course there is the issue with high predator populations, fire ants, hogs tearing up nests, public land poorly managed for wildlife, etc. But if you find a place with good habitat and few rabbits, don't mark it off your list as it might be a great place in a different year. I have been on the same hunting lease for 20 years. In a high year I can count at least one rabbit for every 50 yards on my morning drive from camp to stand. In a low year I can walk the entire property in a morning and maybe see one rabbit.

We are on the down cycle for rabbits. Like Sniper John said, the rabbit population is cyclical.