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BEST VIEWING & HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES
• Best viewing opportunities are along rural roads and in suburban backyards
• Hunt rabbits with dogs for better success
• Concentrate hunting activity near brushpiles, dense fencerows, abandoned fields, and bramble thickets in eastern Ohio
• Woodbury Wildlife Area, Coshocton County
• Egypt Valley Wildlife Area, Belmont County
• Delaware Wildlife Area, Delaware County
2012 UPDATE
Cottontail rabbit populations tend to fluctuate from year to year depending on weather patterns during the summer breeding season. This year rabbit numbers were down almost 18% compared to 2009 as measured by the rural mail carrier survey conducted in August. This decrease follows several years when populations were at a 10-year high. Regardless of population declines, portsmen and women should expect excellent rabbit hunting opportunities across the state this fall. Ohio’s best rabbit hunting opportunities can be found in the eastern half of the state.
Survey details and historical data can be found in the Grassland Species Overview section of the 2011-2012 Wildlife Population Status and Hunting Forecast.
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