I recently had a conversation that took me back to my rabbit hunting days. My family hunted rabbits growing up and my dad always had beagles. My best rabbit dog was a black and tan, but dad loved his beagles.
To be honest, the dogs are what makes rabbit hunting enjoyable. The pure joy of listening to the hounds bring a rabbit around is hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it. And as a boy, and later as a young man hunting with my in-laws, I cherished it. The funny thing is, you never know where or when a conversation like this will happen. But this story begins in, of all places, a dentist’s office.
I found myself in need of a dentist, and in these moments I always turn to the best dentist in America — Dr. Kate Fish. I’ve known Kate since she was a little girl as her father, Tim Fish, had been my dentist since taking over Dr. Farr’s practice many years ago. Tim is a hunter, and a good one at that. We became pals and he remained my dentist until his retirement. If you have to go to a dentist, and we all do, what better way to spend an hour or so having your teeth ground up then talking about deer hunts in the Adirondacks, moose hunts in Maine, or caribou excursions up in Labrador. It always worked for me. Kate is now the one I turn to when things flare up, but I do miss sharing stories with her dad.
There is another person in Kate’s practice who also happens to be the best hygienist in America. Linda Widdison is excellent at cleaning teeth while sharing great stories at the same time, which makes her one of the best “multitasking hygienists” I know. On a recent visit I wasn’t at all surprised to find myself in a conversation about some baby rabbits she found on her property.
“Just little things,” she explained, with the mother nowhere in sight. She put up a small fence around the nest to keep predators out, leaving a slight opening in case the mother returned. That’ something my friend Dave Scarpitti, Mass Wildlife Upland Game Biologist, would frown upon.
“But Dave, Linda’s just concerned and trying to help.” And his reply would be, “no matter what it is, rabbits, raccoon, foxes, deer, bear, whatever — enjoy watching them, but let them be. Handling them or staying in close proximity of where they are just causes unintentional problems.”
We’ve all heard that before, and he’s right. But why was the mother always away from the nest? There’s always the chance she could have been hurt or maybe worse. However, when this occurs, a larger misconception is that the mother has abandoned her babies, no matter what the species. There are often valid reasons why she is not there, especially with mother rabbits. First, they only feed their babies once per day. Second, baby rabbits do not carry much scent. Adult rabbits, on the other hand, carry a very strong scent. Mother Nature instilled a sense of caution in her to avoid attracting unwanted attention from predators around the nest. If she were to stay with the babies constantly, her scent would make all of them a much greater target. This includes owls, hawks, eagles, fox, bobcat, coyote, fisher cats and ground squirrels — all a constant threat. That leads to the question, “what should I do if I spot wild baby animals of any kind, in my backyard?”
The first instinct is often to “rescue” these poor, defenseless creatures, with many thinking they should even care for them in their home. To ensure their greatest chance for survival however, the best action is to leave them alone. It’s important to note that “wild baby animals” of any species are not suitable pets and should not be thought of as such.
Rabbit nests are often built in plain sight, sometimes even in the middle of the backyard. They are often constructed of fur, grass, and brush — with a mother rabbit spending only a few minutes a day nursing her young. The rest of the day, the babies are on their own in the nest, and their chance for survival will decrease if they are constantly bothered or harassed. If you must pick up a baby rabbit, or any type of wild baby animal, return it to its nest as quickly as possible. There’s a chance the mother will accept the baby even if it’s been handled by a human. And if the nest is destroyed, rebuild it close to the same spot, moving any babies back into it.
In a case where you know for certain the mother has been killed, or there are no signs of her for several days, call a Game Warden or ACO who can quickly get those babies to a wildlife rehabilitator. That’s when you’re giving them a real chance for survival, while giving yourself a well-deserved feel-good moment.
Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, consultant and active member of the New England Outdoor Writers Assoc. Joe is also a member of the Quaker Boy Game Calls, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Pro-Staff.