To explain, this past spring I had a commercial logger cut about 50 aging Virginia pines. After the trees were taken to a local sawmill, a friend asked me if I were going to bush-hog the remnant boughs into a central area and burn them. Piles ranging from huge stacks to small mounds dotted the logging site, and my buddy regarded these leftovers as eyesores. However, I regarded them as future places for rabbits to breed in, to hide in, and for me to hunt next to.

Rabbits benefit from what some would say are "sloppy" land-use practices. There is a tendency among landowners today to make their places neat. Rabbits, however, aren't attracted to neat places and well-manicured lawns. Give them an old brushpile, some stacked-up boughs, the tops off timbered trees, and they will likely do quite well.

I also conducted some management activities that will benefit squirrels on my land. For example, when I had the aging pines removed, in several places the result was that the remaining oak and hickory trees will now have more light reach them and their crowns will be able to expand. I expect that both of these hardwoods will produce more hard mast in the future. Squirrels, as well as deer and turkeys, will certainly benefit from the increased nut production.

Like many outdoorsmen today, my two favorite game animals to pursue are turkeys and deer. However, once the seasons for these two big-game animals wind down or end, my thoughts increasingly turn to bushytails and rabbits. December and January are two great months to go after these small-game species in West Virginia.