A real plus for rabbits was the considerable amount of rain that fell in the spring of 2009. That moisture resulted in lots of lush vegetation -- read cover -- for our cottontails. Many predators target rabbits, but with the existence of quality cover, they have a better chance to survive. Berry also details what other types of cover cottontails covet.

"Rabbits need early successional habitat like heavy cuts or clearcuts," says the biologist. "Abandoned fields or pastures with a lot of brush cover are good as well. Also needed is heavy cover next to grassy openings like meadows or lawns."

Berry says that two WMAs are possibilities in his district. The biologist describes the Bluestone WMA (18,019 acres) in Monroe, Mercer and Summers counties as being good for both squirrels and rabbits. I have hunted the Bluestone a number of times and have found the public land's uplands to harbor solid numbers of squirrels. Oak-hickory stands predominate on those ridges, so it is quite clear why the gray squirrels gravitate there.

The DNR has maintained a number of field openings on the Bluestone WMA, and those overgrown fields are where the cottontails congregate. Farmland was once part of this public land and the DNR keeping that habitat in the early successional stage has been beneficial to rabbits.

Berry says that the Meadow River WMA (2,385) in Greenbrier County has some old field cover available. Rabbit hunting is possible there but limited. As is true across the state, the best rabbit hunting takes place on private land.

CENTRAL STATE OVERVIEW
District III wildlife biologist Ray Knotts oversees game populations in central West Virginia from the DNR's French Creek office. He is exceptionally enthusiastic about the silvertails.

"I don't know when, if ever, that I have seen the number of squirrels that I am currently seeing," says Knotts. "I really do believe this will be a banner year for squirrels, especially if we have some oak/hickory mast to concentrate them, hence, making them more available to hunters. I think the squirrel population in District III, at least in all portions of the district that support mixed oak/hickory forests, is quite high.

"The mast conditions in the fall of 2008 greatly (and positively) affected the squirrel population this year. Although oak mast was not great in our area, hickory and walnut were plentiful, thereby providing squirrels a good food source throughout the winter and early spring. That means most squirrels had a good spring litter, thereby bolstering the squirrel population considerably."

Unfortunately, rabbits are another issue, continued Knotts. As with grouse habitat, the majority of early successional habitat available in central West Virginia (old grown-up abandoned farmland, for example) has already grown out of the stage most preferred by rabbits. However, some localized areas still offer good rabbit habitat and support fair to good populations of cottontails. Knotts expects rabbit hunting in District III to remain about the same as last year, which is average.

The biologist emphasizes that rabbit enthusiasts looking to do well in District III should seek out certain kinds of places.