Swamp rabbit

[chilly2477]

Had a guy tellin me about swamp rabbits, says they are a rare species in this area, anybody know what he was talkin about or was he pullin my chain?

 

[TAT7]

Here you go.....

.............

 

[chilly2477]

LOL love it

 

[TAT7]

This is my personal one on my wall

 

[huntall50]

Not a jackalope! Real thing, it is a much bigger cottontail, runs long, fast and hard. Rare but can be stumbled upon. I have run beagles in KY and IN since a teen and have never killed one, not to say my dogs have not run one.

 

[calcot7]

Big cottontails with longer more powerful hind legs and flatter feet with toes that spread together to form a weblike surface. Not so common in Indiana but I've heard of a few.

 

[trapperDave]

http://www.google.com/search?source...ss&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ACAW_enUS417US417

they are found in the southern US, far far from here

 

[DragonGunner]

The term "Swamp Rabbit" and or "Marsh Rabbit"....was a term used alot during WWII, mainly in the South for cooked Muskrat. "Rabbit" just sounded better on the menu......Lots of muskrats around here though, but probably pretty rare to find too many eating them.

 

[RTDoug]

Here ya go,
Small Game | Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide | eRegulations.com

 

[Deadly Z Driver]

Here ya go,
Small Game | Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide | eRegulations.com

Yes they are really rabbits Swamp rabbit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Tin Cup]

It is illegal to hunt, take or possess swamp rabbits, which are an endangered species in Indiana.



^that's copied from the DNR website. They are real and I imagine really $$$ if you end up shooting one.

 

[hammer24]

Learn something new every day! I had never really known there was such a critter in Indiana! Interesting read.
About Indiana?s Swamp Rabbit | The Nature Conservancy

This is the largest sub species of cottontail in N. America. From the pics I've seen, they don't look any different than a normal cottontail, at least not different enough to be able to tell the difference as it is running full speed. I would think this would be one of those regulations that would be hard to impossible to prosecute, let alone avoid breaking when out hunting. How is one to tell the difference?

 

[indiucky]

Back in the early 80's (What's the Statute of Limitaions on taking a swamp rabbit?)we would get one about every two or three trips hunting in the Ohio River bottoms near Harrison County...You could tell when the dogs would pick up a swamp rabbit because they were runners and fast..It's hard to explain (except to Beagle men) but the "Race" started quicker and you would actually lose the sound of the dogs for a few minutes..It just took them longer to bring them back around..The first time I heard it I looked at my cousin and said "Deer?"...He listened for a minute and said "Nope..Swamp Rabbit."

My Dad would hunt with his cousin in the Green River bottoms in Kentucky and they always bagged a few...They are Big....Dad brought one home uncleaned to show me when I was a kid...He had it in a kitchen garbage bag held at hip level and touching the ground and tried to get me to guess what was in it..I said "It has to be a fox.." He laughed and pulled out one big old rabbit...In Kentucky they are called "Blue Bellies" due to the sort of bluish tint on their belly fur..(Or maybe that was Kentuckians letting folks know what they thought of Blue uniforms.)

 

[Emodude]

I have seen a few over the years taken down in Green County

 

[hammer24]

Back in the early 80's (What's the Statute of Limitaions on taking a swamp rabbit?)we would get one about every two or three trips hunting in the Ohio River bottoms near Harrison County...You could tell when the dogs would pick up a swamp rabbit because they were runners and fast..It's hard to explain (except to Beagle men) but the "Race" started quicker and you would actually lose the sound of the dogs for a few minutes..It just took them longer to bring them back around..The first time I heard it I looked at my cousin and said "Deer?"...He listened for a minute and said "Nope..Swamp Rabbit."

My Dad would hunt with his cousin in the Green River bottoms in Kentucky and they always bagged a few...They are Big....Dad brought one home uncleaned to show me when I was a kid...He had it in a kitchen garbage bag held at hip level and touching the ground and tried to get me to guess what was in it..I said "It has to be a fox.." He laughed and pulled out one big old rabbit...In Kentucky they are called "Blue Bellies" due to the sort of bluish tint on their belly fur..(Or maybe that was Kentuckians letting folks know what they thought of Blue uniforms.)

I kind of figured there would be identifiable nuances to look for. I was hoping somebody had some "real world" experience and could explain the differences.

 

[jbell_64]

I've never seen one in Indiana but flushed a few in Southern Illinois. They are HUGE! I only saw them in areas way wetter and more wooded than I typically see normal cotton tails.

 

[singlestacksig]

they are as large as some of the large domestic hares, and only are found near water and / or swamp lands..

 

[GLOCK1982]

A new one for me. Thanks guys. You do learn something new every day.