Anybody actually hear dying rabbits in the wild?

K

KD223

New member
Bored, got to thinking, we use these distress rabbit sounds to bring in predators, but how many of you have actually heard it in the wild?
Is it really that common? I have been hunting for years, and have only heard it maybe half a dozen times. I know they come to the call, but isn't it wierd you don't hear this distress sound too often? Seems like they would suspect it not being right, unless they hear it every time they get a rabbit. Just odd you don't hear it that often, or at least I don't. Just wondering....
 
My first disclaimer is that when those coyotes are hungry they seem to come to just about any distress type noise. Having said that I have shotgunned a lot of cottontails and jack rabbits in my country and have heard a fair amount of squalling from both. Mostly it is when they are hit and cannot move but still alive. When I walk up to them they start to squall. I quickly put them out. On occasion I will hear a wicked holler from a cotton when I tag it from a distance, and they are usually dead before I get to them. They are pretty audible to me from about 40-50 yards. The cotton really does have a considerably higher pitched yell than the jacks.
 
I shot a rabbit last year in front of my house at night, man that sucker screamed, but only for about 15 seconds.

Heard another rabbit screaming after a red tailed hawk put it's talons into it. :eek:

Have never heard the sound except those two times. Maybe that's why those distress sounds work for the first couple times in a given area, until they wise up and know that sounds means death to them....... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Spend enough time out there and you’ll hear all kinds of stuff. Sometimes the problem is identifying it. I’ve heard fawns scream, chipmunks scream when a cat has them, squirrels make whatever you want to call it, and “something” scream when a hawk has his talons in it.
 
I hear rabbits screaming just about everytime I go out hunting sometimes it's only for a few seconds others a few minutes. Heard one once and was pretty sure someone had a rabbit and was skinning it alive that dang rabbit musta been screaming for about 15 minutes, I was about to go see what was up when it finally stopped.
 
Being a falconer, I've heard plenty of rabbit screams. Also, as a kid I bred New Zealands and sold the meat and pelts. So I've heard both wild and domestic rabbit screams. A lot. :eek:
 
Yeah, I've heard a lot of screams from animals shot and stuff, but I was talking about natural screams, or screams from prey when predators have them. Just don't hear that many. I spined a buck one time w/ a bow, and that thing made the most awfull death cry I've ever heard for about 20 seconds. Spooky sounding.
 
I think Joel Hughes heard the same type of cries from a doe that he spine shot with his bow. He said it was unreal sounding.

Take it easy,

Rusty
 
well how many times do you see a fox or yote when you are not hunting. If you are not going to see the predator then how are you going to here a dying rabbit. I here them a lot outside in the summer mainly because we have a big tomcat that likes rabbit. they do seem to bring everything running when it does happen.
 
Quote, "I was talking about natural screams, or screams from prey when predators have them". When a goshawk has a jackrabbit by the back of the head and it's haunches, it don't get any more natural than that! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
This thought crossed my mind yesterday on the trap line... apparently I snared a rabbit in a coyote snare then a coyote came along and ate the rabbit out of the set. I'm sure there was a little screaming going on then but I wasn't there to witness it. I was left with just a lot of fur/blood and a blown snare. :rolleyes:
 
JRB, I just noticed. That is a big honkin' coyote in that first pic of your tagline. What's the story?
 
Ok, something I think I know a little about, as far as Jackrabbits go. I have heard many many many Jackrabbits screaming, because I'm the one that caused thier dying screams. the 2 reasons I believe they scream, based on my years of observations is besides the pain factor that Rabbits scream cause they are trapped and can't get away, also thier screams warn other rabbits in the area that somethings out to get them. I didn't say fear because I have kicked up plenty rabbits and they didn't run away screaming, only ones that screamed are the ones that the bullet hit, and then at that 90% of the time they didn't scream till I got close and they couldn't get away from me, so thats my theory, they scream in pain or when trapped and to warn other rabbits in the area.

t/c223encore.
 
Coyotes and other predators hear plenty of rabbit in distress sounds. When a coyote catches a rabbit I'll bet he gets reminded of what a rabbit in distress sounds like, we're just not around to hear it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I had a red fox coming in alongside a hedgerow to my call when he decided to try to backdoor me by slipping into some really thick brush. The next thing, he jumped onto a real rabbit and killed it not 10 feet away from us. The screaming lasted for about 15 seconds. Too bad the brush was too thick for a shot.
I was told by an old hunter that an animal screams in order to draw attention to itself so that whatever is eating it can be eaten by a still larger animal.
 
Saw one of the damnest things a couple of years ago. Was deer hunting and just before dawn, was scared big time by a rabbit squalling about 25 yds from me in a brush pile. I also heard a lot of rustling of the brush. This lasted about 5 minutes and quit. Just after I saw 4 legs running just the other side of a row of cedar trees. I could not see the body, but my first impression due to size was it was a hog but did not look right. Just behind this, there ran another set of legs and I could tell they were not hogs but could not identify them. I was on the side of a hill and looking down in the valley a few minutes later saw two grey foxes. Ah, now I know. 15 munutes later the squalling next to me started up again and within a minute the foxes were back into the brush pile. After rooting around in it, a cottentail came running out chased by one of the foxes. The other just sat down and watched. The first one chased the rabbit around the brush pile for about 3 laps (the brush pile was about 30 ft long by 20 ft wide.) Just as the rabbit passed the second fox on the third lap, he started chasing him and the first fox sat down and watched. This was team work in its finest. After about 4 laps, the first fox started at the rabbit and it then ducked into the buush. Both foxes went in after it and immediately here came the squalling again. Both foxes trotted off with the rabbit.
 
Had our beagles catch a young of the year rabbit early in the year once. It was pretty small. That thing made a terrible noise. It was far higher pitched than the tapes and cd's.
 


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