The APPALACHIAN COTTONTAIL Story as told in THE RABBIT HUNTER.

Conservation, healthy forests, sustainable game.

The Appalachian Cottontail Story

Appeared in the October 2020 issue of

THE RABBIT HUNTER magazine

and is presented here for the reading

pleasure of the members of the

Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny

and all other interested parties.

The APPALACHIAN COTTONTAIL Story

Written

by

Joe Ewing

High HareMan

of the

Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny

Photography

By

Brenda & Joe Ewing

 

 

The tailgate dropped, the first hound hit the ground and the race was on. Getting the remaining beagles collared-up was the next challenge. Their lone kennel mate, in full cry, had their adrenalin rush spiked. The more hounds hitting the ground the wickeder it got.

My good friend Kaz killed this possible Appalachian cottontail in front of his three hounds with his new Thompson Contender deep in the forests of the Allegheny Plateau.

Snowshoe hare tracks were plainly visible as we motored into the freshly snow-covered parking lot deep in the Allegheny National Forest. The hare had been in no hurry crossing the open ground, it was obvious, but what wasn’t obvious was when were the tracks made?

“When the tailgate drops the b.s. stops,” words often spoken by houndsmen. When they don’t actually utter the words, the thoughts are bouncing around in their brain. I’d predicted tracks in the parking lot, however, with my natural recognition of negative vibes I had that feeling my hunting partners were highly skeptical.

It was obvious the hare tracks were potently fresh. Within seconds the full complement of six hounds was in hot pursuit. Hound music reverberated across the hills. Just one slip and it seemed certain it would be curtains for the elusive animal. Six hunters spread out across the landscape in full and total disarray. All had sprinted to position themselves wherever they could to witness a magnificent snowshoe hare in flight. None carried firearms so it didn’t matter where they stood. The Pennsylvania snowshoe hare season was ancient history. In Pennsylvania the snowshoe hare season lasts only six days but not for the members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny who run beagles and chase hare in all kinds of weather all winter long.

The hare led the hounds on a quick 200-hundred-yard dash. Just as rapidly the hare was making his turn, a short circle to be sure and was on his way back. I could see Andy, only a hundred yards to my left, on heightened alert. The closer the beagles came the more my heart pounded as it always does on every hare chase. Without warning a brown rabbit bolted across the opening. WHAT? Before I could get my wits together the six hounds were crossing the trail, lined out, each one vying for the lead and only seconds behind the rabbit.

With the beagle music quickly fading into the distance I motioned to Andy with a two-handed upward motion as if to say, “what the …?” With a return of the same motion and a shrug of the shoulders, Andy relayed that same surprised posture. We were here for the magnificent snowshoe hare not the wily cottontail. Finding a cottontail rabbit deep in the big woods of the Allegheny is a rare occasion. We were miles from civilization. This was not cottontail country.

The story does not end here. Soon the hounds turned and were heading in our direction at full cry once again. With a lesser amount of anticipation, I watched and waited, and, just as suddenly as before, WHAT? A white rabbit sailed across the path in one mighty bound. The pack had changed rabbits, possibly twice and all without making a single check. Incredible!

I pray these visions and memories linger in my mind forever.

Over the years we’ve found countless cottontails in many surprising locations on the Allegheny. The cottontails show up unexpectedly in front of the dogs. I could relate a hundred such stories but I shall refrain. You’ve probably heard them all before anyway. You know how old guys are.

Cottontail on the run across a frozen beaver flowage deep in the Allegheny. Could it have been an Appalachian?

In a 2003 article for THE RABBIT HUNTER I depicted how the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny first became acquainted with the Appalachian cottontail.

In the summer of 2003, my now departed hunting buddy Jim and I were camping and hiking in the Enchanted Mountains of Western New York when, over the evening campfire and over our preferred beverage, I mentioned reading an article concerning a newly discovered rabbit. Jim was all excited and enthused and asked a host of questions which I tried to answer relying on my slightly impaired memory. From that day forward each and every time the beagles chased a cottontail on the Allegheny the question would come up as to what kind of cottontail the beagles could be running. The conversation would always go something like this, “how could a cottontail get way out here? Could it be an Appalachian cottontail?”

Nellie, Blacky and Sandy lined out and in hot pursuit while crossing a frozen beaver flowage on the Allegheny. Some of the best hounds I've ever hunted over. These talented beagles gave us days and years of hunting fun.

The Appalachian cottontail (Sylvilagus obscurus) was first identified in 1982 by researchers from Wytheville Community College in Virginia. This new brand of cottontail, originally discovered on Allegheny Mountain in West Virginia is sometimes called the “Allegheny cottontail”. This brand-new species of cottontail, which is neither an eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) or a New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), was officially recognized as a separate species in 1992. The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny may have crossed paths with the Appalachian cottontail various times long before 1982 and many times since.

Long time hare hunter and charter member of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny Andy Hoover, deep in the big woods of the Allegheny.

At one time scientist believed the New England cottontail’s range extended as far south as Georgia and Alabama. Now scientists believe the cottontails found south of New York State are Appalachian cottontails and those found north of NY are New England cottontails. Any cottontail found below NY is either an eastern or Appalachian cottontail or so they theorize.

The Appalachian cottontail is a mysterious forest dwelling cottontail which inhabits the Appalachian Mountains at higher elevations. This shadowy and secretive cottontail inhabits thicker wooded cover, shrubby areas, brush and dense evergreen conifer stands.

The author with a cottontail found deep in the big woods of the Allegheny. Could it have been an Appalachian?

The diet of the Appalachian cottontail includes a variety of grasses, ferns, shrubs and forbs (understory plants). Like the snowshoe hare the Appalachian feeds extensively on conifer needles, twigs and tree bark in winter.

Jim asked if there was any difference between eastern cottontail, Appalachian cottontail and snowshoe hare droppings. The short answer is, “no”, not to the naked eye anyway. DNA analysis is used to determine the difference in pellets. It is recognized Appalachian cottontails, eastern cottontails and snowshoe hares commonly reingest their dropping in a process called, “coprophagy”.

The Appalachian cottontail resembles the eastern cottontail very closely. It differs only in its slightly smaller size, shorter ears, a greater amount of black on the back and a narrow black patch on top of the head. Also, the rufous or rusty nap patch characteristic of eastern cottontails is missing. The only true way to tell the difference between eastern and Appalachian cottontails is by measuring the cranium after an autopsy.

In 2015 I updated my 2003 article in THE RABBIT HUNTER after the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) announced there were two cottontail species found in Pennsylvania and they were spending almost $26,000 to study the Appalachian cottontail throughout PA. It was stated, “Pennsylvania is believed to have 5% of the world’s breeding population”.

The study, led by PGC small animal biologist Emily Boyd, was to cover a time period of January 2014 through October of 2016. Various methods were proposed for collecting the data which included collecting cottontail skulls from hunters and the usual droppings (pellet) collection. Boyd conducted studies in the Northwest (NW), Northeast (NE) and Southwest (SW) regions of the state.

The white blaze of this young eastern cottontail is said to be missing on the Appalachian cottontail.

The cottontail head collection resulted in sixty-six (66) cottontail heads from twelve (12) Pennsylvania counties being submitted by hunters for analysis. The heads were delivered to the dermestid beetle colony at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA for final processing. “Once cleaned, the skulls will be used to identify the cottontail species. DNA samples were collected from six skulls before processing began and were confirmed to be Appalachian cottontail skulls,” Boyd reported.

Could this be an Appalachian found at high altitude on the Allegheny?

During the 2014 pellet collection State Game Lands (SGLs) with Appalachian cottontails had a majority of Appalachians compared to eastern cottontails. On SGL 111 in Somerset and Fayette Counties in the SW region over 60% of the pellets collected turned out to be from Appalachian cottontails. On SGL 48 in Harrison Township, Bedford County 25 pellet samples were from Appalachian cottontails, only one (1) sample was from an eastern cottontail. On SGL 104 in Somerset and Fayette Counties five (5) samples were from Appalachian cottontail with, again, only one (1) sample being from an eastern cottontail.

The author at a familiar spot in the Allegheny National Forest which many may recognize.

The 2015 pellet collection found a previously undocumented population of Appalachian cottontails in McKean County (NW) in an area that also contained snowshoe hares. Appalachian cottontails were found on SGLs in Somerset and Fayette Counties (SW) and SGLs located in Bedford and Somerset Counties (SW). No Appalachian cottontails had been previously recorded in this region of Bedford County.

“The lowest elevation with Appalachian cottontails was 2,100 ft,” the report stated. Snowshoe hares and eastern cottontails were apparently also found at the highest elevations. All Appalachian cottontail samples were from previously undocumented locations.

Jim and I chased both snowshoe hare and cottontail at this familiar spot in the Allegheny National Forest. The Game Warden came to visit on one outing claiming our hounds were running in the nearby propagation area.

One-hundred-seventy-nine (179) total pellet samples were collected and analyzed in the two years of pellet collection. Fifty-two (52) pellet samples turned out to be Appalachian cottontail droppings, 51 pellet samples originated from eastern cottontails and 52 samples were snowshoe hare pellets. Twenty-eight (28) pellet samples were not analyzed.

This cottontail found deep in the big woods of the Allegheny was harvested on his second circle.

This reporter’s personal, humble and untrained analysis of the data listed in the study leads me and probably you to believe there is apparently a larger population of Appalachian cottontails in many more locations than previously assumed. The statement in the report which really hit home was, “The 2015 pellet collection season found a previously undocumented population of Appalachian cottontails in McKean County (NW) in an area that also contained snowshoe hares”. McKean County is practically my neighboring county and may tend to loosely confirm my story from the beginning of this piece.

I’m respectfully unable to buy into the suggested theory that Appalachian cottontails are found exclusively above 2,100 feet. My beagles have run these possible/probable Appalachian cottontails at lower elevations than 2,100 feet. It’s possible the PGCs researchers have never surveyed in lower elevations which are aka, “previously undocumented locations” in the report.

Many researchers report Appalachian cottontails are “medium size” rabbits; however, most literature on Appalachian cottontails indicates they are smaller rabbits. I’m going with the smaller size. My beagles have chased countless smaller cottontails which were found in the middle of nowhere. These smaller cottontails proved to have less stamina than eastern cottontails and loads less than snowshoe hare. In other words, the beagles, on bare ground and on snow, ran the cottontails down.

The author with his pack of hounds deep in the Allegheny National Forest during a blizzard.

Recently, a professor of Conservation Biology at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, unearthed one of the biggest surprises yet. The Warren Wilson College study revealed, “hybridization occurs between Appalachian cottontails and eastern cottontails”.

The Appalachian cottontail’s own secretive and wild nature may be harmful to its future. Crossbreeding with eastern cottontails may also put it in jeopardy. The Appalachian cottontail is threatened by the destruction, maturing and fragmentation of its habitat which is caused by urban development, over-hunting and poor timberlands management.

In Pennsylvania, especially NW PA, the deer herd has been out of control for years. Large numbers of deer lead to over-browsing of forest vegetation which leads to heavy damage to the forest understory which hurts wildlife. Escape cover, nesting cover and food sources are destroyed for species like snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, woodcock, turkey and Appalachian cottontail.

Big Woods Hare Hunter Wayne Wilson with a cottontail taken on the Allegheny.

 The next time I find a lonesome cottontail in the northern mountains I’m going to think twice. It could be a threatened and endangered Appalachian cottontail.

My late friend and hunting buddy waits for the secretive Appalachian cottontail on the high plateau.

Jim Hanson, late, charter member of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny and Jim "Kaz" Kazmarek, Captain of the BWHH.

 

 @: https://www.facebook.com/BigWoodsHareHunters/

 @ www.bigwoodsharehuntersoftheallegheny.blogspot.com

 

Email us @: bigwoodsharehunters@gmail.com

 

 

 

CAPTAIN JIM "KAZ" KAZMAREK FEATURED ON THE COVER OF THE RABBIT HUNTER.

 

Cover Photo by Joe Ewing

October 2020 issue.

BIG WOODS HARE HUNTERS of the ALLEGHENY CAPTAIN FEATURED.

Full article, The APPALACHIAN COTTONTAIL Story, will be featured here at a later date.

MEMBERSHIP LETTER 08-01-2020

September 2020 Issue.

The following article was published in the September issue of THE RABBIT HUNTER magazine and is presented here for your reading pleasure.

Conservation of the snowshoe hare on the Allegheny.

Founded 2002. 

DATE: August 2020

TO: Members of the Loyal Order of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny and Friends

FROM: The High HareMan/Founder/CEO

SUBJECT: 2019-2020 Season Update

Distinguished & Honored Members & Friends,

        Greetings to the elite members of the premier snowshoe hare conservation organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and possibly the only such group in the U.S. today. The Loyal Order is dedicated to preserving the elusive and magnificent snowshoe hare on the Allegheny Plateau with the goal of saving this glorious animal for future generations of Pennsylvanians to enjoy. Great pride is taken in our mission of conservation of the varying hare. The proud members of The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny are resolute in preserving the thrill of the chase. May it be our legacy.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

The main objective of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny has been and always will be beagling. It will always be about the beagles first and it will always be about the snowshoe hare. Over these many years and a generation we’ve discovered we can achieve our great ambitions which is to promote beagling and preserve the magnificent snowshoe hare.

The preeminent season of all time for the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny was the 2019-2020 season. We enjoyed many outstanding hare chases with some outstanding beagles and beaglers and we conducted colossal and historic business at the same time.

We welcomed and inducted several exceptional sportsmen and women into the Loyal Order, we kicked off a bold new conservation campaign, helped some worthy veterans, sponsored young hunters and shooters and dedicated ourselves to be bigger and better than ourselves for the future.

A concentrated effort to keep all informed through the official Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/BigWoodsHareHunters/ and the official blog @ https://bigwoodsharehuntersoftheallegheny.blogspot.com/ was continued. The goals of the blog and our Facebook page is to remain a valuable source of information covering the many activities and interests of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny. The Loyal Order was promoted in the written media and several of our members made The Rabbit Hunter magazine for their hare hunting adventures and prowess in the Adirondack Mountains of New York and Maine. Two members were featured on the cover which sparked interest far and wide. Our conservation efforts were splashed across the news and social media thanks to the awesome efforts of our newly appointed Public Relations Specialist.

Our members chased the elusive snowshoe hare in October in Maine, in November in New York State and again in Maine in March of 2020. Throughout the winter of 2019 and 2020 members pursued the elusive snowshoe hare across the Allegheny High Plateau searching for the very elusive snowshoe hare and hard to find hare habitat. Several members joined the hunt for hare along with packs of tenacious hare hunting beagles. We enjoyed an outing with the Rockton Mountain Boys, our Clearfield County chapter, in Forest County, on a rain swept day in February. 

Several new members were inducted into the Loyal Order. In no specific order they were: Mr. Matthew Baker, Lucinda, PA., Ms. Mary Hosmer, Ridgway, PA., Mr. John Zimmerman, Cranberry, PA., Mr. Roy Towner, Lucinda, PA., Mr. Jaret Zimmerman, Cranberry, PA. and Mr. Mark Baker, Cranberry, PA. We welcome these new members and are confident they will continue their conservationist spirit of the magnificent snowshoe hare.

We understand snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, woodcock and many other species of small animals are in jeopardy and must be protected from extinction on the Allegheny. We believe hare, rabbit and grouse habitats must be maintained and restored. Study alone cannot protect the snowshoe hare. Action is needed before these magnificent game animals are lost from the Allegheny forever. As we begin the 21st century, the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny stand at the junction of doing everything possible to protect the species or stand idly by and be witness to the total disappearance of snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse and other species from the High Plateau. As the premier snowshoe hare conservation organization, we stand ready. Will climate change work against the snowshoe hare? Can snowshoe hare survive global warming? Can humankind survive? The answer is YES but the time has come to do something. We cannot stand idly in the briar patch. The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny is doing something impressive. We are taking action. We’ve taken up the cause. We are embroiled in combat. It is time for battle.

2020 PROJECT AREA

In November of 2019 a bold and courageous conservation project was launched on the Allegheny. The objective of the project, which was designated “The 2020 Project”, was to create nesting and escape cover for cottontail rabbits, ruffed grouse and other small animals. The goal: to duplicate as nearly as possible a naturally occurring forest disturbance. Several dedicated members worked tirelessly for several days to create nearly five acres of improved habitat. A very sincere “thank you” to those loyal members who dedicated so much of their time for the benefit of so many species of animals.

Is it time to reduce the bag limits on snowshoe hare on the Allegheny and in Pennsylvania? Should the hare season be refined, moved or both? Should we lobby the Pennsylvania Game Commission to make necessary corrections? Should we try to influence policy for the betterment of the snowshoe hare? Should the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny be a pressure group? Are these questions which need deliberating?

Seneca Resources is making a major push to sell their property where our habitat project is located. This will only present new challenges in meeting our goals should Seneca be successful. In 2020-2021, Project 2020 will continue and we’ll create more impressive habitat in cooperation with the Seneca’s insistence of liability insurance and the signing of waivers of liability. We already have several members signed up and ready to cut. We will obtain the necessary liability items and overcome whatever the challenges. We will prevail.

Future generations will never know the true enjoyment or relish the beautiful memories of hunting with beagles which our generation and past generations of beaglers have enjoyed. In an attempt to interest our youth and our veterans in the great outdoors and shooting sports of all kinds, the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny have been challenged to invest in our youth and in our veterans in the pursuit of their hopes and dreams. We must and will find creative methods of investing in our youth and our veterans no matter how modest our attempts.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny Foundation takes great pride in supporting several organizations. The list of groups which we support includes: Camo Cares, located in Knox, PA., a nonprofit dedicated to sending young people with life-threatening illnesses and disabilities and wounded veterans on the hunt of their lifetime. Fryburg Junior Marksmen, a non-profit competition junior rifle team, located in Fryburg which was founded with the purpose of teaching fundamentals of gun safety and rifle shooting. Other worthy non-profits which we invest in include, Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth Inc., which provides funding for the Clarion County Youth Field Days event and supports other shooting youth groups locally, Trout Unlimited provides fly tying and fishing lessons to youth as well as scholarships to qualified Clarion University students. The National Rifle Association which supplies endless programs for our country’s youth and defends our hunting heritage and the Clarion County YMCA which owns and runs Camp Coffman, giving the youth of Clarion and Venango counties a beautiful place to enjoy the great outdoors.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny Foundation supports the “Pine Grove Programs”, headquartered in the great state of Maine, (our beloved home away from home), a non-profit organization providing free outdoor experiences to military service members, veterans, Gold star families, and first responders.

In 2021 our goals are to increase our list of worthy groups and turn our modest investments in these meaningful projects into even more beneficial investments. We shall always support our youth, veterans and first responders for they are the beneficiaries who will inherit our legacy. We pray our youth will be the guardians of our hunting heritage.

The upcoming 2020-2021 season goals include chasing as many snowshoe hares as possible across the Allegheny. The weather will cooperate. New hare cover will be discovered. Conservation minded hare hunters and beaglers will be welcomed, the membership will support our youth and more and better habitat will be produced for the benefit of small game.

The future looks very bright for the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny!

We look forward to seeing one and all on the Allegheny!

Click to enlarge.

Thank you for the very kind words. They are appreciated more than you can ever know.

FROM THE ARCHIVES-January 13, 2009-RABBITS AND HARE 2009

 

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

RABBITS AND HARE 2009

Above (clockwise) the hounds blow across the beaver flow after an Appalachian Cottontail rabbit. Andy Hoover, across the beaver flow, looks on, wondering and hoping the ice is thick enough to hold the hounds. An authentic Appalachian Cottontail rabbit dashes across the ice. And, Little Toby Creek Blacky, veteran of many a rabbit                                                                          chase crashes up the creek bank at full voice.

TALLY HO!! and GREETINGS from THE HIGH PLATEAU of THE ALLEGHENY,

I am finally able to report some good news.

Last Friday, although we ("Old" Jim, Andy and myself) did not find a Snowshoe Hare we did manage to find two hard running Appalachian Cottontail rabbits. The two Appalachians took the hounds around and around for almost three (3) hours running it like a tag team event. Finally, some good exercise for the hounds. The "A" Team did an outstanding job.

The "A" Team consists of; Andy's Nellie and Molly and my Patch, Gracie and Blacky. Jim's Lucky dog had hitched a ride home and was in the pen.

Then on Saturday, Jim, Andy and I took, Molly, Nellie, Lucky, Patch, Gracie and Speckles to one of our old reliable places because of the impending storm and found an Omnipotent Snowshoe Hare. The hounds once again did an outstanding and superior job while chasing the old hare for over three (3) hours. Andy had confirmed sightings on three different occasions. Because of the weather we caught the hounds and headed in. It was another great day!

Yesterday, Monday, Andy and I ventured onto the High Plateau in search of yet another Snowshoe Hare chase. The hounds once again were doing their great job of searching but after five hours it was beginning to look fruitless. But, much to the handlers surprise the hounds hit a hare and the chase was on. Beautiful hound music rang across the Allegheny High Plateau for more than three (3) hours before we called off the hounds. It was getting late and darkness would soon be setting in. At one point during the chase it sounded like the hounds were ready to eat the poor little hare. I made the sighting and what a beautiful white hare it was. The woods was full of fresh snow making it difficult to see very far. I was very fortunate to catch a fleeting glimpse.

In case you have never heard of an "Appalachian Cottontail" or "Allegheny Cottontail" rabbit let me explain by reprinting here an article I wrote for the Rabbit Hunter magazine or one of them back in September of 2003.

THE APPALACHIAN COTTONTAIL
By Joe Ewing, Sr.

This article may be copied or used as you  because you have my permission as it is my property.

This article was written and published in a 2003 issue of THE RABBIT HUNTER magazine. In 2015 I retold this epic story and again it was published in THE RABBIT HUNTER and other magazines with updated information. There is now new and revealing infromation regarding the Appalachian cottontail so I've written another article about the Appalachain which may be published in THE RABBIT HUNTER this fall. This is the story from 2003.

THE APPALACHIAN COTTONTAIL

Writing by

Joe Ewing

High HareMan

Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny

August 24, 2020 writer's note: Old hare hunter Jim Hanson passed a few years ago and now hunts with that phantom pack of hare hounds we have all known and loved which roams the Allegheny on many clear moonlit nights in the dead of winter. I think of Jim often as we spent many hours together roaming the Allegheny National Forest and the Allegheny Plateau in search of the elusive snowshoe hare. We hunted hare in Maine and New York and spent many miles looking through the windshield of the dog truck reminiscing about the phone company and many other subjects which were too deep for us to understand. My favorite memories of all are the hours we spent driving the forest service roads, in the dead of winter, with temperatures way below zero in search of the ellusive snowshoe hare.

 

Old hare hunter Jim Hanson and I were sitting around a campfire one evening this summer in the Enchanted Mountains of Western New York. We had spent the day scouting for new cottontail cover in a new, to us, section of the country. The Enchanted Mountains of Cattaraugus  County are well known for the plentiful game that resides in its hillsides and fields. The Allegheny River winds its way along the southern border and Cattaraugus Creek forms the northern boundary. Cattaraugus County is the number one county in New York State for turkey hunting and in the top three for deer hunting. It was Jim’s idea to check out the rabbit cover, which is quite hard to do without dogs. Mostly we were just wasting away the summer.

CATTARAUGUS, from a Seneca Indian word meaning “bad smelling banks,” referring to the odor of natural gas leaking from rock seams. 

We were sitting around the campfire reminiscing and making plans, when I said to Old Jim, "Jim, did you know that a couple years back a trio of researchers discovered a brand new breed of cottontail rabbit?"

"What the heck are you babbling about? Do you mean there are actually people who study wild rabbits?" Jim demanded.

"Apparently there are a lot of them spending a lot of your money. A Penn State University researcher is going to spend $115,000 to count snowshoe hare in northern Pennsylvania." I explained. "And don’t ask me how they plan on doing it. This is only one of fifteen projects approved for funding by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Fish & Boat Commission to study ‘troubled wildlife and fish species.’"

"Okay, I won’t go there, but what about this new rabbit?" Jim asked.

"There is an article in the August 2003 Pennsylvania Game News by a Marcia Bonta that states that in 1982 three scientists ‘split’ the New England cottontail into two species." I informed him.

"Did not know that". Said Jim. "What is a New England cottontail?"

"The New England cottontail is a separate and very rare species of cottontail rabbit. The Eastern cottontail is found almost everywhere unlike the New England cottontail whose range is only New England and northern New York State."

"Where does this new cottontail live?" Jim interrupted impatiently.

"The new species of cottontail are secretive, forest-dwelling rabbits. There are never too many found in any one place and they range only within the Appalachian Mountain chain from eastern New York, down through northeastern Alabama. They inhabit woods, shrubby areas, and brush. This new cottontail resides in dense evergreens and deciduous cover at high elevations. It is associated with conifer and heath habitat, and prefers thicker wooded cover than the eastern cottontail." I reported.

"What is a heath habitat?" Jim asked.

"I think ‘heath’ is a foreign word meaning an extensive tract of uncultivated open land covered with low shrubs and the like." I informed. "Probably like huckleberry, mountain laurel or even blueberry."

"What does this new cottontail eat?" Jim wanted to know.

"It eats a variety of grasses, ferns, forbs, and shrubs."

"It eats Fords?" Jim questioned.

"No, no, I said forbs. A forb is a broad-leaved herb growing in a field or meadow. It also appears to be the only cottontail that feeds extensively on conifer needles. In the winter they also eat twigs and bark."

"They bark," Jim acted surprised, "at the moon?"

"No, they eat the bark of saplings". I corrected. "Just like most rabbits and hare".

"If that is the case, Jim asked, is there a difference in the droppings?"

"Negative", I continued, "In fact there is no difference in the fecal pellets of cottontails or hares to the naked eye. Did you know that rabbits and hares expel two types of fecal pellets, greenish and brown? The greenish pellets contain partially digested vegetation and are commonly reingested. This process is known as ‘coprophagy’. In addition, before you ask, the greenish pellets have a high protein content and contain large amounts of B vitamins produced by intestinal bacteria. This way they make optimum use of the food available and they do not leave behind any nutrients. This process is important to their survival as they can spend more time in cover and less time out in the open feeding."

"What do they call this new rabbit?" Jim asked.

"They call this new species of cottontail the Appalachian cottontail or sometimes it is called the ‘Allegheny’ cottontail. It is obvious why it is called the Appalachian but Allegheny refers to the Allegheny Mountain in the Dolly Sods of West Virginia were the Appalachian cottontail was first named." I reported. "The Dolly Sods is an interesting story all its own. The Dolly Sods Wilderness is located on the Cheat-Potomac Ranger District of the Monongahela National Forest in Tucker and Randolph Counties near Elkins, West Virginia. It is part of the 106 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System. Altitudes range from 3,200 feet to more than 4,000 feet and are said to be a little bit of Canada placed too far south."

"Sounds like a great place for snowshoe hare", Jim observed.

"Yeah, they reportedly have snowshoe hare. Hey, maybe we should go to West Virginia hare hunting sometime?" I suggested. "The Dolly Sods sounds like a remarkable place."

"What does this Appalachian cottontail look like?" Jim wanted to know.

"The Appalachian cottontail supposedly resembles the eastern cottontail very closely. It differs only in its slightly smaller size, shorter ears, and greater amount of black on the back. A narrow black patch is present on top of the head between the ears. The rufous or rusty nap patch characteristic of the eastern cottontail is lacking. So say Linzey and Brecht of Wytheville Community College in Wytheville, Virginia. Some scientists admit that Appalachian cottontails are difficult to distinguish in the field from Eastern cottontails. It gets better, I read that the only way they, the scientists, can honestly tell any difference is by doing an autopsy and measuring the cranium."

"Very fascinating, are there any Appalachian cottontails in Pennsylvania?" Jim asked.

"According to Bonta, scientists first assumed that the Dolly Sods was the preferred habitat of the Appalachian cottontails. But she says that a Dr. Ralph Harnishfeger of Lock Haven University, in Pennsylvania, claims that Appalachian cottontails are found in the very young regenerating forest stands where the tornado went through in 1985 in northern Clinton County. They are also found in a blowdown where pines were planted between windrowed debris, with dense bramble cover and in a dense stand of scrub oak on a SGL (State Game Lands) clear-cut site in Centre County."

"There are cottontail rabbits in the blowdowns in Forest, Elk, and McKean Counties. Do you think they might be this Allegheny cottontail?" Jim asked enthusiastically.

"Do you remember a couple years back when the ANF (Allegheny National Forest) Forester sent us up to the Timberline Trail Head in Elk County to kill the snowshoe hare which were eating his apple trees and all we could find were cottontails?"

"Yeah, I remember, we even killed a couple. Those cottontails ran so big we honestly thought for sure the hounds were chasing snowshoe hare, and then Little Joe shot a cottontail." Jim reminisced. "You wrote in one of your articles that we were starting to find cottontails because of the declining dear herd."

"That’s right, I wrote ‘In Pennsylvania, especially northwest Pennsylvania, the deer herd has been out of control for years. Research has shown that the over-population of deer causes subtle but significant changes to the present and future forest habitat, to the harm of the deer herd and small game, which includes snowshoe hare. Large numbers of deer in relatively small areas lead to over-browsing of forest vegetation. Heavy damage to low-level vegetation also hurts other wildlife. Small game is less abundant. Escape cover, nesting areas, and food sources are severely restricted for such wildlife as the snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, woodcock, cottontail, turkey and many non-game species. We have started to see more cottontail rabbits in remote forest locations. Maybe, just maybe, the deer herd controls are starting to show some sign of "rabbitat" improvements.’" I recalled.

"Maybe your prognostication is coming true and maybe it is possible that some of those rabbits are Appalachian." Declared Old Jim.

"Maybe…"

There you have it. Now you know.