Bunny Piles??

[james dilley]

Does anyone still build them after The Holidays?? They are easy .Just find where you want to place them. And collect All of the trees you can that are discarded and build the pile(s) where the rabbits need cover. They also work great for small birds to nest in . Any body thinking about them????

[marcir]

All the trees that were dozed off our house pad are piled up down on the southwest property line. I won't allow anyone to dispose of them. As we encroach on their territory we should at least give them substitute cover. J.D., I salute u!

[shadowwalker]

I spent the summer thinning brush and low limbs on trees and mainly just junk stuff. I was going to burn it this fall. My first time watching for a deer to shoot this last season. I saw soo many animals using this pile I couldn't burn it. I thought I was the only softie. Also the only woodchuck I still allow on the property has made a home in it. We made a deal He stays out of the flowerbeds and gardens, he lives. So far after two years he has lived up to his end of the bargain. He has full run of a couple acres and I get the rest.

[james dilley]

Well my thought is it helps provide cover and nesting areas. Why not help the critters once in A while. Thats A true sportman, You take and you give back. Like the farmer who leaves 10 rows of corn for the deer and other wildlife to have to eat,When theres heavy snow. Just my way of thinking .

[MaineFarmMom]

We intentionally don't build brush piles unless they're going to be a bonfire quickly because of the rabbits. It's not that we're not good sportsmen, that's far from the truth. It's because I make most of my yearly income in the garden. Rabbits do a lot of damage in the garden and use up too much of my farmdogs' time hunting them. Wildlife has thousands of acres of forest around us so they have plenty of room to live naturally...away from my income.

[MELOC]

i don't build them intentionally...i just never get around to burning my brush, lol.

[moonwolf]

My woodlot fresh cuttings is great habitat, food, for deer and hares here. The tops of the poplars used from the woodlot provide perfect tender branches and buds for deer, the hares chew on the young bark also, and have a haven of habitat provided from the work done. The ruffed grouse don't mind getting at the abundance of buds either as their main winter food supply.

[moonwolf]

Harebitat

[hunter63]

I leave mine piled up till they rot, have several located around the property.
I guess I too, was surprised at the chain of wild life that uses it.

Next to one pile was cracked corn and oats for my pheasants, (got some from a guy that raises them for hunting, didn't want to feed them over the winter, so I bought them and let them go.)
Not only were the pheasants eating it, but the deer, grouse, blue jays, mice, voles rabbits, all kinds of other birds. A lot using the pile for cover.

Now I see that a coyote have a den under one of piles at one end.
I also watched a couple of red-tailed hawks perched in the tree over the piles, I suppose to feed on what ever they could.
If you build it they (all of them) will come.

I also leave some of my dead trees standing for nesting, perching and feeding.
Had a large wood-pecker banging away for a while that I could see.

[PyroDon]

I build rabbit hatcheries
Some times use a pallet at the bottom , the most used one we have is an old boat upside down and covered with brush . I also leave a strip of thick breyers down the center of the field for cover . this serves a dual purpose of cover for wildlife and produces gallons of black berries . along the edge we have planted clover and wild bird seed I think you can see the edge of this in a pick I posted in another thread

I've built brush piles with rabbits in mind, but I have never collected Christmas trees to build brush piles before. I have collected Christmas trees to use for fish shelter before. But the last few times I tried that they ended up just setting in my back yard till spring cleanup and then got throwed away. So I haven't tried it in the last few years knowing I'll probably just end up throwing them away again.