Cane Cutters

**Mergie Master** · 04-12-2020, 02:07 PM

**smallwater** · 04-12-2020, 02:42 PM

I've seen one climb a tree before too. Folks say I must've been high

But, I swear one climbed a tree next to the one I was deer hunting in, 20 feet up. A few minutes later, a coyote came by, and then the rabbit climbed back down and went back the other way.

**cajunwannabe** · 04-12-2020, 03:22 PM

I love hunting cane cutters! The day after duck season ends is like Christmas to me chasing bunnies with Cajun brothers!

**santee11** · 04-12-2020, 09:07 PM

I saw one walk on water once. I think merg has seen it done also. About a year ago I was flagging a line and I flushed one out a briar patch and as God as my witness he hopped out into a gum pond bounced off the water onto a stump then jumped again, bounced off the water and onto dry land on the other side of the pond. I could not believe it when I saw it happen. I sat there for a while just trying to work out in my head what i had just seen happened. The water in the pond was knee deep and he made it look like it was and inch deep. I saw it stretch out it’s front feet put them together and open or flatten out it’s feet and slap the water. It bounced just like it was on dry land. I actually walked around out in the pond to see what it landed on. There was no nothing but knee deep water. True story.

**Coot_Commander** · 04-12-2020, 10:18 PM

I jumped one 2 years ago while trying to cut a trail before duck season on floating grass mats.i didn't know they hung around on grass mats near the coots especially with all the gators hanging around there.

**rrconductor** · 04-13-2020, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by smallwater

I've seen one climb a tree before too. Folks say I must've been high

But, I swear one climbed a tree next to the one I was deer hunting in, 20 feet up. A few minutes later, a coyote came by, and then the rabbit climbed back down and went back the other way.

You and Santee 11 must have causing the same tract of mushroom laden woods.

**santee11** · 04-13-2020, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by rrconductor

You and Santee 11 must have causing the same tract of mushroom laden woods.

Ye of little faith.

**Catdaddy** · 04-13-2020, 07:20 AM

The rabbit in the video is a swamp rabbit, which is very rare in SC and is mainly found in the Gulf states. What most of you have seen here in SC is the Marsh Rabbit. It is darker, has shorter ears, and more of a mouse face.

The swamp rabbit looks identical to a cottontail except it's 1.25-1.5 times as big.

They both swim and live in wetland areas.

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**thunderchicken** · 04-13-2020, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by santee11

I saw one walk on water once. I think merg has seen it done also. About a year ago I was flagging a line and I flushed one out a briar patch and as God as my witness he hopped out into a gum pond bounced off the water onto a stump then jumped again, bounced off the water and onto dry land on the other side of the pond. I could not believe it when I saw it happen. I sat there for a while just trying to work out in my head what i had just seen happened. The water in the pond was knee deep and he made it look like it was and inch deep. I saw it stretch out it’s front feet put them together and open or flatten out it’s feet and slap the water. It bounced just like it was on dry land. I actually walked around out in the pond to see what it landed on. There was no nothing but knee deep water. True story.

I've heard this story so many times that.......I'm starting to believe it

**santee11** · 04-13-2020, 08:13 AM

Originally Posted by Catdaddy

The rabbit in the video is a swamp rabbit, which is very rare in SC and is mainly found in the Gulf states. What most of you have seen here in SC is the Marsh Rabbit. It is darker, has shorter ears, and more of a mouse face.

The swamp rabbit looks identical to a cottontail except it's 1.25-1.5 times as big.

They both swim and live in wetland areas.

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The ones I see here in sc are all pretty small like you said.

**Mergie Master** · 04-13-2020, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by santee11

I saw one walk on water once. I think merg has seen it done also. About a year ago I was flagging a line and I flushed one out a briar patch and as God as my witness he hopped out into a gum pond bounced off the water onto a stump then jumped again, bounced off the water and onto dry land on the other side of the pond. I could not believe it when I saw it happen. I sat there for a while just trying to work out in my head what i had just seen happened. The water in the pond was knee deep and he made it look like it was and inch deep. I saw it stretch out it’s front feet put them together and open or flatten out it’s feet and slap the water. It bounced just like it was on dry land. I actually walked around out in the pond to see what it landed on. There was no nothing but knee deep water. True story.

Yep. I've seen a cane cutter literally run across the water and make a turn while doing it. I bumped one off a floating log once while wading a woody swamp and that sucker ran to the end of the log and never slowed down, he just ran across the water for about while making an arcing turn to the nearest point on the bank. He hit the bank and disappeared in the creek cane. It was one of those things I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it. I forgot I had a shotgun in the crook of my arm. I just stood there kind of stunned at what I was watching.

We killed marsh rabbits occasionally, they were smaller and darker than eastern cottonatils, but the cane cutters we killed back in my teens and early twenties were much larger and longer than eastern cottontails. We only killed a few over the years but I've seen them laid out side by side. My granddaddy and daddy called them cane cutters and called the small dark ones marsh rabbits.

Geographic Range

Sylvilagus aquaticus can be found in most of the south-central United States and the Gulf coast. It is abundant in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Sylvilagus aquaticus can also be found in parts of South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia. (Chapman and Feldhamer, 1981; Nowak, 1999)

**santee11** · 04-13-2020, 09:44 AM

Originally Posted by Mergie Master

Yep. I've seen a cane cutter literally run across the water and make a turn while doing it. I bumped one off a floating log once while wading a woody swamp and that sucker ran to the end of the log and never slowed down, he just ran across the water for about while making an arcing turn to the nearest point on the bank. He hit the bank and disappeared in the creek cane. It was one of those things I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it. I forgot I had a shotgun in the crook of my arm. I just stood there kind of stunned at what I was watching.

We killed marsh rabbits occasionally, they were smaller and darker than eastern cottonatils, but the cane cutters we killed back in my teens and early twenties were much larger and longer than eastern cottontails. We only killed a few over the years but I've seen them laid out side by side. My granddaddy and daddy called them cane cutters and called the small dark ones marsh rabbits.

Geographic Range

Sylvilagus aquaticus can be found in most of the south-central United States and the Gulf coast. It is abundant in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Sylvilagus aquaticus can also be found in parts of South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia. (Chapman and Feldhamer, 1981; Nowak, 1999)

Merge please lace that story up a bit for me.

**coonsqualler01** · 04-13-2020, 09:58 AM

The only one I have ever seen had claws, like way different than I have ever seen. We were dragging a boat over a log jam and jumped him in a creek. Smoked him and couldn't believe how he skipped across the muck and water. Was much larger than any cotton or blue tail I have ever seen. Had haunches like a souped up racing rabbit. Aiken Co. just off the Savannah River.

**Saltydog235** · 04-13-2020, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Catdaddy

The rabbit in the video is a swamp rabbit, which is very rare in SC and is mainly found in the Gulf states. What most of you have seen here in SC is the Marsh Rabbit. It is darker, has shorter ears, and more of a mouse face.

The swamp rabbit looks identical to a cottontail except it's 1.25-1.5 times as big.

They both swim and live in wetland areas.

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Old farmer I hunted them with growing up called the blues. They run a better race than the cottontails do. Success rate is a lot lower when those dogs are on one for sure.

**cajunwannabe** · 04-13-2020, 11:24 AM

A pack of swamp beagles can burn these bunnies up in the marsh. This was one of my best hunts.

**santee11** · 04-13-2020, 07:32 PM

Tell me about that Jon boat. I like it.

**Catdaddy** · 04-13-2020, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by Saltydog235

Old farmer I hunted them with growing up called the blues. They run a better race than the cottontails do. Success rate is a lot lower when those dogs are on one for sure.

If it was around Horry or Georgetown county they were probably Marsh rabbits....aka Bluetails. I see some every year at Lynchfield around the sand dunes. They thrive is that costal habitat.

Marsh rabbits do alot of sneaking ,tip toeing, and holding tight. Their scent isn't as strong as a cottontail. They can fly when they need to. It takes a methodical line dog to do a good job on Marsh rabbits.

There's a bunch in the WMA on Hwy 501 at the little pee see.

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**Tater** · 04-13-2020, 07:49 PM

Blue tails are aggravating damn things to run because they’re devious little bastards that like screwing with the dogs.

Cane cutters are aggravating damn things to run because they are wayyyyy too fast for most dogs that folks run in the SE and they have a fondness for putting water between themselves and the dogs.

Cane cutters ain’t got time to fooling around with dogs and blue tails live to fool around with dogs. Now if you get ahold of some of the taller beagles out of NE that run Hare (which is basically a northern cane cutter) then the cane cutter will have to rethink his philosophy because those dogs will burn his ass.

I’ve only jumped one cane cutter up here with my dogs and I happen to see him so I knew what it was and where he was headed. I just laughed knowing those fool dogs didn’t stand a chance and would be back shortly wondering WTF just happened, lol.