{"id":47989,"date":"2020-02-20T10:40:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T10:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hunting.be\/influence-of-weather-on-rabbit-and-hare\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T14:53:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T14:53:00","slug":"influence-of-weather-on-rabbit-and-hare","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hunting.be\/en\/game-dogs\/wild-specials\/influence-of-weather-on-rabbit-and-hare\/","title":{"rendered":"Influence of Weather on Rabbit and Hare"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” equal_height=”yes” column_margin=”default” bg_image=”8105″ bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” top_padding=”12%” bottom_padding=”13%” class=”txt-white” enable_gradient=”true” color_overlay=”rgba(3,71,42,0.5)” color_overlay_2=”rgba(3,71,42,0.6)” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.5″ enable_shape_divider=”true” shape_divider_position=”bottom” shape_divider_height=”75″ bg_image_animation=”fade-in” parallax_bg=”true” parallax_bg_speed=”slow” shape_type=”triangle”][vc_column centered_text=”true” column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][split_line_heading animation_type=”default”]\n

Wild Specials – Influence of Weather on Rabbit and Hare<\/h2>\n[\/split_line_heading][nectar_animated_title heading_tag=”h3″ style=”color-strip-reveal” color=”Accent-Color” text=”All about the impact of weather on rabbit and hare.”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”50″][split_line_heading animation_type=”default”]\n

Influence of Weather on Rabbit and Hare<\/h2>\n[\/split_line_heading][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”90px” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Weather conditions can have quite an impact on survival of these animals, but also, for example, on reproductive success. How do these effects on individual animals affect population dynamics ? To find out, we analyzed shooting data from the Netherlands and Germany over the past 28 years. <\/p>\n

And as it turns out, not the harsh winter but the amount of rain in the Spring or Summer has a direct impact on wildlife.<\/p>\n

More rain in the summer or fall appears to result in fewer hares the following year. With rabbits, the relationships appear to be more complicated: A spring with a lot of precipitation results in fewer rabbits. And a cold winter also results in fewer rabbits, but only if that winter was preceded by a spring with high precipitation. <\/p>\n

The researchers combined these hunting statistics with weather data from the meteorological services of both countries. First, they analyzed long-term trends for both species. This showed that hares have steadily declined over the past 28 years in the Netherlands and Germany. The main cause of this long-term negative trend must be sought in the intensification of agriculture, although diseases, predators and weather are also known to influence the population dynamics of hares. Rabbit data show a decline after 1990 due to the advent of Viral Haemorhagic Syndrome. With the development of resistance to this disease, there has been an increase again in recent years.[\/vc_column_text][image_with_animation image_url=”8102″ alignment=”” animation=”Fade In” hover_animation=”none” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”small_depth” image_loading=”default” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” margin_top=”30″ margin_bottom=”30″][vc_column_text]Hares and weather<\/strong>
\nThe next step was to determine effects of rain and cold on rabbit and hare populations. Rain has a clear influence. The numbers of hares shot, and thus the hare population, is lower in years with greater amounts of precipitation during the summer and\/or fall in the previous year. <\/p>\n

Rabbits and weather<\/strong>
\nThe state of the rabbit population is a bit more complicated. Besides the negative effect of spring rain in the year of shooting, rain and cold acted together on the rabbit population. The rabbit population became lower due to low temperatures in the previous winter, but only if there was high precipitation during the spring of the previous year. <\/p>\n

Read the full article written by Heiko R\u00f6del and Jasja Dekker: Rabbit and hare again, Rodel and Dekker, Mammal 2012-4<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_row_inner column_margin=”default” text_align=”left”][vc_column_inner column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” width=”1\/2″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”]

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