The Great Chase

On the fifth of February, as I was walking across the field, I saw some fresh tracks in the soft dirt before me. After kneeling and quickly studying the prints, I determined that these were the unmistakable paw marks of the cotton-tailed rabbit. The eastern cottontail rabbit, named for their short cotton ball-like white tail, is the most common rabbit in Illinois.

I followed the clearly marked trail out of the meadow into a small patch of cedar trees. The dirt had become drier under the roof of cedar branches, and soon the rabbit’s trail vanished. Having no tracks to follow, I continued walking in the direction that the last paw mark pointed. As I neared one of the last cedars, out hopped a young cotton-tailed rabbit! The grey brown rodent bounced a little, then stopped and sat not twelve feet away from me! The second I saw the animal, I froze. I stood in place for a good long while, then slowly sat on a log that was nearby. The rabbit had not moved at all. It just sat there nibbling on grass as if I wasn’t even there. I watched the cottontail for a minute, then began talking softly to the little critter.

The rabbit sat contently eating. It didn’t seem to mind that I was there. As I sat there talking to the rabbit, an idea popped in my head. Maybe I could catch the rodent and keep it awhile! I began moving my body just slightly at first, then a lot more freely as the rabbit sat eating. Cottontails eat grass, tree bark, tree buds, and leaves.

I was just about to slowly move forward, when a crow cawed loudly! The startled rabbit bounded in some thick brush. I stood up and tried following the animal, but soon realized there were tons of little hiding places for it to disappear and that it was useless to continue my search. A cottontail can run up to eighteen miles per hour!

I went back to the house, ate dinner, and then decided to see if the rabbit had come out. After returning to the field, I looked around but did not see the bunny. As I turned toward the house, I spotted a big bush, and under it was the little rabbit! I was very close to the bush, and after I noticed the creature, I was only about seven feet away from it! I slowly retreated out from the brush and ran toward the house thinking of a plan as I ran.

The first thing to do, was to get the permission from Mom and Dad to keep a rabbit. I entered the kitchen where they sat talking and asked, if I caught a rabbit, could I keep it for a while? Dad said that if I caught one, I could keep it. I now had the permission, now for some help. I found Jonah wandering around looking for interesting insects. I asked if he would like to help me with my plan, and he agreed. I had the permission, and the help. Now for the rabbit.

We took our big box trap and headed for the field. When we arrived, Jonah took the trap to the back of the bush, while I kept the rabbit distracted. Once the trap was set, the great chase began. While we both ran at the bush, the startled rabbit slipped out the back way and right into our trap! We carried our captive to the house, where we put it in a separate pen inside the chicken house.

It was exciting to keep a wild rabbit for a few weeks. I enjoyed watching it eat the bits of grass I gave it. The rodent was never completely tamed, but it had gotten used to us. I am eager for whatever I discover next.

~Samuel