About 20 percent are 2 years old, and about 8 percent are 3 years and older. The chance that wild rabbits will live to be 4 years old is slight. Predators such as bobcats, foxes, hawks, and owls are probably the rabbit's worst enemies. Other population controls include adverse weather and disease. Hunter harvest removes animals that would normally be taken by predators or some other mortality factor.
Many forces work against the rabbit, but populations are resilient.
Although rabbit populations are often drastically reduced, rabbits have the ability to reproduce prolifically. This ability allows populations to build rapidly when food and cover of the right kind are provided. Nesting During the February-September reproductive season, rabbits produce an average of four young per nest, though the number in a nest may range from one to more than seven. Female rabbits dig cup-shaped holes in which to bear young. Nests have been found in diverse locations from open ground under tall pines to corners of lawns with the only concealment being soft grass and fur from the mother's breast.