It is commonly found around urban areas. The cottontail is grayish-brown and has long hair inside the ears, with a white tail. It lives in northeastern California and along the entire east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It lives in dense, brushy areas throughout western California and along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Hunters usually take these rabbits while quail hunting.
Some hunters say they are even tastier than cottontails.
This is the smallest rabbit in California, averaging less than a foot long and weighing up to a pound. It is brownish-gray and looks like a small cottontail without the white tail. It is found in the sagebrush of Modoc, Lassen and Mono counties. Because it comes out only at night, it is rarely taken by hunters. As in previous years, DFG wildlife veterinarians caution hunters to wear latex gloves when they field dress a rabbit.