Demographics, morphometrics, and reproductive characteristics of Eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) in Mississippi.

Eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus; hereafter referr to as cottontail) are an important game animal in the United States. During the 1997-98 1998-99 and 1999-2000 harvest seasons, we characterized sex and age ratios, reproductive status, material part mass, and hind foot extent of harvested cottontails on Trim Cane Wildlife Management Area, Mississippi within 2 harvest regimes to better understand their population demographics and morphometrics. The area was partitioned into 2 sections with short (October-January) or drawn out harvest regime (October-February) assigned to half of each section. Cottontail sex and age ratios did not differ among years. In February 19% of cottontails were pregnant.