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Brush rabbit

Sylvilagus bachmani · Hares and rabbits · Small game

Brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani): Small to medium cottontail, 28–37 cm long; females slightly larger than males. Evenly dark coat of steel gray, black and orange above, white below. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the brush rabbit map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Brush rabbit — verified North Ground species photograph
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Scientific name
Sylvilagus bachmani
Family
Leporidae
Range
Pacific coast from the Columbia River (Oregon–Washington border) south, west of the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and deserts, through much of California to Baja California. In Oregon it occupies the Willamette and other interior valleys and the coast.
Biology

How to identify it

Small to medium cottontail, 28–37 cm long; females slightly larger than males. [1][2][3]

Evenly dark coat of steel gray, black and orange above, white below. [1][2][3]

Fairly small ears with a slight point. [1][2][3]

Tail not prominent. [1][2][3]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify Brush rabbit from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Dense scrub, chaparral, bramble thickets and brushy edges, including brush on sand dunes; seldom uses burrows. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Mainly crepuscular: emerges after sunset and is active into early morning, rarely in the afternoon [1][2][3]

Rarely goes more than a few metres from dense brush, using cleared runways into grassy feeding areas [1][2][3]

Thumps its feet when frightened, freezes for long periods, and flees in a zig-zag; may climb into shrubs when pursued [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Conservation and protection

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Pacific coast from the Columbia River (Oregon–Washington border) south, west of the Cascades, Sierra Nevada and deserts, through much of California to Baja California. In Oregon it occupies the Willamette and other interior valleys and the coast.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

  2. BIOLOGICALBrush rabbit

    Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

  3. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe