Don'tcha just love it when the dogs catch a bunny? 
A lot of people don't know it, but rabbits don't have unlimited stamina. The have no reserves on their bodies, and the fast-twitch muscle fibers build up lactic acid quickly. If the scent is excellent, and the bunny can't stop occasionally, he's had a bad day. I've even watched rabbits get ahead of the dogs, and then jump up on a rock or log and stretch their back legs out one at a time; similar to what a weightlifter does when he "feels the burn." A rabbit that makes two or three loops with the dogs hot on him, and then hits a hole is not a coward, he just needs some relief. A "cowardly rabbit" is one that hits a hole immediately. A rabbit usually knows where all the holes and inpenetratable log piles are in his area, although sometimes, when being pushed real hard, they may not pick the best one. A pack of beagles, entering a logpile from every angle, can easily push a bunny into the mouth of another. A dog discovering a rabbit on top of a mat of briars and honeysuckle can pull the whole mess down. A rabbit can also pick a hole that is too shallow or one that he used to evade capture as a youngster, but is now too big to go deep enough into. Every year where I work, we have a litter of rabbits raised next to the rear entrance to the plant. Each time I go out the back door and spot a baby, I'll take a few steps toward him and he'll make a dive through the chain link fence around the substation. Until one day, he tries the same thing and gets stuck right in front of his hams 
About every other year I have to free a squealing juvenile, who is probably thinking, "WTF, it's always worked before?"
EllwoodJake www.gutpilestyle.com
