I also had all those same problems when I first planted clematis along the chain link fence. My solution was to put a chicken/hardware wire fence around each plant so at least they couldn't cut them off at the ground. Nothing to be done for the vines cut and then wilted except to spray repellant when possible. The good news is that after the first year there was very little nibbling though I still sprayed. This year (5th yr.) I haven't seen any damage
and haven't sprayed because of the everyday rain.

The good part of the nibbling is the pruning will encourage a better root system and more stems from the ground.

The young bunnies think vines and plants are their teething rings! We put the green coated chicken wire around the base of all clems and often lilies too. The spray helps but with almost daily rain we are not spraying. I understand your frustration.
A friend had a mature clem with dozens of stems cut off last year.
Agree with mnws, they haven't killed the roots so the vines will regrow. So...we fight critters, cold and rain.....the furnace is running on the 4th of June!

Five stems of one Clematis which was about 4 feet tall were severed and left to die in my garden this spring. For heaven's sake, if they are going to destroy something, at least have the decency to eat it!

I also lost a Daphne plant that cost $ 25 , had purple foliage, and the rabbits cut off all the stems and left them. It was without any foliage and promptly died.

Where are the hawks and owls when you need them?

Other than moles, rabbits are the worst pest here. I've used hardware cloth, the metal wire with a fine gauge, around the base of many Clematis. I hate to imprison my Clems but I would have nothing left if I didn't protect them. I also buy coated wire baskets at the dollar stores and place them over top of the plants as they are emerging.

Rabbitout as a spray does work and lasts for a while but I seem to remember to spray just after finding chewed up plants.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and letting me me vent. I will try the fencing around the bottoms next year for sure. I am going to be more diligent with the bunny spray for now. And I went to couple of garage sales this morning and I found a bunny sized live trap for $4! I bought it of course. I will start my own bunny relocation program. Sometimes I look at my window and I can count 6 or 7 of them! Changing the subject for a moment, my neighbor called last night, she is having her sidewalk up to her house redone. They had dug up one of her clematis, Nelly Moser, in full bloom and she wanted me to come get it and plant it a my house. So I did. It was wilted and so sad and in two pieces, after look so gorgeous when I walked by that morning. so I cut it back to around 12 inches, planted them, mulched them and watered them. Will they make it do you think? Thanks! J

Cover the plants with a paper bag or place a lawn chair over them to shield them from sunlight for several days. That will help. I also use a vitamin B upstart to help with the shock of transplanting. If the roots were in good shape and not dried out after being dug up, the plants should grow.

A landscaper once cut one of my Clematis to the ground. It returned.

Cutting it back helped. I might have cut it even shorter. I think it/they will probably survive. Did you plant it in two different places so you have two new plants?

I use a pellet gun. I never thought I could kill a bunny , but I got over that. We have a dog, but they come in the night and eat my vege garden. they hatch out in my neighbors garden under a pile of junk.