Totally new at hunting rabbits. We have a few in our neck of the woods. What strategies do you guys use to hunt them? Dog, stalking, sitting, etc? Also what kind of gun is the preferred weapon of choice?
thanks
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Totally new at hunting rabbits. We have a few in our neck of the woods. What strategies do you guys use to hunt them? Dog, stalking, sitting, etc? Also what kind of gun is the preferred weapon of choice?
thanks
I use 2 beagles & an H&R .410 tamer . #5s have used 12gu #5s for 40 yrs before I got .410 .
Hunting them with beagles or other type of hounds is the prefered way and many would argue the proper way, if its a small bush your hunting you can manage with a couple guys kickin up brush stumps and piles hoping you can scare out a rabbit, some would say this is alot of work. Sometimes you will see a rabbit sitting right under a tree, great to pick them off with a .22 clean kill. Any size shotgun works. #6 lead shot or 7.5 does the trick. Look for thick cover with hardwood bush the thicker the better , cotton tails love the thick stuff....also snow is probably the biggest factor , you def need a bit of snow to have a successful classic cottontail hunt, Makes them stand out and easier to shoot and track. You can also see where there is heavy rabbit scat which will be a dead give away that you might have some action. Best bet is to make the hounds do the work and you just wait until the dog brings the rabbit in your path
rem,
I love to hunt them with hounds .I am down to one beagle now .you can hunt them with out dogs a few guys can walk and jump on brush piles this can be some fast shooting and a lot of fun .I us a shotgun with # 5 or 6s .high brass .we always wait for snow before starting to hunt bunnys it is about as much fun as you can have in the winter .Dutch
1/ Beat those bushes and shrubs ! They will stay put within a foot of you unless moved . Rarely do you startle them into moving , by walking by.
2/ Get a hound. :)
Looks like I'll be waiting for the snow. It's just me and a friend. We don't mind covering ground.
Thanks for the help guys. Bring on December.
Without dogs that is the only way to do it. I find 3 people works better but 2 is still better then 1. we usually walk lines about 50 feet apart and always make sure you know where the others are. Whistle or something to let the others know where you are at all times. I also recommend wearing your hunters orange. Even at 30 - 50 feet when walking through that brush it is very difficult to see the fellas beside you.
In a perfect world we would all have a dog to do all the dirty work but unfortunately I'm not a lucky one with a dog. But this doesn't mean you can't get a rabbit. First you have to know what type of rabbit/hare you will be hunting. This means alot because they live in different habitats. When you figure what rabbit you will be hunting, then you have to find which habitats they prefer. How we do it, like others mentioned was go with your friends spread out about 30 feet and kick bushes,cedars or anything you might feel like is holding a rabbit. the key is to watch the bush your friend is kicking because most of the time the guy kicking will not get the shot because the rabbit will try to escape from the opposite side out of site. good luck
how the pros do it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17ocaZb-bGg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TO8di7cPEc
think you need a dog?
rem