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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by krawler
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
I love that video! Let the dog do the work. You sit on a hill , drink your coffee and let the dogs bring the rabbit around. I miss that so much!
Too many shots though. My Dad would give me one shell per rabbit with a .410 :)
edited as decimal point in the wrong spot
Its nice to see the dogs work, at what they do but it seems a bit boring waiting for rabbits to come to you. I love to do things myself and move to much to just wait.
If you've spent years training the dog , standing there watching him/her succeed - no greater pleasure- much better than even shooting.
Once your time is up , you gets lots of exercise gathering up your dog. :)
Never looked at it that way (Sharon) I see your point and understand the excitement when your dogs or dog has put everything together. My legs are still good and as long as they are God willing, i will be kicking my own bushes or getting one of my friends too LOL
Tom Gobble
Hunting rabbits with beagles has never been boring to me. To me it is the ultimate using dogs to hunt rabbits and most productive. From the time you load the dogs into a vehicle their excitement is almost infectious causing you to experience the slight rush of adrenalin in anticipation of what is to come.
Once the dogs are released you just set yourself in travel mode to follow them. Then when they pick up a scent and respond vocally your own senses are heighten to a higher level of alert. Now it’s time to find a position near the flush point where you best view of the area can be had for Mr. Rabbits return run. Yes that can be a bit of a waiting game but time passes quickly as you focus on listening to the intensity of the howling as it progresses. As it gets louder you know the return run is in motion and the rabbit being out front can appear anytime. If you are not on full alert an opportunity can be easily missed.
Surprisingly each dog has his own character that you come to know. One beagle used to actually retrieve the rabbit to its owner without being taught. Another beagle was so sharp he literally caught two rabbits in one day and no shots fired. When two certain beagles were employed one would start howling on a warm scent but the other would not howl until it was on a fresh hot scent.
At the end of the day the beagles were usually bloodied a little from their charge through rough terrain but showed contentment when a little caring pat and praise for their effort was given.
Don’t get me wrong as I do enjoy stalking hunts for rabbits but my best memories have been hunting rabbits with dogs. One can really be spoiled with this type of hunting.
Ed
a lot of time I will leave my gun at home and just let the dogs run the bunnys .I just love to see the dogs working Dutch
Quote:
Originally Posted by ET1
Exactly. Well said. :)
Hey guys don't get me wrong, I have hunted with friends dogs and enjoyed it. Having a good dog is having the right tools for the Job. It just seems to me that when people post on these type of threads the first thing they say is that you need a dog to be successful, and to someone that has not hunted rabbits might get discouraged not to go because they don't have one. Everyone has there own style and experiences hunting rabbits and what might work for you might not work for someone else.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tom gobble
Heres a good comparison its like entering a draw but you only bought 1 ticket but you know everyone else bought 10 each...LOL it really depends on the area your hunting , if those guys in my video I posted (which you should watch) tried hunting without those 6 beagles I dont even think they would get 1 rabbit because the area there hunting was so thick you couldnot even walk let alone shoot a bunny.
rem
Good point. ... but if one is very big on hunting rabbits , and plans to do that for years - get a beagle. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by tom gobble
Not relevant but just curious, do you beagle hunters find it hard to find public land to run your dogs. The public spots that I hunt, i have noticed more signs put up stoping this. Why do you think this occurs, do they do this to let an area rest and open different areas to run your dogs.
I have never seen a public hunting spot in are area put up a sign to stop hunting with dogs .not sure what you are getting at Dutch
I have seen No dog or dog training just wondering what there getting at. I will post a pic next time out
I have never seen a sign saying you cannot hunt rabbit's or birds with a dog.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tom gobble
Hmmm
In a public hunting area? Or a schoolyard?
Strange
I don't want to name the bushes where i have seen them but I will take a pic next time out.
dogs mans best friend...that sucks....
rem
man. i'm really wanting to bring my beagle/walker mix out to the hardwood lot but i'm so afraid of losing the family pet. its so fun when we're on a walk in suburbia in the dark and he comes within a few feet of them. the sound of that howl is like nothing else. i just can't stomach the thought of losing our little buddy.
GPS collar
Quote:
Originally Posted by punkrockerpj
yeah. i feel like you guys keep telling me that. can you find one for under 100?
Not under 100.00 but
http://www.amazon.ca/GPS-Dog-Tracker...PS+dog+collars
This is under 100 but is only a no frills and is probably junk but had good reviews only good to 400 meters.
http://www.amazon.ca/Exceptionally-E...PS+dog+collars
Quote:
Originally Posted by punkrockerpj
no monthly fee?
seriously, if this is for real, my pooch is going to go far with rabbits.
There would not be a monthly fee to run these as their just a GPS with a beacon (collar) and a receiver (the GPS)
Look them over carefully I just quickly looked at them. Make sure they come with all the parts the collar and receiver etc.
These are probably no frills. My Uncle has one with all the bells and whistles he paid over 200 for each collar (5) and 500.00 for the GPS part. His dogs can be upwards of several km's and he can still see them on the system.
I'm sure some of the guy's on here are experienced with them.
Start another thread asking about them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by punkrockerpj
good idea.
btw, i remember hearing on a previous thread that bringing a whistle with you freaks the rabbit out long enough to pause. worth a try, esp if you're shotgunning.
It does, if you can whistle, which I can't so sometime I bring a whistle with me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by punkrockerpj
Only had to worry about that in the old days. As GW said a GPS collar solves that problem, but complicated to use in Canada.Quote:
Originally Posted by punkrockerpj
Talk to Ontario beagler - member on here.
http://www.oodmag.com/community/show...recommendation
Yay for the snow. Grabbing the bow and heading out for small game tomorrow.