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Hunting Articles
Back To Main Hunting Rabbits
For many people, hunting rabbits is cruel and unusual punishment. For others,
however, hunting rabbits is an age old sport that requires patience and skill.
This article will speak to the latter while paying no mind to the former,
realizing that the rabbit hunt is as old a tradition in America as hunting other
animals and acknowledging that, while hunting may not be necessary in any modern
context, it is a heck of a lot of fun.
Most people choose to hunt rabbits with a dog. This is because using a dog can
help bring the rabbit out into the open or can help draw the hunter towards the
area in which the rabbits are more prolific. A dog can also serve as a great
companion to hunting, enabling the hunter to actually have someone to talk to
instead of the cold steel of the Remington rifle. Still, some people choose to
hunt without a furry friend, making for a different hunting experience.
When people hunt for rabbits without a dog, it is important to learn the traits
and factors involved with rabbits. The hunter must virtually become the rabbit;
learning the rabbits pathways and food stops are vitally important to a
successful rabbit hunt, so thinking like a rabbit is integral to the success of
the hunt. Of course, thinking like a rabbit may tell you that killing these
furry little friends for sport isn't such a great idea. If that happens, ignore
those facts and focus in on your goal of bagging a fluffy bunny.
An ideal time to hunt bunnies is in the first warm days of spring. Here, bunnies
will likely be soaking up the sun and having a great time in open fields. This
is a great time to break out your rifle and start bagging some rabbits. The time
is ideal because, in relation to the winter, the rabbits you seek will be more
out in the open and more prone to be visible to the naked eye. In winter,
rabbits tend to smartly utilize brush cover and brambles to cover their tracks
from nosy bloodhounds.
It is important to realize that rabbits tend to run from side to side. This, of
course, does not mean that you should not actively watch the rabbit while firing
madly into the open field. What it does mean is that a hunter can actively track
the path of the rabbit by watching for repeated steps in terms of the tracking.
A rabbit will only run in a short line for a short time, changing pace and
darting back and forth in jagged hops until it reaches its safe cover. Knowing
this, follow the rabbit with your tracking skills and nail it before it hops
down the rabbit hole and back to Wonderland.
Many hunters make the mistake of moving too quickly and making too much noise
when hunting rabbits. Just ask Elmer Fudd about the best options for hunting
rabbits and he will tell you that the best technique for hunting “wabbits” is to
slowly stalk the prey before firing off shot after shot from your alarmingly
huge elephant gun. The honest truth about hunting bunnies is that the technique
must fall somewhere in the middle. Charging into the middle of a known rabbit
field with your guns blazing will likely not catch you any rabbits, but you do
need to be somewhat assertive to bag a bunny.
The overall best technique for hunting rabbits is what is known as the “stop and
go” technique. This technique is exactly what it sounds like; the essence of the
stop and go technique is in utilizing tip-toe style movements and stalking the
rabbit through watching it, moving towards it and moving further towards it. As
you can pattern the rabbits' movements, you can eventually squeeze off a shot
and throw poor Cottontail in the trunk to impress all of your friends. If you
miss, however, be careful. Some rabbits actually bite.