KEYS TO BETTER RABBITING
Learning Where to Find Rabbits
Editor’s Note: Rabbit hunting comes in several
variations, but all of them are fun. Here's how to score,
using the various tried-and-true methods.
The beagles were about a quarter of a mile away, packed
and announcing to the world a rabbit was on the run.
I thought I saw a movement through the canes. But before
my Remington 1100 was mounted snugly against my shoulder,
the rabbit broke from cover. I fired quickly-kicking
up a mound of dirt about four inches behind the speeding
cottontail. I had missed because I had  not
properly mounted the gun, or swung with the rabbit as
it ran. I planned to rectify my mistake. So with my
cheek on the stock, I swung the barrel of the shotgun
with the rabbit and squeezed off what I knew to be a
fatal shot. However, I failed to spot the thigh-sized
water oak that the rabbit ran behind just as I shot.
Now, there was no doubt in this cottontail's mind that
someone in the swamp was attempting to take him home
to dinner. Therefore, the rabbit turned on its after-burners
and was really moving as it passed by me. The rabbit
was almost to the edge of a ditch when I fired the third
time. I miscalculated just how fast the swamper was
moving when I shot. The rabbit was in the ditch a split
second before the pellets arrived. It’s not hard
to believe when hunters consider rabbits can run 18
to 20 miles per hour and cover 15 feet at a jump when
their minds are really on it.
After the smoke cleared and the echo of thunderous
shooting had subsided, I heard the one sound that an
unsuccessful rabbit hunter never wants to hear. "Did
you get the rabbit, John?" my hunting companion
asked. I always can come up with many varied reasons
why I don't take plenty of rabbits-including poor scenting
conditions, inexperienced dogs, a scarcity of rabbits
on the place, improper patterning of the shells by the
gun, the wrong amount of powder or shot in the shells,
poor hunting companions, inclement weather, too many
briars and thickets on the hunting land and/or too few
briars and thickets. Perhaps one reason I enjoy rabbit
hunting so much is because I have plenty of excuses
if I am not as successful as I think I should be. Therefore,
a poor performance can never be attributed to my own
incompetence. However, when a limit of longears
hangs from my belt, I make profound statements to let
all of my hunting partners know that I am truly knowledgeable
about rabbiting. And, if you have hunted cottontails
or swampers with a group of friends, then surely you
have heard expert comments like, "The dogs worked
well today," or "There certainly are a bunch
of rabbits on this place," or the ever-popular,
"I just couldn't seem to miss.
But, there is help available for the hunter who has
good days and bad days rabbit hunting. There are specific
things we can do and should do to improve our chances
of finding and taking more rabbits. So we have compiled
a "Hunter's Guide to Better Rabbiting" (H.G.T.B.R.)
Ask any state's wildlife biologist and he will say,
"Generally speaking, there are rabbits in all counties
or most counties in our state." But, notice that
statement makes no reference to how abundant the rabbits
may be. In terms of rabbits, all areas are not created
equal. Not every region in each state has lots of rabbits
all over. And since rabbits are cyclic, places that
have been rabbit-abundant one year may have few rabbits
the next year.
But sportsmen like Bill Smith soon learn where rabbits
are. "Farmers are the key to your best rabbit hunting,"
Smith says. "Since they work their lan d
daily and see rabbits regularly, they know where the
rabbits stay and are often anxious to have hunters eliminate
these furry critters that eat their crops. Over the
years, I have developed a good relationship with several
farmers who annually allow me to come on their lands
and hunt rabbits. For locating swamp rabbits, I depend
on information from deer hunters," David McLarty
informs me. "Most of my deer-hunting buddies deer
hunt every day of the season in the river bottoms where
I hunt rabbits. On the way to their stands or while
stalk-hunting, they often spot and jump canecutters.
After deer season they are eager and anxious to hunt
rabbits. They will take me and my dogs to some of the
best swamp rabbit hunting you can imagine." Andy
Thompson also relies on deer hunters to help produce
more rabbits for him, even though he doesn't have beagles.
"You must understand the way a deer hunter thinks.
I know, because I am one also. We hunt deer hard for
the first week or two of the season. Although some of
us bag deer, others are unsuccessful. And, after two
weeks of very little, if any, shooting, we are all ready
to shoot at something. Generally, rabbits are what we
choose. By lining up 5 to 10 abreast, we put on rabbit
drives across fields and thickets on the land we hunt.
On a good rabbit drive, we will all get to do some shooting
and bag quite a few. At other times, we may have a member
of our hunting party who has found a clear cut where
he's been hunting deer unsuccessfully for two weeks
but has seen quite a few rabbits in the briars and bushes
of the clear cut. If we promise not to steal his hunting
place, he will often accompany several of our party
on a rabbit drive through the clear-cut. I really enjoy
rabbit hunting in clear cuts because a hunter must have
quick eyes to see the fleeing rabbits and quick reflexes
to get a shot off."
There are general places to search for rabbits, too,
that will pay dividends most everywhere. Remember that
rabbits eat a wid e
variety of vegetation and wander aimlessly looking for
that food. Keep an eye out for the rabbit's favorite
winter food of sumac and tree bark. The rabbit also
uses trails to go from its feeding places to its bedding
spots. Therefore, the hunter who discovers these trails
has another good chance of taking rabbits. Also look
near rabbits' preferred hiding places in hedgerows,
swamps, sassafras thickets, briar thickets, old orchards,
weedy patches, line fences, open fields near wooded
areas, cedar swamps, clumps of evergreens and piles
of brush. And, since rabbits do not have waterproof
fur, they must get out of a downpour by moving underground
or seeking shelter in hollow tree roots or beneath overhanging
banks when the weather is severe. Then they emerge from
these places as soon as the weather clears, which is
the best time for hunting rabbits. Understand, too,
that rabbits like comfort during the windy season. Therefore,
they will usually be found on the lee side of a hill,
while remaining in open spots where they can absorb
all the warmth possible on sunny days in the winter.
TOMORROW: CHOOSING GOOD RABBIT
DOGS
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