My brother and I went rabbit hunting this Sunday morning. I was at my brother's place out in the Stony Point area by 6.35 AM and we were on my parents' farm by 6.55 AM. Sunrise was 7.18 AM.
This is only the second time in my brother and I's lives when we've hunted anything. I have read some tips and tricks online and this is the only body of knowledge we have to draw upon. We may end up going to Bedford to hunt with my brother's father-in-law. He is a skilled and very experienced rabbit hunter.
In any event, we parked the car on the side of the driveway, gathered up our Remington 10/22s, and headed out. We walked a couple of brush piles, some woodlines, and a fenceline with no luck. We then headed out to the back 40 of the property where there is a buried natural gas pipeline.
This pipeline translates into a straight strip of cleared land in the middle of what would otherwise be a continuous patch of woods thousands of acres in size. We were encouraged when we saw some rabbit scat in three different places. We also came across a beaver dam and other clear signs of beaver activity.
There were a number of small trees that were obviously chewed off by beavers and we also observed a number of animal trails centering around a creek and the small beaver pond.
We were walking on this buried pipeline and I just happened to stop. When I did, I heard something behind me. Just as I turned to my left, the rascally little rabbit bolted for the woodline right in front of me. I had practically stepped on the guy!
I snapped up my 22, aimed, shot, missed and determined that the next shot(s) would have to be unaimed. All of this in less than a second. My first shot barely missed. Basically I misgauged the arc the bunny's jump and the bullet went just over the back of the rabbit's neck. The critter was just coming down from a hop - had he been on the upstroke of the jump cycle I think I would have hit him.
After the first shot, the rabbit was into the woods (fast!!) and I realized I wouldn't get another aimed shot, so the good ole Remington 10/22 went into "lead hose" mode. Yes, I went all spray and pray on that bunny's ass, but to no avail! I fired six more shots as fast as I could pull the trigger. None of the rounds missed by much - I saw the leaves leaping up all around the bunny. But, alas, he got away.
Meanwhile, back in the warren, there's a bunny with a war story that he'll be able to tell his baby bunnies for the rest of his life. ("There were bullets everywhere! I dodged left and right and then turned around and flicked that jerk the bird!")
If anyone has any rabbit hunting tips, I'd love to hear them. Like I said, I'm a total hunting newbie. This was only my second time hunting anything and it was a vast improvement over my first outing where I didn't even see a rabbit much less shoot at one.
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LoadedJournal
This blog will cover topics ranging from my attempts at outdoorsmanship to survivalism to home brewing to politics to American culture.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
gridcrash
\'grid·krash\ - noun
The dissolution of modern industrial society whether via an apocalyptic overnight collapse or via extended economic depressions from which there is no short-term recovery.
The dissolution of modern industrial society whether via an apocalyptic overnight collapse or via extended economic depressions from which there is no short-term recovery.
Posts
Beer Monitor
Drinking: Nada
Bottled: German Oktoberfest
Fermenting: Oaked Imperial Stout
Bottled: German Oktoberfest
Fermenting: Oaked Imperial Stout
Required Reading
- Are We Rome?: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America
- Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times
- Peak Oil Survival
- The Renewable Energy Handbook
- Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival
- Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants
- U.S. Army Survival Handbook
- When All Hell Breaks Loose
5 comments:
ditch the 22 and use a shotgun lol have fun
20 Gauge Shotgun with High Brass Winchester 6 Shot, Kick brush piles on cold days look for them sun bathing on the south sides........ For next year make brush oies for them to use through out the year then next season you kick the piles and the bunny run out in that zig & zag pattern.........If it snowing follow the tracks in the snow to find the bunny ahead! This is when I use a 22 other than that it's a shotgun.....The more you practice the easier it gets have a great day!
Wiz- go for the shotgun for rabbits unless you really want to learn to hit moving targets with a rifle. ANd as Scout sez, bump those brushpiles. One trick we use is one person is designated shooter and goes past the pile by a safe margin, then the 'dog' goes to the pile and starts kicking it. If the rabbits chase out the far side, the shooter gets them, those that race past the 'dog' are his target- cuz he's shooting away from the other.
Another place I like is the swampy, brushy areas. They'll start comng out in early evening and hit the food plots.
Also, check the clumps of brush located in fields. You'd be amazed how many rabbits can hide under a pine needle.
Shy
Thanks for the tips. For now I'm going to have to stick with the Rem 10/22 for purely financial reasons. I cna't afford a new shotgun right now. My 12 gauge would be a bit on the overkill side of things! Unless there's a certain type of 12 gauge shell that would work well for rabbit hunting...
For rabbits and a 12 gauge, try using number 7 1/2 or 8 shot. On a modified choke, this should give excellent pattern and plenty of range. It's my preferred load, anyway and has always worked well. Shy
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