Hi, Hunting Guy!
Welcome to the world of rabbit hunting!
I't been almost 40 years since I started, but the thrill and excitement of taking rabbits is still there!
As you probably know, rabbits are mainly nocturnal. It's easiest to see them out foraging in the early morning or late afternoon/evening hours. I would spend some time walking areas likely to have trails, and look for tracks and spoor, etc.
When you have such an area staked out, try "stand hunting". Make yourself a blind of some sort. A couple yards of burlap cloth, or some camoflage netting would be good. Add a folding chair, and maybe some snacks and something to drink. A small ice chest and plastic bags are nice for chilling the carcases and keeping them fresh. Setting up that blind and WAITING is one of the things that brings a hunter closer to nature and his quarry. Come back to your blind later.
After your first kill, don't just rush out to claim the carcass. Often the shot doesn't alarm the others, and they will come back out in a few minutes. I've managed to kill several rabbits from one place within 10-15 minutes many times.
You can also try "still hunting" or simply walking around slowly, and try to spook them out of the brush.
An often used technique is to make smacking or "smooching" sounds when you spot a rabbit holding still. They will perk up, and turn to see what is making the sound!
As for skinning and tanning the hides, rabbit fur in mid-late summer is probably not very good. You have to get them in cold weather when the pelts are prime.
The local library should have some basic outdoors books on how to skin out and prepare game for the table.
The commercial rabbit hides you see are from ranch rabbits, not wild ones. It takes real dedication to collect worthwhile hides from wild rabbits!
Best of luck in the sport!
John
