Author Topic: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING  (Read 1737 times)

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Online Graybeard

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STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« on: February 17, 2022, 10:51:57 AM »
https://www.wideopenspaces.com/rabbit-hunting-101-gear-strategy-and-finding-spots/



Posted by Craig Raleigh

Rabbit hunting can fill several needs for the hunter, not the least of which is a full pot.

Rabbit hunting is one of the tried-and-true ways to fulfill our lives as hunters, and definitely one of the best species for youth to hunt. Between cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, and snowshoe hares, small game hunters have found that hunting rabbits is not only a lifelong learning experience, but one best shared with family and friends.

As easy as we may make it sound, there are plenty of veteran hunters that will tell you rabbit hunting is not always that simple. So let's get things pointed in the right direction by listing some of the basic gear, tactics, and locations where you'll find these delicious wild game animals.

Before that, it's worth addressing the question of using dogs for rabbit hunting. It's a decision we all need to make for ourselves, and it could end up being a great one. We suggest reaching out to a veteran dog owner to learn as much as you can about what's involved.

Owning a good hunting dog is a dream for many, but it comes with a lot of commitment, sometimes more than we're willing or able to give. Training and working with a rabbit hunting dog is a whole lesson in itself--one we won't spend time on here.

Canines aside, there are certain things you'll want to make the most of a rabbit hunting excursion, and we'll cover as many as we can.


Rabbit Hunting Gear


Amazon


Not everyone agrees, but most solid rabbit hunters will tell you right off that your blaze orange vest or coat is a must. In many public land areas, it's a requirement. Many feature game pouches to help carry your quarry, not to mention the other storage spots a vest can provide. It's worth it to find one that fits well and is high quality, and it ought to last your entire rabbit hunting career.

If you don't go the vest route, you'll need a good quality game bag. It's also worth it to invest in waterproof boots that can be walked in for hours.

A good pair of briar-proof chaps or bib overalls (or even normal, uninsulated bibs) can be the difference between ripping through good rabbit cover and ripping through your pants. However, anything cotton is a bad choice for brush busting while rabbit hunting. For winter hunting, a pair of gloves goes without saying. Many still use a thinner pair of leather gloves for protection in warmer weather.

Maybe the most important item on your short list is a rabbit hunting firearm. Many lifelong hunters, myself included, go straight for the 12-gauge, but sometimes you'll find they are just a little too much gun. The power and velocity of today's shot shells can really do a number on a rabbit, even if you're using smaller shot sizes.

The easier-to-carry 20- and .410-gauge guns can do the same job and won't make your arm sore from carrying it all day. They swing quicker in the cover and are easier to find a lead on a running rabbit. The 12-gauge purists may bristle at this, but it's true. The venerable .410 shotgun comes in a lever action, over/under, pump, and semi-auto actions that are perfect for youth hunters.

Rabbit Hunting Strategy

https://youtu.be/uxJD6w8QxvE

Begin by focusing on the edges such as where a swamp meets an open field or where recent logging has been done to find obvious brush piles that provide cover. Hedgerows provide good cover for bunnies, but maybe the best areas are ones with thick cover like briars and brambles that make it nearly impossible to penetrate.

Here is where a good pack of beagles can be a hunter's best friend. As seen in the video, a well-trained group of beagles work the cover like any good gun dog, using their noses to obtain scent and move the game.

A group of beagles can jump a rabbit, smell the trail, follow that trail, and bring the rabbit back around to where you're standing. When pursued by a dog, rabbits will typically run in a large circle, or semi-circle around the area where they've first been jumped, and if the dog stays on the trail, the rabbit eventually comes around full circle, to where the hunter is waiting and can get a good, clean shot.


Rabbit Hunting

For hunters without dogs, of which there are many of us, "jumping a bunny" is a solo affair. You need to patiently work the edges of found cover such a hedgerow or thickets at the edge of a forest, stopping often as wild game will get nervous when you stop moving. Many hunters such as myself will toss a branch or other large object into a thicket or mess of brambles to get a reaction from anything within.

You're going to have to get used to the idea that you will have to lead these animals just like we lead birds. Get out in front of the rabbit's nose as it runs and make sure to follow through. Today's high-brass shotgun ammunition filled with size 7 1/2 or 8 BBs have plenty of power to stop a running rabbit in its tracks, although many folks prefer the bigger fives and sixes.

Honestly I've shot many bunnies with low-brass target loads as well.

Hunting alone is a given sometimes, but hunting with a partner is honestly what makes a hunt something special. Working together to move some rabbits means being able to work both sides of a thicket or brush pile. Staying about 30-yards apart is the key, giving each hunter a chance to see movement, identify it, and take a safe and clean shot.

Patience is the key, especially when hunting with dogs. There is no rabbit stew worth taking your prized dog to the vet to remove pellets, as giving your dog or dogs the chance to work a moving rabbit is why you got them in the first place. This gives you a chance to see what they can do and usually get a cleaner shot meaning less meat wasted.

One small thing that most beagle owners like to do is to let them see, smell, and taste a downed bunny so that they can understand what a successful hunt is all about.

Finding Rabbits



Maybe one of the best places to start your search for a good rabbit hunting area starts right on public land. With hundreds and even thousands of acres to access there is sometimes no end to the cover that you can find in your home state and it's there for all to use. Since some of the best bunny hunting happens in the winter, public land is free of deer hunters and has everything you need to be successful.

Here is where your orange clothing is not only necessary, but in some states mandatory. The good thing is that at this time of year, the thickest cover can be a bit more accessible in this way: snows have compressed some briars down to a minimum by being made smaller.

I've found over the years that rabbit hunters make for great grouse hunters since the areas that rabbits like are many times the same that the ruffed grouse likes, and even the wily pheasant. Not that bunnies are interested in eating catkins like a grouse, but that grouse are often holed up in the middle of the briars trying to escape a goshawk or an owl. I've shot many a rabbit while grouse hunting over the years, and vice versa.

Early morning hunts along fence rows and field edges can garner some shots as well as pushing around the marsh and along the cattails for "swamp rabbits." The honest truth is that the cottontail rabbit exists and does well in such a wide variety of habitats that it's fairly common and one of the best reasons why we've hunted them for a lifetime.

Caring for Your Kill

https://youtu.be/2It6aZSlfm4

Most hunters will field dress their rabbit in the field, but many hunt close to home so it's not a big deal to wait and do it all there. It is a simple matter of skinning it and gutting it such as we've done with all game animals in the past, but on a much smaller scale, then get ready to eat one of the best-tasting game animals of them all.

Here is a great rabbit hunting video, tutorial and recipe right here.

One of the things I've noticed many times about carrying a bunny home in my game bag is that sometimes the critters are full of fleas, (not to mention ticks) which means that your game bag could be inundated with them as well.

The bottom line is that rabbit hunting is a great way to start a youth hunter off, especially as it comes to show them all of the different types of cover that our other favorite game animals like as well. Seeing some deer in the woods while rabbit hunting will make any kid crave the hunt just like we did and small game hunting is how most of us got our start.


Bill aka the Graybeard
President, Graybeard Outdoor Enterprises
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I am not a lawyer and do not give legal advice.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life anyone who believes in Him will have everlasting life!

Offline billy_56081

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2022, 05:02:14 PM »
Cottontail is in my opinion the best eating wild game.
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Offline oldandslow

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2022, 06:35:52 AM »
Got more public land than I know what to do with. Bunnies are seriously scarce.

Offline ironglow

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2022, 07:12:12 AM »
  I never hunted rabbits with a shotgun, in fact the only time I ever hunted anything with a shotgun was when I lived where I was limited to a shotgun slug for big game.
   
   I know, most folks use a shotgun for rabbits, squirrels and birds..  There are a couple reasons for this..

  1) I like the precision of  rifle, and don't enjoy taking small game with a shotgun. 

  2) I have not found it a necessity to forage, in order to eat.

  3) My Dad used a shotgun for rabbits and squirrels...and I only needed to bite down on a couple shot..to turn me off the game..especially when hair was wrapped around the shot.  Of course, at that
 time it was more a need to feed the family..

 Yes, I am quirky that way ..But as usual..different strokes for different folks...all OK.. 
If you don't want the truth, don't ask me.  If you want something sugar coated...go eat a donut !  (anon)

Offline Dee

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2022, 07:35:54 AM »
Rabbits run in a circle. Let a beagle do the work, and wait where he was flushed from. That's all the  strategy you need.
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Online DDZ

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2022, 01:46:29 AM »
When I was just 12 years old and started hunting. rabbits were plentiful here. We didn't even hunt with a dog, yet we got lots of action just walking through brush, and kicking anything that looked like a rabbit could hide in.  Now rabbits are so scarce around here, its hard to find many even with a dog. The game commission claims loss of habitat, which I don't agree with at all. There is more habitat around here now than there used to be, or at least the same.  I think most of the decline is contributed to predators. All birds of prey are protected, and eagles have moved into this area over the years. Along with fox, coyotes, cats, and fishers introduced by the game commission to control porcupines, rabbits don't stand much of a chance.
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Offline ironglow

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2022, 01:59:43 AM »
When I was just 12 years old and started hunting. rabbits were plentiful here. We didn't even hunt with a dog, yet we got lots of action just walking through brush, and kicking anything that looked like a rabbit could hide in.  Now rabbits are so scarce around here, its hard to find many even with a dog. The game commission claims loss of habitat, which I don't agree with at all. There is more habitat around here now than there used to be, or at least the same.  I think most of the decline is contributed to predators. All birds of prey are protected, and eagles have moved into this area over the years. Along with fox, coyotes, cats, and fishers introduced by the game commission to control porcupines, rabbits don't stand much of a chance.

  I think you have a point there.  I can recall a time when we had no coyotes, but were  seemingly over run by woodchucks (groundhogs).
  Now we have a healthy crop of coyotes, and woodchucks are quite scarce..
If you don't want the truth, don't ask me.  If you want something sugar coated...go eat a donut !  (anon)

Offline Dee

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2022, 02:34:34 AM »
When I was just 12 years old and started hunting. rabbits were plentiful here. We didn't even hunt with a dog, yet we got lots of action just walking through brush, and kicking anything that looked like a rabbit could hide in.  Now rabbits are so scarce around here, its hard to find many even with a dog. The game commission claims loss of habitat, which I don't agree with at all. There is more habitat around here now than there used to be, or at least the same.  I think most of the decline is contributed to predators. All birds of prey are protected, and eagles have moved into this area over the years. Along with fox, coyotes, cats, and fishers introduced by the game commission to control porcupines, rabbits don't stand much of a chance.

Over regulation of hunting DOES affect game, and there are fewer rabbits, quail, ect.
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Offline Ranger99

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2022, 02:45:46 AM »
Coyotes eat their share here, but IMO
it's the feral animals, dogs and cats
that people dump out along the road
that are depleting the small game animals
and game birds in this region.
There's a bunch of em
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Offline billy_56081

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2022, 03:06:33 AM »
Our rabbit population is not like it was when I was young either.  When I was young we have a few foxes and red tailed hawks. Now we have lots of eagles, coyotes,  about the same amount of fox and a red tail on every other high line pole.
99% of all Lawyers give the other 1% a bad name. What I find hilarious about this is they are such an arrogant bunch, that they all think they are in the 1%.

Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2022, 03:45:42 AM »
we have lots of rabbits. My experience is more with beagles because dad up till he turned 80 always had at least two. I could probably put at least 20 of them in the freezer every years sitting on my deck. In the summer and fall more times then not if you walk out the door theres rabbits in the yard. I agree with billy. Cotton tails are about the best wild meat out there. Only thing that comes close is grey squirrel but theres alot more meat on a rabbit. My kids grew up eathing what they called rabbit McNuggets. Id bone them out and cube the meat up dip it in batter and fry them. Much better then any chicken nugget youd ever find. Another good way is to take the fried nuggests and put them in cream of mushroom soup and server over noodles. Id like to have a dollar for every rabbit my kids and I ate growing up. By the end of season when i was a young man dad had a freezer dedicated to just rabbit. Id bet from the time i could eat solid food till when i went in the service 2 weeks didnt go by that rabbit wasnt for supper at least one night. I dont fool with it much anymore. My wife wont eat it because she says there to  cute and the ones in the yard are her pets so I just dont bother. About the only time i have rabbit now is at hunting camp.
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Offline oldandslow

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2022, 04:26:58 AM »
There is a small housing addition on the north and west sides of the local country club. It has very nice homes with very nice lawns. My daughter and son-in-law live in one of the more modest ones and the area is covered up with rabbits. Most of the lawns stay green year round and the rabbits have plenty to eat with the country club grounds and the homeowner's lawns. The bunny population is probably 90% cottontails, 10% black tailed jackrabbits. My SIN sits on his patio and shoots at them with a bb gun to try to keep them from eating all their flowers. Leave there and you seldom see a rabbit.

Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2022, 09:20:15 AM »
good piston pellet rifle and she could eat them.
There is a small housing addition on the north and west sides of the local country club. It has very nice homes with very nice lawns. My daughter and son-in-law live in one of the more modest ones and the area is covered up with rabbits. Most of the lawns stay green year round and the rabbits have plenty to eat with the country club grounds and the homeowner's lawns. The bunny population is probably 90% cottontails, 10% black tailed jackrabbits. My SIN sits on his patio and shoots at them with a bb gun to try to keep them from eating all their flowers. Leave there and you seldom see a rabbit.
blue lives matter

Offline Bob Riebe

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2022, 09:54:27 AM »
Have used both a shotgun and a .22 rifle, rifle was best.

Never used a dog, never needed one; rabbits run in cycles up here, thick as flies to hard to find.
Most have brush/rock piles up here so they simply run home; I dug a few out, after I held them I simply had no urge to ring their neck, so I let them go but that is not hunting.

Hunting with snow in the winter was always the best.

Offline VA Rifleman

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2022, 11:16:01 AM »
Went rabbit hunting today. Light rain. Didn’t have the A team dogs but we ran 4 and got 3.

Made my best shot of the season. Another hunter was behind the rabbit so I didn’t shoot. Best shot of the season was the one I didn’t take.

Addendum.
Kinda bummed out initially, not shooting at the only rabbit I saw all day. Then thought, that was a damn good decision and gave myself a pat on the back.

Dogs didn’t put enough pressure on the rabbit and they weren’t circling. Some of the guys move towards the pack and that doesn’t help. Once one guy does this, you almost have to do the same to keep in the hunt.

Rabbit several minutes ahead of dogs, with rabbit at full speed for some reason.
Ammunition is like firewood. The more you have, the warmer you feel.

Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #15 on: February 22, 2022, 11:13:13 PM »
dad used to give the beagles a 1/2 a hershey bar before hunting. He said it took the lazy out of the dogs. They would go nuts when you let them out jumping up and down waiting for there candy bar. Ive heard chocolate is bad for dogs. Well we fed ours chocolate probably an average of 2 times a week and it never hurt them a bit. Sometimes when the action was really hot dad would stop them after a couple hours and give them another 1/2 a bar.
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Offline Dee

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #16 on: February 23, 2022, 01:20:38 AM »
Dark chocolate is basically poison to a dog.
Back decades ago when we had bobwhite quail I kept bird dogs. When we took a break around noon I'd give both dogs a half a snickers bar for a boost in energy.
MILK CHOCOLATE won't hurt a dog.
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Offline oldandslow

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #17 on: February 23, 2022, 04:14:24 AM »
My last mutt was a weinee dog. He would literally start viberating when he saw the hershey bar or velveeta cheese come out of the refrigerator. He was a smart pooch but not smart enough to savor either. It was "chomp" and it was gone and the quivering started again.


Offline Dee

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #18 on: February 23, 2022, 04:42:38 AM »
I've got heeler/border collie cross that likely never tastes the treats Linda gives him
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #19 on: February 23, 2022, 09:55:43 PM »
sounds like my lab. I think if he had a straw hed snort them.
I've got heeler/border collie cross that likely never tastes the treats Linda gives him
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Offline Ranger99

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #20 on: February 24, 2022, 02:02:34 AM »
A couple of nice rabbits and a
couple of pounds of taters and
a big onion to cook up would be
nice to have for this cold day
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Offline ironglow

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #21 on: March 05, 2022, 02:44:21 PM »
  I had an old dog I was keeping , just to share our old years.  I used to buy the cheap hotdogs, which I could buy for the price of a can of dog food, or a little less..and each time I put dry dog food in her dish, i cut up a half a hot dog and put it on the top..like frosting.

  She looked forward to that

  Unfortunately, she had a habit of running off whenever she got a chance..Two weeks ago tonight she got her chance and split..  It was 5 degrees F, too cold for an old dog, and i haven't seen her since.
  Tomorrow I pack up all her related stuff and give it to my grandson, who has three dogs.

   Rabbits.. a 22 rifle game for me..but that's just me..
If you don't want the truth, don't ask me.  If you want something sugar coated...go eat a donut !  (anon)

Offline Eddie Southgate

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #22 on: May 21, 2022, 11:13:36 AM »
I like hunting them with a couple of good Beagles and a light shotgun or walking field edges and head shooting them with a handgun. Both are a bunch of fun. I use low brass light field loads with # 4 or #5 as I end up with less shot in them than I do using smaller shot. I have several metal detectors so getting them clean of shot is no big deal . 

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #23 on: July 10, 2022, 03:21:27 PM »
I miss my Rabbit huntin days. I loved the hunt, and loved to eat them. Mostly, I  miss my Beagles. The thrill was hearing and seeing them run the bunnies. I never killed more than a couple on a hunt. My go gun was a H&R 20 ga. single shot. Never liked carrying a heavy S Auto or Pump. I saved them for Quail or the feathered Rockets. I'm too old now to chase a dog, but once in a while I youtube a good rabbit hunt with dogs.
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Offline Dee

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #24 on: July 10, 2022, 03:26:35 PM »
I used to keep beagles and have shot a many a rabbit with a 22. Cottontails run in a circle so wherever my dogs jumped'em up is where I waited.
Those days are over for me to.
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Offline BUGEYE

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #25 on: July 10, 2022, 04:43:44 PM »
Cottontail is in my opinion the best eating wild game.
Fried rabbit smothered in sage gravy is to die for.
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Offline ironglow

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #26 on: July 11, 2022, 02:33:58 AM »
  I haven't heard from others here, but for me..but biting onto a shotgun pellet sure is a turnoff for me, especially when it has fur wrapped around it.
  Doesn't that bother anyone else?
If you don't want the truth, don't ask me.  If you want something sugar coated...go eat a donut !  (anon)

Offline BUGEYE

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #27 on: July 11, 2022, 09:13:25 AM »
  I haven't heard from others here, but for me..but biting onto a shotgun pellet sure is a turnoff for me, especially when it has fur wrapped around it.
  Doesn't that bother anyone else?
We had nails flattened on the tip which we used to gouge out shot and any fur.
The shot hole would show up as a red spot on the raw carcass and was easily cleaned out.
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Offline billy_56081

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #28 on: July 11, 2022, 10:10:47 AM »
I haven't shot any rabbits with steel shot but it definitely pulls less feathers into birds.
99% of all Lawyers give the other 1% a bad name. What I find hilarious about this is they are such an arrogant bunch, that they all think they are in the 1%.

Offline Mule 11

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Re: STRATEGY FOR RABBIT HUNTING
« Reply #29 on: July 11, 2022, 11:20:04 AM »
  I haven't heard from others here, but for me..but biting onto a shotgun pellet sure is a turnoff for me, especially when it has fur wrapped around it.
  Doesn't that bother anyone else?

When I hunted rabbit and squirrel with a shotgun I would LEAD them enough to just catch the outside of my pattern. Not much lead in my dinner that way. Also I used 3” shells. While some would say that is overkill. I would say a tighter shot pattern due to the longer shot column.