Rabbit Hunting this fall

[Trapper John]

Hi Guys,   
I was thinking about going over to eastern Washington this fall to hunt some rabbits (cottontail).
Anyone here have any advice where to go?  I have no dog, I'll be doing some walking.
JC   

[Alpine Mojo]

This seems to be a bumper year for rabbits.  They are pretty much everywhere right now.  I have seen them in eastern WA, western WA, up around the pass, everywhere.  I can't think of anyplace I haven't seen them.  You shouldn't have a hard time finding them.

[JeffRaines]

I was up behind Greenwater the other day christening a new Buckmark pistol... after I loaded another magazine I took a few more shots and one of them popped out about 10 feet from my target. Nicest rabbit I've seen in awhile... if only it was September I'd be telling you how it tasted 

I always see tons of rabbits on the westside every year. I usually see a limits worth or maybe a little less a day. I don't think you gotta drive to the eastside for them 

[seth30]

Cant wait to do some rabbit hunting this year   A stupid question, will the snowshoes come back to the same spot like cottontails or do they leave the county like Jackrabbits?  Plan on targeting the Snowshoes this year as I have never done that. 

[KP-Skagit]

A friend of mine hunts hares quite a bit up in Alaska. I joined in this last year and with no dog and a foot of fresh snow it was not an easy hunt. Terrain was pretty thick but invariably we found ourselves tracking multiple sets of rabbit tracks while walking in our own boot tracks. So I guess the long and the short of it is hares like cottontails circle and return to the same place. There was also a very big one (I'd bet pushing 10 pounds) in the area we hunted that we always saw within 20 yards of the same snag. He always alluded us and earned the title King Bunny.

[seth30]

A friend of mine hunts hares quite a bit up in Alaska. I joined in this last year and with no dog and a foot of fresh snow it was not an easy hunt. Terrain was pretty thick but invariably we found ourselves tracking multiple sets of rabbit tracks while walking in our own boot tracks. So I guess the long and the short of it is hares like cottontails circle and return to the same place. There was also a very big one (I'd bet pushing 10 pounds) in the area we hunted that we always saw within 20 yards of the same snag. He always alluded us and earned the title King Bunny.

  Thanks for the intel on that :tup Its nice to get some pointers on new game

[Trapper John]

Thanks guys.
I see rabbits everywhere over here in western Washington.  The problem is where I'm seeing them are around houses and places where there are no many cars all of the time to even pull over.

I was thinking about taking a round trip over somewhere in eastern Washington for a weekend and bagging a pile of them.

I was over in Soap Lake last weekend and a women said to me that she wishes those coyotes would eat more rabbits because she said their all over the place over there.  I might have to give this area a try this fall and see if I can fill up my freezer with them.  I know where there are a lot of snowshoe hares, but their a tough piece of meat unless you leave them in a crock pot all day.  I would like to get some cottontails.

Anybody know of some other places in eastern Washington?
JC   

[HunterofWA]

I'm hunting a clover plot I put in earlier this Year, I have about 14 decent sized rabbits using it every day. I think I'm going to go rabbit hunting and then go deer hunting. 

[Trapper John]

I'm hunting a clover plot I put in earlier this Year, I have about 14 decent sized rabbits using it every day. I think I'm going to go rabbit hunting and then go deer hunting. 

Sounds like a plan to me.  Clover feed rabbits ........................ yuuuuuummy
JC   

[huntsman_trev]

I was up behind Greenwater the other day christening a new Buckmark pistol... after I loaded another magazine I took a few more shots and one of them popped out about 10 feet from my target. Nicest rabbit I've seen in awhile... if only it was September I'd be telling you how it tasted 

I always see tons of rabbits on the westside every year. I usually see a limits worth or maybe a little less a day. I don't think you gotta drive to the eastside for them 

FS 70??

[HuntinCrazy]

West side rabits are thick this year. I see 5-8 every day and this one this evening. Guessed it to be 18 yds and WACK.....with a blunt. Devastating  wound.
I guess Should be able to hit a deer 

[IslandStorm62]

I was out deer hunting saw a cottontail on the road.  I mentioned this to another hunter and also stated that I wished I had my .22 Buckmark, I would have shot the critter for dinner.  Anyway, the hunter commented that those are full of worms, so why would I want to take one.  In any case, I have heard that hunting rabbits should be done only after the snow has started to fall, because of some virus or "worms"; I am not to clear on that.

So, can any or all of you professional longtime bunny hunters give me the ground truth?  I can't imaging hunting bunnies for meat is that dangerous.

If I get the warm and fuzzy, I think I will make it a point to start hunting them & grouse in September...

[W_Ellison2011]

I was out deer hunting saw a cottontail on the road.  I mentioned this to another hunter and also stated that I wished I had my .22 Buckmark, I would have shot the critter for dinner.  Anyway, the hunter commented that those are full of worms, so why would I want to take one.  In any case, I have heard that hunting rabbits should be done only after the snow has started to fall, because of some virus or "worms"; I am not to clear on that.

So, can any or all of you professional longtime bunny hunters give me the ground truth?  I can't imaging hunting bunnies for meat is that dangerous.

If I get the warm and fuzzy, I think I will make it a point to start hunting them & grouse in September...

I was always taught to hunt rabbits during fall and winter and leave them during spring and summer due to the parasites they have during the warmer months. Has held up pretty well for us thus far. To the OP, to be honest man... just drive up into the hills really early morning just as its getting light or just as its getting dark. About the same time you would consider to be that "magic hour" for deer. We always end up shooting rabbits during those times while our deer hunting. Blunt tips work great, 22 lr works great, 17 hmr is killer, anything from a 410 to a 12 gauge works, and 7mm mag... can confirm works. there was no head left but the rest of the rabbit was good lol. I usually carry a blunt tipped arrow with my bow and both a 17 hmr and a 12 gauge for grouse and rabbits. My buddy brings his 16 gauge. Got to say.. I LOVE the 16 gauge now.

[KFhunter]

I'd always heard that too, but turns out it's bogus.   Cold weather doesn't kill the parasites or do anything else to the rabbit other than increase calorie demands which if the rabbits are sick may not be able to meet the demands of staying warm.

Tulerma doesn't survive cooking, so wearing gloves and not picking your nose while cleaning a rabbit would prevent getting Tulerma yourself.

TULAREMIA (Rabbit Fever)

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can affect both animals and people. Many wild animals are infected, especially rabbits (snowshoe hare) and rodents (muskrats and beavers). The clinical signs of disease in wildlife are not always present or easily recognized. Infected rabbits may run slowly, appear tame or in a stupor, stagger and are easily captured. Carcasses can have white spots scattered throughout the liver.

There are several ways tularemia can be transmitted or spread to people from animals. The most common way is from contact of bare skin or mucous membranes (skin around the nose, eyes, and mouth) with animal blood or tissue while handling (dressing or skinning) infected wild animals. This includes handling and eating insufficiently cooked meat. Tularemia can also be spread by some external parasites (ticks and deer flies). Less common means are inhaling dust from contaminated soil, drinking from contaminated water or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.

In people, the clinical symptoms of illness depend upon the method tularemia was spread. Skin infections, especially around fingernails, and swollen glands are the usual symptoms of disease as a result of improper handling of infected animals. Ingestion or eating the organism may produce a throat infection, diarrhea and vomiting. Inhaling the organism may produce a fever and pneumonia-like illness.

Take the following precautions to help prevent the transmission of tularemia and other diseases:

Follow animal-handling precautions. Wear waterproof gloves, wash your hands and prevent skin contact.
Thoroughly cook meat (well-done).
Prevent insect bites.
Do not drink from untreated water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers.

[tritt007]

Always heard to look at the liver  and if it has black spots don't eat it . Any insight on this ?

[Cougartail]

Hi Guys,   
I was thinking about going over to eastern Washington this fall to hunt some rabbits (cottontail).
Anyone here have any advice where to go?  I have no dog, I'll be doing some walking.
JC   

We are at the cyclic high for rabbits in my area. Walk old sagebrush 4x4 roads and you should do well.

[W_Ellison2011]

Always heard to look at the liver  and if it has black spots don't eat it . Any insight on this ?

I would assume any abnormailities would be a good sign to not eat it. Most stuff will cook out but better safe than sorry imo. I have shot a few out of my parents property with a pellet rifle that had lumps all over their bodies. Never checked to see if it was tumors or something else. Hit a chipmunk last year with my truck, by accident, went back to check on him and he had large bumps all over with openings. Put on gloves and squeezed one and a HUGE larva came out. Looked like a botfly larva I have seen on youtube videos but I can't confirm. Made me rethink cleaning rabbit and grouse with my bare hands.

[jackelope]

I'd always heard that too, but turns out it's bogus.   Cold weather doesn't kill the parasites or do anything else to the rabbit other than increase calorie demands which if the rabbits are sick may not be able to meet the demands of staying warm.

Tulerma doesn't survive cooking, so wearing gloves and not picking your nose while cleaning a rabbit would prevent getting Tulerma yourself.

TULAREMIA (Rabbit Fever)

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can affect both animals and people. Many wild animals are infected, especially rabbits (snowshoe hare) and rodents (muskrats and beavers). The clinical signs of disease in wildlife are not always present or easily recognized. Infected rabbits may run slowly, appear tame or in a stupor, stagger and are easily captured. Carcasses can have white spots scattered throughout the liver.

There are several ways tularemia can be transmitted or spread to people from animals. The most common way is from contact of bare skin or mucous membranes (skin around the nose, eyes, and mouth) with animal blood or tissue while handling (dressing or skinning) infected wild animals. This includes handling and eating insufficiently cooked meat. Tularemia can also be spread by some external parasites (ticks and deer flies). Less common means are inhaling dust from contaminated soil, drinking from contaminated water or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.

In people, the clinical symptoms of illness depend upon the method tularemia was spread. Skin infections, especially around fingernails, and swollen glands are the usual symptoms of disease as a result of improper handling of infected animals. Ingestion or eating the organism may produce a throat infection, diarrhea and vomiting. Inhaling the organism may produce a fever and pneumonia-like illness.

Take the following precautions to help prevent the transmission of tularemia and other diseases:

Follow animal-handling precautions. Wear waterproof gloves, wash your hands and prevent skin contact.
Thoroughly cook meat (well-done).
Prevent insect bites.
Do not drink from untreated water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers.

Did you ever see any health issues with your domestic meat rabbits?

[jdb]

Hi Guys,   
I was thinking about going over to eastern Washington this fall to hunt some rabbits (cottontail).
Anyone here have any advice where to go?  I have no dog, I'll be doing some walking.
JC   

We are at the cyclic high for rabbits in my area. Walk old sagebrush 4x4 roads and you should do well.

for sure. I see probably 10 every morning. I had 6 in my yards a couple nights ago

[KFhunter]

I'd always heard that too, but turns out it's bogus.   Cold weather doesn't kill the parasites or do anything else to the rabbit other than increase calorie demands which if the rabbits are sick may not be able to meet the demands of staying warm.

Tulerma doesn't survive cooking, so wearing gloves and not picking your nose while cleaning a rabbit would prevent getting Tulerma yourself.

TULAREMIA (Rabbit Fever)

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can affect both animals and people. Many wild animals are infected, especially rabbits (snowshoe hare) and rodents (muskrats and beavers). The clinical signs of disease in wildlife are not always present or easily recognized. Infected rabbits may run slowly, appear tame or in a stupor, stagger and are easily captured. Carcasses can have white spots scattered throughout the liver.

There are several ways tularemia can be transmitted or spread to people from animals. The most common way is from contact of bare skin or mucous membranes (skin around the nose, eyes, and mouth) with animal blood or tissue while handling (dressing or skinning) infected wild animals. This includes handling and eating insufficiently cooked meat. Tularemia can also be spread by some external parasites (ticks and deer flies). Less common means are inhaling dust from contaminated soil, drinking from contaminated water or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.

In people, the clinical symptoms of illness depend upon the method tularemia was spread. Skin infections, especially around fingernails, and swollen glands are the usual symptoms of disease as a result of improper handling of infected animals. Ingestion or eating the organism may produce a throat infection, diarrhea and vomiting. Inhaling the organism may produce a fever and pneumonia-like illness.

Take the following precautions to help prevent the transmission of tularemia and other diseases:

Follow animal-handling precautions. Wear waterproof gloves, wash your hands and prevent skin contact.
Thoroughly cook meat (well-done).
Prevent insect bites.
Do not drink from untreated water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers.

Did you ever see any health issues with your domestic meat rabbits?

Nope, all was clean and I disinfected the hutch every so often with bleach solution then pressure washed it out.  I had a bunch of cages I could hold the rabbits in while doing so. 
Any new rabbits were quarantined away from the main hutch, plus I didn't get a lot of outside interaction with rabbits as you would in the show world, so I never seen any pasturella. 

Lost a buck to heat, was on the sunnier side of the hutch.

[jackelope]

I'd always heard that too, but turns out it's bogus.   Cold weather doesn't kill the parasites or do anything else to the rabbit other than increase calorie demands which if the rabbits are sick may not be able to meet the demands of staying warm.

Tulerma doesn't survive cooking, so wearing gloves and not picking your nose while cleaning a rabbit would prevent getting Tulerma yourself.

TULAREMIA (Rabbit Fever)

Tularemia is a bacterial disease that can affect both animals and people. Many wild animals are infected, especially rabbits (snowshoe hare) and rodents (muskrats and beavers). The clinical signs of disease in wildlife are not always present or easily recognized. Infected rabbits may run slowly, appear tame or in a stupor, stagger and are easily captured. Carcasses can have white spots scattered throughout the liver.

There are several ways tularemia can be transmitted or spread to people from animals. The most common way is from contact of bare skin or mucous membranes (skin around the nose, eyes, and mouth) with animal blood or tissue while handling (dressing or skinning) infected wild animals. This includes handling and eating insufficiently cooked meat. Tularemia can also be spread by some external parasites (ticks and deer flies). Less common means are inhaling dust from contaminated soil, drinking from contaminated water or handling contaminated pelts or paws of animals.

In people, the clinical symptoms of illness depend upon the method tularemia was spread. Skin infections, especially around fingernails, and swollen glands are the usual symptoms of disease as a result of improper handling of infected animals. Ingestion or eating the organism may produce a throat infection, diarrhea and vomiting. Inhaling the organism may produce a fever and pneumonia-like illness.

Take the following precautions to help prevent the transmission of tularemia and other diseases:

Follow animal-handling precautions. Wear waterproof gloves, wash your hands and prevent skin contact.
Thoroughly cook meat (well-done).
Prevent insect bites.
Do not drink from untreated water sources such as lakes, streams and rivers.

Did you ever see any health issues with your domestic meat rabbits?

Nope, all was clean and I disinfected the hutch every so often with bleach solution then pressure washed it out.  I had a bunch of cages I could hold the rabbits in while doing so. 
Any new rabbits were quarantined away from the main hutch, plus I didn't get a lot of outside interaction with rabbits as you would in the show world, so I never seen any pasturella. 

Lost a buck to heat, was on the sunnier side of the hutch.

That's great. So far we're disease free here 3+years now. Starting to help a buddy with raising meat rabbits recently. They're beasts. I see more issues with disease from folks who let their rabbits run around in the grass. They pick up all kinds of stuff from that.

[Gobble Doc]

A lot of the rabbits by our place start to thin out by hunting season it seems. I think it's the yotes.

[W_Ellison2011]

A lot of the rabbits by our place start to thin out by hunting season it seems. I think it's the yotes.

I know a quick way to fix that issue lol! We started clearing coyotes out of my parents place and the rabbits have come back pretty strong. 8 coyotes in a little over a year off the property just from my father looking into the pasture and catching one moving through. Mossberg mvp varmin in .223/5.56 topped with a 3-9 scope and 55 gr bullets take care of them really quick!

[brokentrail]

I've grown up running rabbits with beagles and still do.  I start hunting when season opens in September and eat every rabbit I kill.  I can assume the frost comment is related to warbles which I have seen on rabbits and squirrels in my past but never here in Washington State.  They were prevalent in Tennessee, West Virginia, Missouri and Illinois when I was a kid though and I was always told the same thing, only hunt after the first hard frost.

I only hunt rabbits on the West Side so I can't comment on warbles or other parasites on the East Side.

Andy

[Crow]

Been trying to find myself these little critters for the last two years with no luck. Both times out by Soap Lake. I want to head out there again this year, this time after the snow falls.

If anyone would care to join me, wouldn't mind having a companion (especially if they know what they're doing).

Relatively new to hunting and trying to gain knowledge.

[WaHunter]

Never gutted a rabbit, but I believe you want to watch for white spots on the liver for both tularemia and coccidiosis. Although, I imagine black spots on a liver shouldn't be ignored either. I would stay away from anything with a sick looking liver.

I'm looking to get into rabbit hunting, too. Anyone have any luck spotting rabbits in the southern half of region 4?