rabbit/hare hunting in western

[Quick_Draw_McGraw]

i was wondering if there are any good places to go hunt for ether in the auburn, tacoma, seattle surrounding areas?

[ICEMAN]

No, there aren't.

[Quick_Draw_McGraw]

so only eastern washington? im looking for something that i could drive to in a few hours hunt for the day and drive back mainly.

[bowhuntin]

I think I read in the Fishing and Hunting news last year sometime about along the lower yakima river was good for rabbits and some where around Lake Kachess. Maybe someone will have better knowledge of this. I have never hunted for rabbits.

[ICEMAN]

Quickdraw, I was being a wisea$$ last night. But, I have not been able to find any substantial populations in Western Washington in many many years. Private and state timberland is a waste of time, unless you find that right pocket which has withstood the coyote population.... I have heard that farm areas in the Skagit basin can be good, but I have not seen it. Western WA just has never produced alot of bunnies for me, maybe someone else has a better tip...I do not know enough private farm owners    ......Good luck.

[catwithboost]

Times have changed around here over the past 20 years. I remember growing up and seeing rabbits all over the place on the west side. The coyotes are getting smarter and the rabbits are getting fewer on the westside.

[MikeWalking]

The only real sizeable population of rabbits I've seen over here are all the Easter "presents" that get dumped in Woodland Park above Greenlake.

[Bscman]

I will attest there are TONS of rabbits in the Skagit Basin. I'm on the farm all the time chasing them buggers.

Just FYI, everything west of I-5 in  skagit county is closed to rifles and rimfires, so shotties only.

Otherwise, I ran into a guy a few years ago that ran dogs in the bellingham area for rabbits. He invited me along, but I never was able to make it. He claimed it was pretty common to come home with half a dozen or so rabbits in just a mornings work.

There are a few pockets I've sumbled across around the Mosquito Lake area, as well. Tons of hunters up there on some State land to fight with, but there are bunnies running around.

[bowhuntin]

I have a seen a lot of rabbits while just driving over to the little naches on the logging roads up above green water off of highway 410. Up near Gov't Meadows...

[DeKuma]

Use to take a lot of rabbits up by Government Meadows.  Seems lately that the coyote population is getting the better of them though.  Would make a good place for coyote hunting now.  Kill enough of them off and maybe the rabbits will make a comeback.

[rooselk]

I run into cottontails all the time. Unfortunately, though, they are around my neighborhood rather than a place where I can hunt them.

A couple of years back I, too, ran into a guy from Bellingham who hunts rabbits. He had a couple of beagles and a jack russell (we talked because he saw that we had a beagle as well). He claimed that there were lots of westside places to hunt cottontails but I didn't press him on the issue. He said that he had good success with rabbits but mentioned that he also hunts on the eastside of the state as well as the westside.

Personally, I'd love to do some rabbit hunting with my bow.