Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Coyote, Small Game, Varmints => Topic started by: James Bosley on January 24, 2009, 08:03:48 PM

Title: rabbit hunting??
Post by: James Bosley on January 24, 2009, 08:03:48 PM: i would like to go rabbit hunting but i have no luck finding the rabbits where should i look and what kind of stuff do they eat?? i have a 10/22 that is what i will use for the rabbits or should i use my 12 ga or my 20 ga
Title: Re: rabbit hunting??
Post by: atomicjoe23 on January 25, 2009, 12:34:12 AM: Where I grew up in Illinois we mostly used a shotgun for rabbit hunting because 90% of the shots were at little running rabbits. . .it would help if you had a beagle to jump the rabbits for you. . .

. . .a 10/22 will work great if you can get still shots at the rabbits though. . .that's what I carried with me when I was in the woods most of the time
Title: Re: rabbit hunting??
Post by: CastleRocker on January 25, 2009, 01:36:28 PM: My son is out hunting them in the fresh snow right now. If you have fresh snow, just go up in the woods and find some tracks, then take your time and track them until you see them. He is using a 22 pistol.

Around here they like Blackberry brush, or Scotchbroom. Find a farmers field with Blackberry bushes in it or around it, and you will have rabbits. We use 410's. I guess a 20 guage with light loads would be the next choice. We use the largest choke possible, as most of the shots are running, and very quick and close. Buddy of mine used to have the "toy" size beagles, now THAT was a blast!

Then, after you clean and eat them, save the carcasses/hides/guts for coyote bait. I just put it all in a 3 gallon bucket in the freezer and when it gets about 1/3 to 1/2 full, I put enough water in it to make a 3/4 full bucket, and let it freeze solid. Then pick a spot that you can sneak up to within good shooting range from and dump the whole ice/rabbit/etc block out of the bucket. Usually lasts for a couple days that way, depending on weather. If you put it in a ditch, they can't pack it off as easily when it starts to thaw. Then, after it's gone, go back and call. I guess that's off subject, but it works.
Title: Re: rabbit hunting??
Post by: Clumber on January 25, 2009, 09:48:33 PM: Well there is our property... after the floods the damn things are EVERY-[expletive]ing -where. Our dogs retrieve them to us every so often... and now one of the 100% indoor cats has a couple fleas (no one else yet) and I think it is a related event. I am planning on some population control, but so far my free time has not coincided with when the neighbors kids are indoors and not possibly horrified witnesses...

I do have a great pellet rifle with red light, so I'll be doing that some late night soon.