MyHuntingForum.com
Hunting by Game/Technique => Small Game => Topic started by: Rabbit hunter on Feb 03, 2006, 10:57:33 AM
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Looking for tips on Hunting Rabbits without dogs
Im using a Pardner 12ga single shot
i live in FairField COunty Ohio
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I usually hunt without dogs so I no the difficulty you are probably having. Do you hunt with a partner? If you do, the best way to go is basically have one person act as you dog and the other person stand by and opening in the brush waiting for a shot. Once you locate some rabbit cover, whoever is acting as the flusher must push through the cover to try driving the rabbits out. Make sure to kick every clump of brush and jump on the piles of brush, you'd be surprised at where a rabbit will hide. The other hunter should be in an area that provides good firing lanes so he can get shots at flushing rabbits. The next piece of cover just switch places. Make sure everyone wears plenty of orange and know where each other is at all times.
If hunting alone, I don't even try for rabbits unless there is snow on the ground. I've take a few incidentally while hunting for grouse or pheasants without snow but hunting alone is tough. If there is snow I track rabbits back to their cover and just keep working it back and forth. Hunting rabbits without dogs is tough but can be done.
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I don't hunt rabbits but I usually flush them when grouse hunting. They like to hang out in hedge rows between farm fields. If you have acess to farm fields walk the hedge rows and the edges of fields. Usually the rabbit will run about 10 yards and then freeze. You can usually still see them. Good luck.
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snowshoes aren't all that hard to hunt without dogs although still harder than if you had dogs. if you don't have dogs i usually just walk until i find a fresh track(its always real easy right after snow or during) and just follow that track. snowshoes, when being persued tend to run in circles, the faster they are pushed the tigher the circle will be. if you are following the track keep look ahead of you and dont be surprised if you end up where you started. if thats the case and you havent got a shot at the rabbit yet walk faster and keep on the track, you'll catch up eventually, try to cut corners as much as possible, stay to the outside of the track to get the rabbit to run tighter circles and when it looks like it starts to turn sharp cut that corner off. sometimse you'll catch them sitting there watching for you. if its a nice sunny day and you haven't cut a fresh track keep your eyes open in patches of sun where it is breaking through the trees, snowshoes feed primarily at night and rest during the day and on cold days will sit in the sun whenever possible. cotton tails are a different story, they like to run into holes and you usully only get one shot at them after you jump them.
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I hunt rabbits by myself and all i do is just walk really slow stop and look around every couple of steps if yur eyesight is really good yull see em sittin and get a shot keep in mind the best time to go is just after daylight,did this today and got 2 in 10 min.
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I usually hunt without dogs so I no the difficulty you are probably having. Do you hunt with a partner? If you do, the best way to go is basically have one person act as you dog and the other person stand by and opening in the brush waiting for a shot. Once you locate some rabbit cover, whoever is acting as the flusher must push through the cover to try driving the rabbits out. Make sure to kick every clump of brush and jump on the piles of brush, you'd be surprised at where a rabbit will hide. The other hunter should be in an area that provides good firing lanes so he can get shots at flushing rabbits. The next piece of cover just switch places. Make sure everyone wears plenty of orange and know where each other is at all times.
If hunting alone, I don't even try for rabbits unless there is snow on the ground. I've take a few incidentally while hunting for grouse or pheasants without snow but hunting alone is tough. If there is snow I track rabbits back to their cover and just keep working it back and forth. Hunting rabbits without dogs is tough but can be done.
This is a pretty good description, I agree with it a lot.
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i usuallt use a dog but advice for you who dont is walk through the THICKESTT nastiest stuff that you see and u should be able to kick them out
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What I do is just walk normal. When you chase one up whistle. They will stop right in their tracks and BOOM!
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First snow fall is a favorite time, walk along likely areas slowly and steady. Rabbits tend to sit still and with the snow they stick out like a sore thumb. On bitter days go back to areas the sun hits pretty well, sit and watch or walk parallel from a little bit of a distance. They like to sit outside of their hole warming up in the sun, a well placed .22 works best for this situation. The usual way is to walk likely areas, you have to be very erratic, stop and go, vary speed, kick every brush pile, occasionally stomp your foot or kick at a tuff of grass. Never a steady straight line or they will sit tight and let you walk by. Always safety first and good hunting to you...