Pucky Freak
Well-known member
I did a fair amount of rabbit hunting this year, and turned up empty all but twice. I hunted this spot in Jan with my bow and got within 20 yards of bunnies a handful of times. They mostly kept to the thick brush where I couldn't shoot. My one shot opportunity I had a narrow window, but missed just a touch high.
I returned to this spot yesterday for my last hunt of the season and uncovered 4 rabbits, but they were skittish and didn't hold long enough to get close. It didn't help that I was unable to walk quietly - it was the deepest snow I've ever hunted in, with each step coming up to about my kneecap, and some spots where it drifted it was up to my pants zipper. My New Years resolution that I have kept has been daily workouts averaging 90 mins through the last day of winter, and this ended up being a game changer in being able to trudge through heavy snow, clamber over deadfalls, up and down steep ravines for 5+ hours of hunting. I did find this happy scavenger who reluctantly moved off the carcass when I retrieved the deer with the DNR officer and a salvage tag. Inside spread ended up being 20" exactly. I found a younger buck in the same stage of decay about 200 yards away. I think they both got hit crossing the road sometime in January.
The rest of the day I hunted another spot with my shotgun. It was the 3rd time I've been there this season, with the other two days I had no shot opportunities. I missed the first two rabbits through heavy cover, and had no shot at a third one. The final bunny bolted from a clump of briars in a crossing shot, and I executed a perfect head shot leading with my extra full choke. It would have been a perfect day to end the season just enjoying the sun and the fresh air even if I had missed, but to bag one at the last opportunity still put a smile on my face.
The meat goes to my wife's aunt, who requested chicken-fried wild rabbit. She and her six siblings grew up in the 40's and early 50's in central IA, and the only meat they ate was what my wife's grandfather could shoot or catch, typically cottontail, squirrel, and catfish on his days off from over-the-road trucking. She and my MIL still love the taste of wild rabbit, so I'm happy to share when I get one.
I returned to this spot yesterday for my last hunt of the season and uncovered 4 rabbits, but they were skittish and didn't hold long enough to get close. It didn't help that I was unable to walk quietly - it was the deepest snow I've ever hunted in, with each step coming up to about my kneecap, and some spots where it drifted it was up to my pants zipper. My New Years resolution that I have kept has been daily workouts averaging 90 mins through the last day of winter, and this ended up being a game changer in being able to trudge through heavy snow, clamber over deadfalls, up and down steep ravines for 5+ hours of hunting. I did find this happy scavenger who reluctantly moved off the carcass when I retrieved the deer with the DNR officer and a salvage tag. Inside spread ended up being 20" exactly. I found a younger buck in the same stage of decay about 200 yards away. I think they both got hit crossing the road sometime in January.
The rest of the day I hunted another spot with my shotgun. It was the 3rd time I've been there this season, with the other two days I had no shot opportunities. I missed the first two rabbits through heavy cover, and had no shot at a third one. The final bunny bolted from a clump of briars in a crossing shot, and I executed a perfect head shot leading with my extra full choke. It would have been a perfect day to end the season just enjoying the sun and the fresh air even if I had missed, but to bag one at the last opportunity still put a smile on my face.
The meat goes to my wife's aunt, who requested chicken-fried wild rabbit. She and her six siblings grew up in the 40's and early 50's in central IA, and the only meat they ate was what my wife's grandfather could shoot or catch, typically cottontail, squirrel, and catfish on his days off from over-the-road trucking. She and my MIL still love the taste of wild rabbit, so I'm happy to share when I get one.
