Rabbits for a Cause

[NEWHunter]

Well guys, I finally pulled the proverbial trigger. I’ve know about this event for a number of years now and this year things have kind of lined up well enough for me to take the plunge. My son and I have signed up for the 22nd Annual Rabbit Hunt to “Cure MS”.

In the next week or so I’ll be posting up the background as we move toward the big hunt on February 3rd. Cross your fingers the .22 mag is at my house and not three hours away at my parent’s house, or things could get western in a hurry - on a rabbit hunt! And here you were thinking it was the offseason. Wish us luck.

 

[FI460]

Love it. This sounds way more fun.

We're just walking for MS here.

 

[NEWHunter]

At some point in his late twenties my Dad knew something wasn’t right. Because it was the 70s, and men were men, he just kept hammering. At some point in his early 30s it got to be too much to ignore and to continue pushing through. After the usual diagnosis journey he was eventually sentenced with multiple sclerosis. Fortunately, it was now the early 80s, and he didn’t lose anything by ignoring the symptoms because there wasn’t anything the doctors could do.

My Dad hid his symptoms and his diagnosis from almost everybody for years. He didn’t want his disability to affect his job or have other people look down on him because of it. My Mom let me in on the secret while I was in middle school. Unbeknownst to me and the rest of my siblings Mom was helping my Dad button his work shirts. Somewhere in here my uncle got diagnosed as well.

I was in high school in the late 90s when the MS symptoms started to become outwardly noticeable. Oh, and then came the stage 4 cancer from second hand smoke. He beat that one - kinda - the radiation resulted in one of the arteries in his neck becoming fully blocked a year or so ago. The radiation made the blockage inoperable and that bomb could go at any time. I digress.

The MS progressed and my Dad eventually gave up golf and had to quit his softball league. People started to notice and would look at him funny or make wisecracks. Fortunately, we could still keep deer hunting and medicine progressed. Treatment for MS became available.

Time marched on and I went off to college and met a gal. I met her family and one of her uncles happened to own some land outside of Milwaukee. Because the relationship was new, she thought it would be reasonable to follow me around out there looking for rabbits. We eventually found one and it came home with us - not sure if she was impressed or more likely skeptical about a future.

It all worked out and in 2009, we got married and my Dad struggled to his seat using trekking poles because only old people used canes. In lieu of wedding favors, we made a donation to fight MS. In 2011, my wife and I participated in Bike MS for the first time - we raised around $1,000 and I haven’t missed a ride since.

 

[NEWHunter]

I wanted to do more, so I volunteered for a 20 year MS study through the NIH and Harvard. Then I started volunteering at the local Walk MS event. A couple years later I was on the walk planning committee. But the MS just kept coming and my Dad lost his ability to drive. Then came the walker. Mom joined Dad at work so the two of them could do one job.

Then in 2013 we lost our hunting land. My Dad used his business contacts to get access to land close to home and we kept hunting. My Dad kept fighting, but so did the MS. It was time for a scooter. While this was going on the new hunting spots were getting developed and the quality of the hunts deteriorated. I needed something more/better. I found Eastman’s, FreshTracks, Rokslide, and HT. I read, I studied, and I learned. Somewhere in here I found a rabbit hunt to benefit MS - seriously! WTF?

I didn’t ask for any honey holes and never got a ‘Welcome to HT’ but I haven’t let that deter me and have kept posting. I bought points, waited on hunting partners, gave up on hunting partners, did so much HTing I went solo on a second choice. I entered one of the greatest debates in recent history - interstate antelope access. Did more research and finally asked a question: https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/tips-for-a-disabled-hunter-in-wy.287618/

That antelope hunt became more feasible because in early 2018 my Dad got some independence back, if only temporarily. My parents were able to afford and equip a truck for handicap use. And because the universe is funny, the first digits of his license plate read MS365. Really? I think he put on something like 35,000 miles that first year.


While all this was going on I had this rabbit hunt in the back of my mind. At the time the money seemed like a lot given what we were already donating. We lived almost two hours away and I didn’t really have a place to go where I thought I might find a rabbit or two. And then I needed two more people too. It was hard enough to find a bunch guys to buy points together for years and then go out of state let alone drop a couple bucks and find a place to rabbit hunt.

 

[NEWHunter]

A couple of years ago on Walk day the head of our committee introduced me to the newest board member of the WI Chapter of the National MS Society. He stopped because he was new to the role and wanted to see how we did our walk. We talked as we worked. He owned a boat dealership, he had lost multiple siblings to MS, and his family had raised several hundred thousand dollars to support MS - with, wait for it . . . a rabbit hunt! Who knew?

 

[thusby]

That’s awesome, rabbits are in a down cycle around here. I love how you have an hour to pop as many as possible with a pellet gun! Fantastic!

 

[NEWHunter]

Well, when it rains it pours. My brother called about this time last year and mentioned something was going on with his arm. I told him he better get it checked out. He did and everything was fine. Except it wasn’t. The issue continued to persist and my Mom and his new fiancée pushed him to keep looking. He went to Mayo and got diagnosed - with MS. Talk about a kick in the teeth.

And now it’s 2024. I’ve got a couple of kids, a brand new job, and we’ve been living down in SE Wisconsin for a number of years. And kinda like before, I got tired of waiting and ‘maybe somedaying.’ The calendar opened up and I didn’t need any more motivation. I’m going to do this rabbit hunt.

Two more guys to throw in for the entrance fee? Nah, I’m good for it now. Two more guys? Nah, I’ve got an 11 year old son now who’s never shot a rabbit. Place to go? Send a text to the wife’s uncle who’s now only 35 minutes away - permission granted. .22 mag in the safe? Yep, we’re ready!

 

[NEWHunter]

That’s awesome, rabbits are in a down cycle around here. I love how you have an hour to pop as many as possible with a pellet gun! Fantastic!

We can start first thing in the morning and then check in is around noon. So we’ll have a bit of time. I haven’t looked for rabbits around here for almost two decades but I’m hoping we get chances at a couple. Temps should be good!

 

[NEWHunter]

So the weapon of choice for this hunt is going to be the Winchester Model 9422M I purchased back in high school with my lawn mowing money. It’s topped with an ill fitting Tasco 3-9x that Santa brought a year or two later. It has one snowshoe hare to its credit.

Based on the forecast above, temps and precipitation should good. However, snow cover could be problematic. Lots of melting going on right now. I figure this is going to have to be a spot and stalk/still hunt type of deal because my son and I are not hitting rabbits on the run with a .22. I’m hoping for a fresh dusting of snow and some active bunnies!

 

[seeth07]

@NEWHunter Who the heck knew! We are very good family friends with the family that puts on the rabbit hunt. My mom has MS as well and we have been helping out with and participating in that rabbit hunt since it started. We donate a lot to that event as well as provide items to be raffled off at the event. Guess I'll see you there?

Need another spot to hunt?

 

[NEWHunter]

@NEWHunter Who the heck knew! We are very good family friends with the family that puts on the rabbit hunt. My mom has MS as well and we have been helping out with and participating in that rabbit hunt since it started. We donate a lot to that event as well as provide items to be raffled off at the event. Guess I'll see you there?

Need another spot to hunt?

Definitely. My son and I plan on being there. I’ll be surprised if we have any rabbits.

We should be OK with a spot to hunt. Although, I’m not going to say no to any public land bunny holes between Hartford and Cedarburg. If our spot is a bust, I may try some of the limited public on the way to check-in.

Sorry about your Mom. I hope she’s hanging in there OK. It’s hard that it never gets better.

 

[NEWHunter]

I guess I thought I’d share the long winding back story for two reasons. First, I was hoping to relay how this is going to be more than just a a little rabbit hunt for me and how life takes a lot of us on a journey we never anticipated. Second, it’s a couple hour rabbit hunt - how live can the hunt really be.

 

[NEWHunter]

Stopped at the bank today and grabbed some raffle ticket money. Then started pulling gear: Leupolds, shooting sticks, ammo, put the boots inside, blaze, gear for the boy, etc. Its supposed to be about 30 degrees and partly cloudy at daybreak. Unfortunately, most of our snow is gone, so this spot and stalk hunt is going to be a bit more difficult . . . Alarm is set for 5:30. It’s about a 35 minute ride to the missing fields. Wish us luck!

@seeth07 are you on your way yet? See you there! Let’s raise some cash!

 

[seeth07]

I'll be chasing rabbits behind my house at dawn

 

[NEWHunter]

Opportunity knocks.

 

[NEWHunter]

Lots of walking and no bunnies so far

 

[NEWHunter]

@seeth07 where are you?

 

[seeth07]

got my three pretty quickly this AM. Not exactly hard this year as there seems to be a very high abundance of them around!

 

[NEWHunter]

We arrived right about daybreak and moved along nice and slow. In fairly short order I noticed a squirrel a ways off. He saw us and disappeared. As we got closer he popped back out in his limb. I hadn’t figured on a squirrel, but it would be good practice for my son and good fun. I got my son set up on the sticks.

It was about a 40 yard shot. He asked where to aim. I went for broke and told him the head. It had probably been a decade since I last shot the gun, but we found out pretty quick it was on. See post #15. He was a happy camper.

We spent the next two hours or so trying to move slow and quiet in the crunchy snow. We found some limited rabbit sign, but didn’t bump a bunny. We had covered a couple miles and the boy started to get thirsty and enthusiasm was waning a bit. We went back to the truck, grabbed some water and shed some layers.

 

[NEWHunter]

The guy I had hoped would join us had a change of plans and was going to be able to get out for a bit. Knowing this, I left the couple of better spots on the property alone until he could arrive. After we we had our drink, we met up with our third teammate.

Given it was getting later in the morning, we decided to give up the western approach. We hit the high traffic rabbit area and started jumping on the logs, brush piles, and old scrap heaps. Unfortunately, the rabbits were burrowed in deep, and without a dog, there was no budging them. It was time for what I hoped would be our best shot - a 1/4 mile long fence line.



For 200 yards, we pounded on the fence line. Things were looking pretty bleak. There was sign, plenty of places to hide, and no rabbits. My pre-hunt concerns were getting very close to being fully realized.