Hunting rabbits as a start for a newbie?

[Warren]

In the mail today came Gray's Sporting Journal and the first article was by David Foster in which he relates that rabbit hunting has fallen off in recent years.

In the past kids would often learn how to hunt by taking rabbits but that nowadays it seems to be that their first experience may be a four or more hour stint in a tree stand waiting for a buck to come by. And that this could lead to a rapid loss of interest in the new hunter for the sport.

So I ask as I have never hunted but wish to do so and wish to get my kids involved would it make sense to start with rabbits?

It seems like it would be an inexpensive way to start and he says rabbits are great eatin'. Actually because this is GSJ he said there is no better "table fare in the wild."

Thanks,

H2L

 

[Delmar]

IMO, not a bad idea at all. Either that or squirrels. Kids and sitting still are not often found in the same sentence! I think a single shot 20 gauge and a woods full of bunnies is tailor made for a kid.

Funny-my dad would not allow me to have a BB gun, but bought me a single shot 20 for Christmas the year I turned 7, and off to the woods we went. Even as I got to be a know it all teenager and the inevitable arguements would start, all that went to the wayside as we went tromping out the door to the fields.

I no longer have that 20 and my father passed away some years back, but I'll tell you one thing, those memories will be with me for the rest of my days.....

 

[kjaniak]

I started on rabbit and squirrel over 20 years ago. Still hunt them to this day. Still hunt them with the same style guns I did back then as well (Squirrel = .22/20ga OU, rabbit = SXS 16ga or SXS 12ga).

Loved it then and love it now.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I think small game is some of the best hunting going!

Rabbit hunting is great since you can walk and BS, more noise is almost better to scare the rabbits up. Great time, even if you get no rabbits. A day walking in the woods with the kids will be a great time.

Much better than freezing your a$$ off in a tree stand and I think the odds are better of action.

I would really recommend it.

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

hunting rabbits is alot more work than deer hunting, but where you're 10, you probally won't notice...

my first hunting experience was with anything that would move.... a kid with a BB gun in the backyard, hell the cat was fair game!!

 

[Smoke]

First animal I ever killed with a gun was a bunny. When I was old enough to be trusted carrying a gun by myself I often went out to hlep reduce the Jack Rabbit population.

As I grew older I recruited my friends and the ranch trucks and I tried my hardest to prove I could no longer be truseted carrying a gun by myself.

Rabbit hunting in these parts is a good way to get hurt. Usually involves spot lights riding in the back of pickups going 60mph across rough ground and trying to keep your footing while standing on a pile of used brass inthe floor of the bed of the truck. Been more than one person slung out the back.

I even heard someone shot hole in the hood of one of the trucks but I wouldn't know anything about that.

The thrills of youth. (how did I make it to old age?)

Smoke

 

[Warren]

Thanks,


Is bunny shooting the sort of thing that needs a permit or has a particular season?
Where would be the best place to go to find them? I see rabbits all the time along public roadways but I'm guessing that is not an appropriate place to go hunting.

I live in CA so if someone could point me to a resource where I could get info on the legalities and where I should go to hunt. etc. I would appreciate it.




Thanks again,

H2L

 

[theCZ]

I would recommend against eating jackrabbits. They are scrawny, tough, and probably fairly diseased. I haven't had good luck with shooting jackrabbits with a shotgun, a 22 is more my style. I've seen jackrabbits get hit by a 12ga with full choke and small game load and keep running. You can actually see the pellets hit. They have so much energy wound up in them that sometimes when you hit them they jump straight up in the air. A 22lr works, but I might upgrade to a 17hmr because I don't like wounding them and having them run off.

But I tell ya, running into a large jack population is incredibly fun, just make sure you have plenty of magazines!

 

[Warren]

I'm thinking of a NEF single shot in 20 or 28 ga. and a matching youth model for each of my daughters.

I'm not going to load anything heavy in them and they will have recoil pads so I'm hoping this will ease my kids into shooting.

 

[birddog]

Bunnies are a lot of fun for adults or kids. I hunt once the bigger critter seasons are closed. It's great exercise, challenging shooting, and the stakes are not exactly high. If you -- or the kid -- misses a rabbit, so what? There are plenty more to come.

 

[Mannlicher]

I think most of us agree, that learning to hunt is best done by going with someone that really knows their stuff. I learned on the farm up in Virginia, and later as an older child, down in the swamps and forrests of North Fla. I was lucky to have My GrandDad, my Father, and Rev. Lee, a retired Methodist Preacher, to teach me. Rev. Lee was simply a treasure trove of knowledge of the North Florida woods.
I started out with Stevens single barrel 20ga, Modified choke. That and an single shot Winchester .22 rifle, were all I had until Highschool. I learned woodscraft, and I learned to make every shot count.
Small game is always the best place to start. Nothing else provides such a through education in stalking, reading sign, patience, and woodscraft. When a man or boy gets to the point that he is proficient in hunting small game, then taking deer and hogs is almost like a walk in the park.
In the absence of a mentor, and when starting out hunting as an adult, there are many good books on the subject, and there are online resources also.

 

[DFBonnett]

Hunting rabbits as a start for a newbie?

Each of us has his own ideas. My philosophy is not to hunt anything unless I eat it or it is a pest species which degrades my other hunting opportunities, endangers my family, or damages my property.
YMMV

 

[sm]

Wabbits are great for kids, as mentioned above kids don't like to be quiet, or still.

Dogs even make it more fun - heck I still get a kick out of watching and hearing the beagles.

Backpacks distribute the weight off shoulders , and use the waist belt. Works better than a hunting game pouch pulling one' pants down.

We used to have fun hunts for kids - Wabbit was one of the best - after the safety lessons was reiterated - not uncommon to hear. " Okay kids, you can giggle, fart, scratch your rear end and have fun".

There was always one kid " hold my gun please - I wanna pet the dogs first".

The funniest hunt was the kids could shoot whatever gun they were checked out on. Adults had to use single shot .410s.

Kid would miss " shoot it daddy - hurry! Dad would miss and darn near break the forearm / trigger to get a repeat shot off, then another adult...kids looking at adults missing and dar near breaking guns that wouldn't repeat.

"Daddy - you are not very good with that gun - you want to try my 1100?"

Daddy just stands there looking stupid - kid is serious and it is real hard for adults to not laugh at this spl moment b/t a dad and son.

Kids, wabbits, dogs and memories...

Smoke...I may or may not have experience on your method of wabbit hunting - what is the statue of limitations again?

 

[Delmar]

DFBonnett

I totally agree with your hunting ethics. And BTW, you have not lived until you've tasted BBQ cottontail

 

[Hammerhead]

OK, here's a newbie question

Once you have whacked your wabbit, what about the fweas? Err, fleas?

I am thinking that you won't skin each one as you dispatch it, and I am guessing that fleas would leave the carcass as it cooled.

There is an old joke about "busy as a man with a dollar watch and the seven year itch. When he ain't winding, he's scratching." Would the the rabbit hunting version be, busy as a man with a couple of rabbits in his game pouch, and a dollar watch?

Regards,
Hammerhead

 

[MLH]

Don't know about Califragilisticornia

But most states have a season in which to hunt rabbits and a lic. is required for adults and sometimes kids depending on their age. Depends on the state. Any place that sells lic. should have the regs. for you! Good hunting!

 

[Delmar]

I don't hunt edibles until after the first cold snap. Mainly because of fleas, worms, etc.

 

[sturmruger]

When I lived in IA I killed more rabbits then I can count. I always used my 12 gauge when I was out walking around, and my 10-22 when I was watching the garden.

While I have eaten my fair share of rabbits I much prefer beef. My dog likes rabbits and beef about the same so she usually gets the rabbits. In the summer we could make a 40 lb bag of dog food last a couple of months. She is a skinny german shepherd, and the rabbits really helped fatten her up. While I had to leave her in IA with my in-laws she is still overjoyed when I go down to visit. She knows that she will be eating well as long as I am around.

Definetly take the kids rabbit hunting. It is a ton of fun and all you should need is a small game license.

 

[Shalako]

I love hunting rabbits. Here in CA the season for cottontails opens July 1st. I get some the first week of the season every year and have not found any parasites yet. I sure check though.

One thing no one seemed to bring up about starting out hunting with rabbits is game preparation. I think it is a good thing to show newcomers how to turn a critter into table fare. Too many folks think meat comes on a styrofoam dish at the supermarket. Rabbits are small enough to be a good lab example for the steps of preparation. Birds are pretty easy too.

I skin and dress all my rabbits in the field. I carry a mini-cuttingboard in my pack and plenty of wetwipes for the hands. A good rinsing of the dressed rabbit with water from the big jug in my truck and into the ziplock they go. Poultry shears are also real handy.

Just pinch the skin at the back of the neck parallel to the spine and slice across the pinch of skin. Then one hand pulls the skin over the head and the other hand pulls the skin off the body. Ta da. Easy as that. Gutting is another story. Not much smells as bad as the inside of a rabbit. Yikes!