why I don't like rabbit hunting

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

matt9052

Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2006
Messages
72
Location
Iowa
Today is opening day for Squirrels and rabbits in Iowa. It is not a good thing. I was excited to get out and chase rabbits until I realized that no place in my county allows hunting until October 1st. This means driving over 30 miles to an open area or ditch hunting with my shotgun. I don't really want to do either of those with $3.50 gas.

Why must they torture us and open the season before the parks are open for hunting?
 
my grandpa always told me you don't hunt rabbits till the first inch of snow is on the ground. So at this time of year we cut wood and made brush piles. When the first inch of snow came we knew where the rabbits were gonna be. Gramps always said it had to do with fleas or mites on the rabbits till it got cold.....and the makin' of the brush piles was an attractant. I just figured it was a way to motivate his grandkid into helpin' with the firewood. Still, to this day I don't shoot a rabbit till there's snow on the ground. Unless they're nibblin' on my blueberry bushes.
 
+1 on the creepy crawlies infesting the grass, brush, & rabbits.

I get Chiggers & Ticks just thinking about rabbit / squirrel hunting this time of year!

Also, it's real hard to keep the meat in good shape in a hunting vest when it's 90 degree's outside.

rcmodel
 
Last edited:
Only 30 miles, and you can buy gas for only $3.50 where you are?

Quitchurbitchin.
 
I'd be happy if I only had to drive 30 miles to hunt... I live in urban STL, but hey, gas is $3.24 here :neener:

HB
 
Haha, so out of luck! You have to drive 30 miles!!!!!!!!! That is insane, I couldn't even walk that far in an hour! lol
 
Sick rabbits die after the first cold weather. You don't want to eat the sick ones.

That's how it was told to me.
 
The only time I've EVER heard of a season for wabbits is on Looney Toons. LOL Texas has no season, open all year, no limits, hunting at night is fine (best time, actually). In this part of the state, there's no squirrel season. East Texas has a season, though, and that's where the best squirrel hunting is. I LOVE hunting up there. :D

I've killed rabbits all seasons. Summer, they can have wolf worms (a subcutaneous ring worm). If the animal is lethargic, I'd suspect it for tularemia, but wearing gloves and cooking thoroughly will keep you safe. However, I never hunt 'em in summer, too hot and too damned many mosquitoes and rattlers around here.
 
I have to drive 15-miles just to SHOOT! Things could be more inconvenient (I deliberately didn't say "worse," because there are folks out there facing "worse," unfortunately.). Enjoy what you have.
 
Hey, I'm just saying that in the dozen or so parks in my county, at least one of them could be open for hunting early. There isn't a shooting range in my county either. What am i supposed to do? Also no dove hunting in Iowa.
 
My land is 25 miles from my house and gas is no cheaper here. I often use the motorcycles to go down there, or the wife's 40 mpg Toyota. But, a hunt now and then with the 15 mpg van ain't a really big deal. Just save up for the gas. Don't go get a second mortgage on the house for it. LOL I mean, it might come to that before it's all over, but not yet. :rolleyes:

I got it pretty well made, though. Gun club range is maybe 4 miles, land is 25, and I have great duck hunting just 20 miles away. I know guys that drive 400 miles to a deer lease. I don't have to do THAT, at least, well, not anymore. I did some time ago, though. Gas is just too high and my income too low for that anymore.
 
Sorry your state doesn't allow dove hunting.

It's some of the best wingshooting you can imagine. And our seasons (Texas and Oklahoma) start TOMORROW!
 
Snow?

Wait 'til the "first" inch of snow? If that's the case, rabbits are safe in Alabama!!! We got 2 inches TOTAL in March of 2008 and 0 inches in 2007! Never seen a sick rabbit myself but have seen them (as well as squirrels) with wolf worms(bottfly larvae) until after the first frost.
 
Here in southeast texas, my friends and myself all wait for the weather to hold a steady frost temperature prior to hunting rabbits, never had a problem with squirrels at anytime of the year.
 
Grew up in N. Michigan and had the same type of stories told about not hunting rabbits till after the first snow or sometimes frost, depended on who was telling the story. My older brother was the best rabbit hunter I've ever seen in my life, for over 30 years he consistenly limited out every time he'd head out to the woods.

He had a couple of theories for how some of these stories came about. We hunted snowshoe rabbits 90% of the time and a snowshoe spends his summer months with a brown fur that molts to a white after the weather gets colder, natural camo. Don't hunt the rabbits till 1st snow = wait for the rabbits to start to turn white. He thought the rabbits fur changed in response to the shorter daylight hours.

Wait till after the first frost made some sense as far as the fleas and ticks were concerened as the pests don't do cold, however the fleas and ticks would start to jump off within 10-15 minutes after the rabit was dead anyway.

His hard and fast rule was to field dress the rabbit as soon as you killed it and examined the guts, looking at the condition of the intestines and color of the liver. If there were worms in the intestines or the liver wasn't a nice healthy dark red without splotches you left it there for the foxes/coyotes. So long as it passed that inspection it could then go into the game pouch.

I now live in AZ and I routinely hunt rabbits in the fall/winter. Jacks and Cotton tails are whats available here. I've since added a few extra precautions to his rules and that is the fur should be in good shape and not have any bald or patchy spot plus the ears need to be free of growths.
The Jacks make a pretty good stew, but the Cotton tails are excellent parboiled and then fried or baked.

Sorry about the cost of gas keeping you in, but maybe you could give up some other activity to redistribute the money to your hunting fund.. Car pooliing with other hunters could also make it more affordable.

Good luck.
 
Let's see.

First, you buy a bunch of land in the country.
Second, you move there.
Third, you hunt.

How hard can that be to figure out? You live in the wrong place.
 
Check the liver, if it is Orange or yellow in color or has white streaks in it, bury the thing deep and leave it alone. Also, when you open a rabbit up if you see worms or wormy things, bury it.

Honestly, it is compartively rare to find these issues, but be on the safe side and check.

I think that the myth about eating rabbits in cold weather has to do with rabies. Just my guess, as I can't find a single reason as to why you wouldn't want to otherwise.

Use gloves, cook the meat well. Enjoy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

somethingbenign
  • Locked
The Interim Hunt
Replies
4
Views
347
marksman13
marksman13
E
  • Locked
I need a place to hunt (IL)
Replies
11
Views
1K
PapaG
P
A
  • Locked
New to hunting in Washington
Replies
2
Views
459
wyohome
W
American_Fusilier
Never been hunting, need help!
2 3 4
Replies
98
Views
2K
Hugger-4641
Hugger-4641
B
  • Locked
Distress rabbit coyote call called in a dozen.....squirrels?
Replies
10
Views
1K
PhotoBiker
P
Back
Top