Rabbits in the snow

Hi everyone,

After work today I decided to walk about the homestead looking for rabbits. So far I have been unable to connect with anything while using my original 10Ga double barrel shotgun. I set out into the bitter cold (-1F) for a 30 min walk. This time I was actually able to scare up a rabbit and take a shot. I quickly reloaded with paper cartridges and moved forward into the brush line the the rabbit ran into. I could see the rabbit tracks in the snow and an elongated circular pattern of shot, but I was unable to find any blood. I followed the tracks farther (5 Yards) as night fell. I could then see five almost microscopic drops of blood in the snow. This is where the story goes bad. I followed the tracks hoping to finally make some meat with this old smoothie when the tracks just ended (15yards from shot) They ran in a straight line pointing one direction then just stop. I have hunted rabbits a fair amount with modern equipment but have never had this happen. Any ideas where he could have went? Was he abducted by aliens? This is a little disheartening because there is nothing I hate more than loosing game.

-10Ga

Maybe buried up in the snow or made a long jump and you missed where it jumped

hawk or eagle??

2f or 1f powder maybe?

I had this happen with a snowshoe that broke a wire snare and kept going. There were barely discernable imprints of wing tips in the snow where the tracks ended.

There is a resident great horned owl so that is a possibility. I checked for wing prints but didn’t find any. I guess I will just have to keep trying.

10Ga

Owl got it.

I have a bunch of them in the backyard. Fun to watch them and their behaviors.

My kids have raise them as pets and for 4-H. They are pretty easy to care for except they don’t do well in extreme heat. There are many different breeds.

My daughter currently has what’s called a Flemish giant. She just lets it run with the chickens. It eats what they eat including table scraps.

My kids brought home a rabbit that a neighbor had given them. "Please daddy, can we keep it?" "Yeah I guess so"

It was big and all black. Had one ear that stuck up and one that hung down. It was a huge PITA. I had a small garden area that was growing squash. The dang rabbit bit off every single squash plant at the ground but never ate one bit of any of it.

We let it run loose in the fenced backyard but somehow it found a way out. Couple months later the wife and I were out for a walk. A couple kids came up and said "do you know anyone who has lost a rabbit?" I says "What does it look like?" Kid says "it's black and has one ear sticking up and one hanging down?" We said "nope don't know anyone who lost one"

SNOW? GEORGIA? I'm a native Georgia Cracker and have seen more honest politicians down there than snow more than 1/4" deep. Hmmm...Must be mountains...?

I had this happen with a deer it ran towards a creek bed out of sight after hit tracks and blood went right up to creek - this was with fresh snow and one set of tracks to follow. Then absolutely nothing on either side of the creek its like the deer just disappeared. Pondered we looked both sides of the creek nothing. After giving up hope I slipped and fell into the creek breaking the ice and walla below the ice was my deer. best we can guess it expired right at edge and basically nose dove under the ice rim that was created.
Ironically I also shot a doe at 10 yards from the ground with 50 cal. Found dark hair at spot she was standing but not a drop of blood. There was about 15 deer at the time so deer went everywhere so it was tough to know which deer I shot when the all took off in all directions. My dad and I looked for about a solid hour plus and nothing. We gave up and headed back to the truck 20 yards from the truck is my deer laying there. So we followed the tracks back a ways no blood at all. The shot was back third of shoulder a touch over mid body high. She was filled solid with blood inside.