rabbit hunting

[Rocky Johnson]

Got two rabbits with my fowler yesterday would have got another one but I had a flash in the pan.
Ounce of shot and same measure of 3f swiss and I prime with 3f swiss.
My beagles did there part. I missed two running shots? :winking: Rocky

 

[BillinOregon]

Good on ya, Rocky. Got pix?

 

[bramble]

way to go.

I second the motion on pics

bramble

 

[mopar66701]

thats the way we do it here. beagles and rabbits is our game. its like a surprise when the smoke clears if you see the rabbit laying out there or if he slipped by too fast and got away! we like "smoked" rabbit :haha:

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Sorry guys no pictures. I should have some one come and show me how to post pictures,I have a digatal camera and I take a lot of pictures.
:winking: Rocky

 

[Vaino]

I take it that you hunt cottontails w/ the beagles? Have you ever "still hunted" snowshoes w/o dogs? I've hunted snowshoes w/ a flintlock LR for many years in northern Wisc. and it's akin to deer hunting and being out in the stillness of a remote northern forest w/ a lot of snow on the ground { use snowshoes} is to me, very challenging. Seeing a PRB is the load, only sitting head shots put meat on the table, but in good years have killed as many as 16 snowshoes { no bag limit} on a weekend. But seeing snowshoe numbers are cyclic, have also ended the day w/ a big fat zero, although again it was sheer enjoyment. I think the big difference in hunting between the two, is the type of land....cottontails mainly prefer farmland and snowshoes like very wild country. No comparison as to taste between cottontails vs snowshoes.....cottontails are much tastier and tender, whereas snowshoes are tougher and have a stronger taste even if properly handled. Have shot some snowshoes that weighed 6 lbs. and these were really tough and strong tasting. Both "rabbits" are fun to hunt and I've also spent many enjoyable hours hunting cottontails over a friend's beagles......Fred

 

[KyFlintlock]

way to go, some fine eating there.

wess

 

[guncobbler]

If I had my druthers I'd trade all the deer hunting for some good rabbit hunting even tho I get much more meat from deer hunting. With beagles or stalking on snow. That's heaven. Moving to VT and some good rabbit cover in less than two years and can't wait. GC

 

[Rocky Johnson]

I have hunted snowshoes in upper Michigan but in the southern lower we do not have snowshoes. Would be fun to take my cottontail beagles and try them on snowshoes,I have been told that dogs trained for snowshoes don't run cottontails well??
:winking: Rocky

 

[Vaino]

Have hunted snowshoes w/ dogs only once and these dogs had no problems bringing the hares around, although the "circle" is much, much larger. The dogs used were longer legged beagles amd might have had some crosses w/ larger hounds because of the deep snows prevalent in northern Wisc. This particular day had temps around -10 w/ a foot of snow and seeing the snowshoes are all white except for ear tips and because they run in existing trails that are beaten down, it's sometimes hard to just see the critters. Three hunters shot 7 and it was a very memorable day. Regular sized beagles possibly might have trouble if the snow is deep, but otherwise I imagine a snowshoe hare doesn't smell too much differently than a cottontail. These "northern long legged" hounds I think would be too fast for cottontails....that's what the owner said.....Fred

 

[aloyalistdawg]

Hello
Yep I am going hunting tomorrow... awesome I will let you know how it went...my best regards Loyalistdawg

 

[Herb]

Two friends and I went desert cottontail hunting today, out in the rocky ravines of the oil patch. The rabbits really liked dozed out rock and boulder piles around oil well pads. Temperature never got above three degrees, but it was a beautiful sunny day. By noon we'd killed our limit of 30. They used scope sighted .22 rifles and I used a .40 Muzzleloader Builder Supply small caplock rifle "after the manner of Christian Beck" that I made. And I learned some tough things.

My muzzle isn't coned enough for .395 balls, and after dropping three in the snow and freezing my fingers looking for them (couldn't find them), I'm gonna cone that muzzle more. Had trouble pulling the brass plug from my horn. A wonder I didn't drop and lose the durn thing. I need a lever-opening horn plug, will make one soon. I probably shot 20 to 30 shots with no cleaning or wiping (40 grains of Swiss 2F) and some of the balls needed to be jabbed down. My lube is Murphy Oil Soap and alcohol, patches pre-lubed in a cap tin. I need to cast some more .380's or .390s for ease of loading.

We all took head shots, mine generally about 25 to 50 yards, and the more I missed the more the ribbing made me shoot worse. I used to use an oval Ted Cash capper but had trouble fitting the cap over the nipple in the flash guard. Used a straight one today, nothing but trouble. Those caps are so durn much trouble that the next hunt will be with a flinter.

We cleaned and gutted all the rabbits on the spot and put them in a cooler with snow. I cleaned up my share tonight and will give them to three or four friends, since I don't have a pressure cooker and that really tenderizes the meat. They are very tasty, but a bit tough unless you use only the hindquarters and backstraps.

When you hunt out of the bag like this in the snow and cold, you soon find what doesn't work well, and how to hang things on your bag. Wish I could learn better!

 

[JeffinNZ]

I use a .40 also.

 

[Herb]

Jeff- very nice photo and rifle. Those would be a jack rabbit and cottontail here, the "cottontail" looks bigger than ours. I looked up rabbit recipes on the internet and found lots of them, even for jack rabbits and snow shoe hares. I will try some of the recipes. Found people pleased to get those cleaned rabbits.

Rocky- One place with recipes is[url] www.rabbithuntingonline.com[/url]. They seem to favor Beagles and have some nice recipes.

 

[JeffinNZ]

Thanks.

The larger one is a European hare and the smaller a rabbit. Don't know what sort of rabbits we have but I guess they came from England.

Either way there is no shortage of either.

cheers

J

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Herb
I just brown them in a skillet and put them in a crock pot with a can of cream of mushroom soup,a potato or two an onion. When you get back from hunting dinner is ready.
I have a lot of trouble with caps also when my fingers are cold,have not found a capper that I like,priming a flinter is easy. :winking: Rocky

 

[Ron LaClair]

I use my 20ga fowler on cottontails. My 13" beagle Dolly is a rabbit hunting fool. So far here in Michigan we haven't had much snow, I'm hoping we'll get some soon...a lot more fun with snow.

 

[BrownBear]

Speaking of recipes, if you like Texas-style (no bean) chili, try making your favorite recipe with rabbit. I swear Texans invented their chili for tough jackrabbits and not beef! Makes sense when you realize that harscrabble ranchers usually sold beef rather than eating it, relying on anything else they couldn't sell to fill the pot.

It's good with any rabbit, but it's especially good for older snowshoe hare that tend to be tough. Once you try it, you won't be making rabbit stew ever again.

 

[Goldhunter]

LOL that big one does look like our Jacks compared to out tinny cotton tails. :grin: Our Snowshoe hares here a pretty big, though. If you can find them. And TASTY out of a dutch oven.

 

[Herb]

Say, Jeff, where did you shoot those rabbits? Any I hit with a .40 have no head left. If I am unfortunate enough to hit them in the front body, there is not much left there, either. Are you using very low power loads, shot, "barking" them or what?