Willow branches and frozen leaves crunched under my step. I paused for a brief instant, when a brown blur rocketed from beneath my feet and started dodging and weaving through the underbrush like a fullback bouncing off tacklers and struggling to gain precious ground.
Instinctively I snapped my Red Label 20-gauge to attention and fired quickly (to quickly) at the animal. The shot charge churned up leaves and dirt a body length behind the fast-stepping cottontail. A second shot proved more useful.
The animal slowed down his escape momentarily to squirt through a maze of grape vines and tangled underbrush. When the shotgun barrel passed the rabbit, I touched off the second barrel and watched the bunny and action skid to an abrupt end.
The cottontail made a fatal mistake. Had the animal poured on the coal a second or two longer my swing might not have caught up before his white rump patch disappeared in the thick cover.
A 1-1/8 ounce load of No. 6 shot proved more than a match for this cottontail. Before I could collect my prize, a single shot rang out from the end of the swale I was pushing.
A good sign I thought to myself.
My brother Mike was acting as a blocker at the narrow end of a pear-shaped thicket. My job was to push the cover slowly and put waiting cottontails into the squeeze box. Mike's job was to make sure no nervous victims made a premature exit.
About 50 yards long, the thicket lay in a low corner of a picked corn field. At the end of the thicket a narrow patch of grass packed down from winter snow connected this island of preferred bunny habitat to a dense undergrowth of dogwood bushes and goldenrod stems.
The ideal setup for a two-man drive, my brother and I knew that if any rabbits were at home they would either set tight until the driver almost stepped on them or slip out the fire escape at the first hint of danger.
As it turned out, the rabbits tried both avenues of escape. On this day they were unsuccessful.
Apparently my shots had disturbed a second rabbit that figured it best to abandon ship. The unsuspecting cottontail casually hopped his way headlong into a 1-1/4 ounce charge of chilled No. 4s fired from a 12-gauge Remington 11-87.
Neither rabbit felt any pain. Our shots were well placed and our ammunition well chosen.
Hunters interested in one last hurrah before small game season closes for another year will find the cottontail rabbit an abundant and fast stepping challenge. The ideal quarry for the scattergun hunter, nearly any gauge or action shotgun can be an effective rabbit weapon.
A Word On Weapons
The 12-, 16- and 20-gauge weapons are the best choices for rabbit hunting. Smaller gauges may also be used effectively, but the limited shot charges these smaller guns throw makes the 28-gauge and .410 guns better suited to expert than average shooters.
Pumps, auto-loaders, doubles, over-unders, and single barrel guns are all fine choices. I shy away from single-shot guns for obvious reasons. Without a follow-up shot, rabbit and other upland game hunting loses some of its fast-paced action and excitement.
Most hunters enjoy shooting, and missed shots are nothing to be ashamed of in rabbit cover. My attitude towards upland hunting has always been the same. It's not important how many animals you bag, it's how many times you shoot that counts!
The ideal rabbit gun takes on many different shapes and sizes. For driving and heavy-cover hunting, I prefer a fast-pointing double or over-under weapon. My 20-gauge Ruger Red Label features three-inch chambers that readily accept light field loads or magnum charges of buffered shot.
When the action promises to be underfoot, I select one-ounce or 1-1/8 ounce loads of No. 6 shot. These combinations have proven to be ideal loads for rabbit shots taken from 10 to 25-yards.
If I'm a blocker or expect longer pokes, I load the tubes with three-inch 1-1/4 ounce maximum loads of No. 4 shot. Loaded in this manner, my little 20 delivers the wallop of a standard 12-gauge shotgun.
With a few 2-3/4 inch and three-inch shells stored in my game vest, I'm ready for any and all types of rabbit hunting action.
Other hunters might argue that the standard 12-gauge is the best all around rabbit weapon. Loaded down to one-ounce field loads of No. 6 or 5 shot, the 12-gauge performs admirably at 10-25 yards. The same weapon with a 1-1/4 express field load will effectively reach out 10 more yards. For maximum range, try the 1-1/2 ounce baby magnums. Many of these magnum loads feature buffered shot charges and copper-plated pellets designed to deliver tighter patterns at maximum ranges.
Choke selections are also important. The hunter moving through thick cover is best equipped with an improved cylinder choke. Blockers that are sometimes forced to take longer shots are better served with a tighter modified choke.
Screw-in choke tubes provide the hunter the best of both worlds. I keep my choke tubes stored in a small plastic box along with a choke tube wrench. This box never leaves the pocket of my hunting vest from September 15 until the season closes on March 31.
Changing choke tubes in the field only takes a moment, and can mean the difference between peppering rabbits with pellets or watching them scamper between the holes in a shot pattern.
Lean and mean versions of the Remington model 1100 and 870 auto-loader and pump guns known as "special field" weapons are ideal upland hunting tools. Short barrels, trimmed down forearms, and straight grip English-style stocks yield light and fast handling guns.
Browning also produces a fast-handling 20-gauge pump gun capable of handling three-inch magnum loads. Complete with choke tubes, the BPS 20 is a versatile weapon that tackles many upland hunting chores.
Identifying Cottontail Habitat
Like all living creatures, cottontails need food, water, suitable cover, and enough space to live and thrive. Regions that don't offer these essential elements will yield few bunnies.
Food and cover types are the most important considerations. Rabbits need very little water to survive. Most of the moisture they need is gained from the foods they eat, dew on plants, or snow.
Food is a critical element of locating cottontail rabbits. Like any animal, rabbits have favorite food types. Concentrations of these fleet-footed game animals are sure to be found close to prime food sources.
Corn, soybeans, and other grain crops are favorite rabbit forages. Areas where these crops are located adjacent to heavy cover is sure to attract and hold good rabbit populations.
Where farm crops are scarce, rabbits prefer to feed on the tender bark of dogwoods, young maples, ashes, and especially fruit trees during late winter. Wild apple, hawthorn, or cherry groves are prime areas to find rabbits.
Not only do these animals feed on the bark of young trees, they thrive on the windfall fruit. Fence rows, shelter belts, and other areas where the snow drifts enable rabbits to climb up onto the piles of snow to reach low branches with tender bark.
Abandoned orchards that feature tall grasses, fallen trees, and bush piles from past tree trimming operations make ideal rabbit hunting spots. If the area has a few abandoned woodchuck dens, so much the better. Although rabbits aren't capable of digging their own dens, they don't hesitate to remodel those of another creature.
Rabbits are sure to be found any place where abandoned agricultural equipment sets rusting among tall weeds and other cover. Chunks of plywood, boards, or sheet metal lying around are also good places for bunnies to snuggle up.
Rabbits can also be found in low swampy areas that feature thick growths of tag alder, willow, and pockets of cattails and other marsh grasses. The colder the weather, the thicker the cover these small animals will seek out.
On warm sunny days, rabbits can often be found lounging on grassy hillsides. If snow or cold weather prevails, it's wise to seek out cottontails in the thickest available cover.
Gullies, grassy low spots, and dry creek beds are excellent rabbit haunts. Any place that allows rabbits some protection from cold winds and ample food supplies will consistently hold cottontails.
Hunting Methods
Cottontails can be effectively hunted using a wide variety of methods. During the late season, planning small two- and three-man drives is productive. The key to this hunting method is choosing manageable-sized pieces of cover and placing the blockers or standers in strategic locations.
Places where thick cover surrounded by more open terrain funnels the movements of rabbits are good hunting sites. Standers should move into position as quietly as possible and remain motionless during the drive to avoid alerting game.
Drivers are obligated to move slowly and incorporate a start-and-stop walking pattern.
Rabbits jumped by the drivers provide sporty shooting opportunities. Those animals that move ahead of the driver or escape shotgun blasts are headed off by the blockers.
Small drives work best when the animals haven't been hunted hard. Once a bunny has survived a hunting drive or two, they develop an uncanny knack for slipping between the drivers, bolting out the back door, or sitting tight and letting the drive simply pass them by.
Hunting with hounds is very effective. The classic means of moving cottontails from heavy cover, houndsmen enjoy fast paced shooting sport.
Serious hunters use a pack of beagles to sniff out rabbits. A small army of barking and howling hounds builds a fire under nearby rabbits. Long before the hounds get close enough to see their quarry, the rabbit is moving in an attempt to circle around the intruders.
Hunters must position themselves along likely escape routes. It's critical that shooters remain still while waiting for rabbits to circle past. Cottontails have excellent eye sight and can spot a fidgeting hunter well out of shotgun range.
A lone hunter can also enjoy excellent rabbit hunting sport if he plans his hunts carefully. Hunters working on their own must move into cottontail country slowly and quietly. Excess noise will alert nearby rabbits and allow them to conveniently circle around the intruder.
Still hunting tactics, not unlike those used by deer hunters, are equally productive on cottontails. A single hunter moving slowly through prime rabbit habitat can often walk within shotgun range.
The trick to this hunting method is moving slowly and stopping often to scan nearby brush and cover. Wise hunters look deep into the branches and cover for motionless cottontails.
Some hunters concentrate on two tracks and off-road trails that allow the hunter silent access into rabbit country. If cottontails can be spotted before they bolt, a .22 rimfire rifle is the most sporting weapon. Those rabbits that hot step it from the approaching hunter are targets for the shotgunner.
This still hunting method is the perfect way to practice deer hunting skills. A hunter who can consistently sneak to within shotgun range of rabbits can do the same on whitetails.
Rabbit hunting is also the perfect time to be afield scouting for deer hunting areas. I use rabbit hunting as a convenient excuse to keep tabs on the deer living in my hunting area. I've also found some of my best bow stands while hunting for rabbits.
Copyright (c) 1997 Mark Romanack. All rights reserved.
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