12g loads for snowshoe hare

Butcherbill

Butcherbill

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Quick question for you snowshoe hare hunters, what's your preferred 12g load?

My wife wants to head out hare hunting this year and will be shooting my .22, this means I'll be using a shotgun which is aok by me. I have 2 3/4" #7.5 target loads that is my go to grouse load, 3" magnum #4 & #6 shot. Will be hunting them in a mix of open and semi bushy areas, my instinct is to use the #6 or possibly #4 and aim for the head like I do with grouse.

What do you all use when shotgun hunting hares? Was out checking a spot yesterday that I saw a hare in oct out hunting deer and scouting for new grouse spots, lots of tracks and signs of activity.

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Any of your loads will serve, hare hunting is not very technical. My favourite is a light charge of #6. You don't actually need more than an ounce of shot. IC or no choke is better than full for running shots, or full choke and head shots only if you prefer to shoot them on the sit. Have fun!
 
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If using Lead a field load of #6's always worked for me, if steel a #2 or #4. I would select a modified choke for hare hunting.

The most fun you will ever have bunny hunting is a rabbit hound, a box of .22 rimfire and an open sighted semi auto .22
And a sunny winter day. Enjoy
 
I'd use a .410 as too much lead wrecks the rabbit.........don't really need a bigger gun unless you are sure of headshots.
 
Use the lightest loads you have... the 7.5 target loads are fine and dandy... if you are aiming for the head they are just as good as 3" #4's... you don't need a heavy payload... IMO a double .410 is the best all-around hare gun... and I would choose 2.5" #6's for the .410... but I have killed thousands of hares over the past 40 years with everything from, blowguns, archery, air rifles and pistols, a plethora of .22 LR's and a host of shotguns... so don't overthink it. It is great that your partner wants to get out hunting (MasterCard commercial = priceless) Have fun and good luck.
 
I use whatever I have on me, #4-#7.5 will all work just fine, around here the shotgun is the way to go, safer than the 22 with the houses around and the rabbits always seem to be moving.
 
cdn1canhunt said:
If using Lead a field load of #6's always worked for me, if steel a #2 or #4. I would select a modified choke for hare hunting.

The most fun you will ever have bunny hunting is a rabbit hound, a box of .22 rimfire and an open sighted semi auto .22
And a sunny winter day. Enjoy
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Will be using lead shot and a mod choke, I wish my beagle cross was fine around gunshots. Plus I suspect she would just chase off any and all hare in the area, she loves to chase critters. It's entertaining to watch her howl and run after deer in the yard :)

mbogo3 said:
I'd use a .410 as too much lead wrecks the rabbit.........don't really need a bigger gun unless you are sure of headshots.
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Alas no .410 in the stable, I'll have my 12g I use on grouse. It's patterned and I'm confident of headshots with it, with grouse especially.

hoytcanon said:
Use the lightest loads you have... the 7.5 target loads are fine and dandy... if you are aiming for the head they are just as good as 3" #4's... you don't need a heavy payload... IMO a double .410 is the best all-around hare gun... and I would choose 2.5" #6's for the .410... but I have killed thousands of hares over the past 40 years with everything from, blowguns, archery, air rifles and pistols, a plethora of .22 LR's and a host of shotguns... so don't overthink it. It is great that your partner wants to get out hunting (MasterCard commercial = priceless) Have fun and good luck.
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Cheers Hoyt, when solo I'll be using my .22 but if my wife wants to come hunting I'm happy to let her shoot it. Plus I love shotgun hunting, I'll stick with the #7.5 and bring a couple #6 and #4 for the thick #### or a further distance shot. I did that grouse hunting this year and the #6's worked real well out a bit further, good pattern and a real bang flop effect.

Happy my wife is into coming out, always a fun day when we go for a hike in the off season. So it will be more so during open hunting seasons. Trying to head out today as we had a light dusting overnight, will be easy to see what tracks are fresh or not.
 
Larger shot carries more energy and increases the odds off the shot passing through, which means less shot for me to chomp down on at the dinner table. I haven't used anything smaller than #6's for years.
 
I usually use a 20ga, but a 12 will work. I try to avoid 7.5 or 8 shot, I've found that the individual pellets don't have enough momentum to pass completely through and in a lot of cases I would find them just under the skin on the far side. I hate crunching down on them with your teeth or having to try and pick them out after the fact.

Since I switched to using either #6 or #4 like most others have said I haven't noticed any pellets in the meat and everything seems to have penetrated completely through.
 
I use #6 lead, or #4 steel to change it up - because I never get out waterfowling anyway.

I've killed as many logs as snowshoes with those sizes, but they work well on the hares when I point at the right spot.
 
sherlockbonez said:
Your grouse load is a 3" mag 4s???

I shot my last couple snowshoes with a load of 2.5" 6s out of a 20.
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Who me?

My go to grouse load is 2 3/4" #7.5, I just happen to have a few boxes of 3" #4,5,6 magnum loads I picked up at a garage sale. Used a couple of the #6 mags on grouse further out and they worked real well.

Well the wife and I went out for 3 hrs and walked a bunch of logging road and bush trails, not much fresh tracks to be found today and no hare sighted. Fun times none the less, will continue to search. Have a couple other spot to check out.
 
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I figure if i ever hunt hare I will use a steel BB load, should be perfect no?

Nice big pellets will go right through no problem, no finding them with your teeth later, at least that is my thinking
 
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