Advice for Rabbit Hunting - Northern Ontario

Douglas_Gunner

Douglas_Gunner

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Hello all,

I am a new hunter and will be hunting in Northern Ontario (Thunder Bay area) for snowshoe (varying) hare this winter since the season stretches to March 31st. I will be on foot walking trails alone with a 12-gauge pump. I've seen a few rabbits during my grouse hunt this past fall but never got a great shot at one. My research into loads and tactics have come up with contradictory info so I thought I'd post here. Can anyone recommend:

- shot size
- choke type
- good habitat/tactics to explore
- preferred time of day for success

My pump shotgun is a 12-gauge Benelli Supernova with a 28" barrel.

Thanks!
 
Early morning and late afternoon helps. Look for rabbits along the edge the key is to look for the black eye. I would shoot IMP CYL and # 6 shot. Magnum loads are not needed. A good mix of birch, poplar and spruce seems to hold them Look for tracks and where they have been chewing bark off of downed trees and limbs. Move slow and use your eyes they are your best resource for winter hare hunting. Most of your shots will be at sitting hares. The ones that bolt usually get out of sight before you can get into action.

Darryl
 
Look for the black eyes go slow cover the same thickets more than once....ditch the 12 gauge and use a 22.
 
Generally I use size 4 and I aim just above the head it's always a kill and almost never any shot in the meat. I personally do prefer using my 20 or 16 as I find one mistake with a 12 and there is nothing left. A 22 rim fire also works great. If you startle a bunny give a sharp whistle and quickly aim. Sometimes a sharp whistle will startle the bunny enough that is stops to see where the sound came from.
 
Lead shot #6 field loads
Modified choke
Cedar swamp and poplar thickets
Early am, late afternoon.

Best tip I can give you, buy a beagle. Your success wil increase tenfold. If you buy the dog you can leave the shotgun at home if you don't you'll get tired of cleaning and eating rabbit.... buy a good semi auto .22 rimfire, increases the challenge.

If you don't want to buy a dog. A hunting partner is a great asset. find a cedar swamp. stander tries to find a spot of high ground with decent visibility as dogger wades in a zig zags around the thicket. Hopefully moving rabbits past the stander. Or try a tandem push. stay close together 25-30yrds apart max. One hunter moves ahead slowly 15-20yrds as the other hunter stands still and watches for runners. Then stander moves past the other hunter who is now the stander. Work your way through the cover slowly expect shots at escaping rabbits. Wear Orange and be aware of we're each other's position.

As someone else mentioned the quantity of trails and tracks and chewing will let you know when you are in the right cover for snowshoes. Good luck!
 
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#6's are fine for your shotgun... go out on overcast days, on sunny days there is too much shadow and contrast to see well. Hares like to sit on mounds where they can see during the day, it allows them to scoot down the backside if danger approaches. We have shot thousands of hares over the years, with every conceivable weapon... the trick is always to find them. Go out a couple days after a snowfall when they have moved around but you know the tracks are fresh so they are in the vacinity... it helps to have a partner, walk about 30 yards apart, depending on how thick the cover is... then take turns moving forward... one walks ahead of the other 20 yards then stops in a spot with good visibility, then the other moves ahead... continue through "rabbity-looking" cover that way, trying to spot hares moved by your partner.
 
I grew up in Thunder Bay hunting grouse and snowshoe hare. I always liked using a larger # shot like 4 or 5 cause in the winter the hares will likely be in the thick stuff. Thick brushy swampy areas will be best, judge an area by the amount of tracks present.

Move slowly taking your time to look all over really well, spend extra time looking in places where the snow has built up on low branches or fallen trees and offers hares a small natural cave like shelter for them get out of the wind.

If one is running try giving a loud sharp whistle, this will sometimes stop them and give you a shot. Try to shoot them in the head, almost all of the meat is in the rear end.

Use snowshoes when the snow gets to deep to walk comfortable, snowshoes will increase the amount of ground you can cover, use smaller size snowshoes for thick bush. Good Luck.
 
I haven't hunted snowshoe hares, but cottontail are similar. Like others have mentioned, put your boots to the ground a couple days after fresh snow and let fresh sign tell you where you should be hunting as this is the easiest method for learning what types of terrain and cover they prefer.

You mention seeing some, but none presented a great shot. That is rabbit hunting. If you plan on waiting for great shots you'll end up going home empty handed more often than not, which is what makes a shotgun so great. If you can see the rabbit running through thick brush, odds are enough shot will connect with the animal to make it a meal. This is why you'll see many shotgun hunters suggesting 4, 5 or 6 shot as it punches through brush better than smaller shot. You'll be surprised by how many you get when taking "impossible" shots.

As with spotting other game, do not look for the entire animal or you'll miss many. You need to practice and train your eyes/brain to pick out specific parts of the animal.
 
There are no or very few cottontails where the op will be hunting. Snowshoe hares do circle but circles are quite large and they do not necessarily stay on the same trail. Even when my old beagle would run them they would be out of earshot before they started to circle back. If the snow is deep they will be on a trail just not always the one they left on.
 
Thanks for all the great tips! I'll likely try a .22 next year but the 12-gauge is all I have access to this winter. I suppose I'll have to venture off the trails I normally walk but I can already picture where I'll go which is good.
 
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