Advice for Rabbit Hunting - Northern Ontario

sherlockbonez said:
I only hunt them during moose season and always had luck with them circling back, sometimes even after missing the first barrel. However, i only shoot a few a year as there are no varying hare down here.
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They do circle, but unless you are running them with hounds it could be hours before they return to their home turf... definitely not worth sitting still and waiting.
 
I'll be getting out soon for sure! I was going to this morning but a snow squall warning is going on and the temperature is diving back down to -25*C today. I'm planning to at least check out my spot on Saturday, though I might also go on a hunt depending on the weather. Does anyone notice how temperature affects the hares' activity?
 
Douglas_Gunner said:
I'll be getting out soon for sure! I was going to this morning but a snow squall warning is going on and the temperature is diving back down to -25*C today. I'm planning to at least check out my spot on Saturday, though I might also go on a hunt depending on the weather. Does anyone notice how temperature affects the hares' activity?
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When I used to snare snowshoe hares we always caught more hares after a real cold night, so I would say the colder the temperature the more they move around, probably the extra activity keeps them warmer.

Also speaking of after a cold night, Hares tend to move more in lower light levels, such as dawn and dusk or cloudy low light days.
 
I use a repeater 22 in case a follow-up shot is needed or if there's more then one rabbit in sight. A whistle can stop them most times. Shoe shoes are useful as one can cover more ground on a given hunt.
 
OP , White Lily Lake about 25 km up 527 , about 3 km past Kingfisher . West side of 527 with an entrance to the lake on the south and north end , which won't be plowed but plenty of room to pull over and park . 800 to 1,000 meters from the north to the south ends . At the south end the bush is 50 meters wide from the road to the lake increasing to about 200 meters wide of bush at the north end . Just walk up that strip in about the middle . I have no idea what the rabbit population is now or where they are in the cycle from high to low but if the population is pretty good you'll clean up in there . Straight across 527 from the north entrance to White Lily you'll see a low area with small trees . 200 meters in there is a large low area of cedars . Good hunting in there . 5 km farther north on 527 is Barnum Lake Road on the west . Stop on the highway , back up 100 meters and look right/east at the big swamp almost hidden behind the pines . It's huge . The south side of the swamp is the low side and good for bunny hunting . Just pull over and park at the entrance to Barnum . Good luck .
 
I'm about three hours north east of you. Bunny hunting this time of year is a challenge. The cycle is on its way down around here, last year was excellent though. I'll go against common opinion in this thread and say you want your shotgun fully choked. Shot size won't matter. Most of your shots will be at stationary bunnies, unless T Bay bunnies are different from their neighbours. You want a clean head shot. The sound they make when you just wing them will haunt you for days.
 
Jaaska said:
OP , White Lily Lake about 25 km up 527 , about 3 km past Kingfisher . West side of 527 with an entrance to the lake on the south and north end , which won't be plowed but plenty of room to pull over and park . 800 to 1,000 meters from the north to the south ends . At the south end the bush is 50 meters wide from the road to the lake increasing to about 200 meters wide of bush at the north end . Just walk up that strip in about the middle . I have no idea what the rabbit population is now or where they are in the cycle from high to low but if the population is pretty good you'll clean up in there . Straight across 527 from the north entrance to White Lily you'll see a low area with small trees . 200 meters in there is a large low area of cedars . Good hunting in there . 5 km farther north on 527 is Barnum Lake Road on the west . Stop on the highway , back up 100 meters and look right/east at the big swamp almost hidden behind the pines . It's huge . The south side of the swamp is the low side and good for bunny hunting . Just pull over and park at the entrance to Barnum . Good luck .
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That's too funny Jaaska, back in the 1980's my buddies and I would hunt the opposite side of the north entrance to White Lily Lake. There used to be an old trappers trail there that skirted a bunch of slews. the trail is probably grown in now but in the winter with snow shoes that don't matter.

You are right Jaaska about it being good habitat for snowshoe hare, we used to shoot quite a few back in there. Let the amount of tracks in the snow tell you if it is a good place to hunt.

I live east of Thunder Bay now and I snowshoe or walk in the bush every day with my dog for at least an hour or two and I can tell you there is good amount of snowshoe hare around here.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
 
OP here:

Well folks I made it out today south of Hicks Lake and got myself a hare! Definitely going to go out again soon, there were lots of tracks where I went. I definitely need to buy snowshoes though because it looked like no one had been to the trail since December and the snow was several feet deep. I was completely exhausted when I got back to the truck and had covered less than a kilometer from the highway.

Thank you all for the advice! I went with a modified choke and #4 shot which put the hare down with no fuss. It was -30°C today but it looks like warmer weather is coming which I am looking forward to.
 
Douglas_Gunner said:
OP here:

Well folks I made it out today south of Hicks Lake and got myself a hare! Definitely going to go out again soon, there were lots of tracks where I went. I definitely need to buy snowshoes though because it looked like no one had been to the trail since December and the snow was several feet deep. I was completely exhausted when I got back to the truck and had covered less than a kilometer from the highway.

Thank you all for the advice! I went with a modified choke and #4 shot which put the hare down with no fuss. It was -30°C today but it looks like warmer weather is coming which I am looking forward to.
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Good for you. Make some rabbit stew tomorrow to keep you warm. Snowshoes will make a big difference in how tired you will get and the amount of ground you can cover. You seen lots of tracks so you know where to go.
 
Northshore said:
Good for you. Make some rabbit stew tomorrow to keep you warm. Snowshoes will make a big difference in how tired you will get and the amount of ground you can cover. You seen lots of tracks so you know where to go.
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Thanks, I think I will! I just ordered a pair of 30" Alps All-Terrain Snowshoes from Amazon. Looking forward to getting back out there next weekend.
 
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