Hungry hunter

theBuilder

theBuilder

CGN Regular
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Ontario, Canada
Alright guys, I need some advice from you experts. When it comes to hunting I'm a total greenhorn. Ive been going after rabbit steady for the past 3 weeks, and I've found all kinds of tracks, forms, scat, signs of them feeding on low branches. You name it i've seen it- but no actual rabbits or hares (except one hare i surprised while i was just out walking).

My question is- what am I doing wrong?

I've gone out in the mornings, middle of the day, evenings. Ive tried following tracks, ive tried staying in one spot in the evenings where i've seen lots of tracks. Ive checked southern facing slopes, ive gone around kicking brush piles and dead fall- all to no avail!

I am in central ontario, hunting in the woods east of gravenhurst. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
 
Ok, two pieces of advice...... Be patient and enjoy your time in the woods, make sure you kick brush piles and take your sweet time when walking, stop every 15 feet and look around you...... Don't just amble through....

(Ok, that was maybe 5?pieces of advice) :)
 
Superbrad said:
Ok, two pieces of advice...... Be patient and enjoy your time in the woods, make sure you kick brush piles and take your sweet time when walking, stop every 15 feet and look around you...... Don't just amble through....

(Ok, that was maybe 5?pieces of advice) :)
Click to expand...

Lol I do enjoy my time in the woods very much, I have always tried to spend as much time as possible outdoors, the hunting license was originally just an excuse to get out even more.

I have tried the ten step-stop for a minute strategy as well, I'm usually out for 3-6 hours at a time, and not even a shadow of a rabbit! Though i have seen some grouse, deer, and lots of squirrels which makes it worth it in itself.
 
Rabbits are masters of the "stay damn still and hidden". You have to either push them, or have a trained eye to spot them. The only time it's easy is when they turn color before it snows, or turn brown and there is snow. You would be amazed at how many you will see in those conditions.

When I was younger, I would hunt with a friend. One of us would be on stand where there is lots of runs, the other would make a big circle then drive them towards the person on stand. Was quite productive once you got the hang of it.


Oh, and you better be a good and quick shot with a 22, very fun though.
 
Cleftwynd said:
Rabbits are masters of the "stay damn still and hidden". You have to either push them, or have a trained eye to spot them. The only time it's easy is when they turn color before it snows, or turn brown and there is snow. You would be amazed at how many you will see in those conditions.

When I was younger, I would hunt with a friend. One of us would be on stand where there is lots of runs, the other would make a big circle then drive them towards the person on stand. Was quite productive once you got the hang of it.


Oh, and you better be a good and quick shot with a 22, very fun though.
Click to expand...

I second this.... It takes a memory bank...... The more you shoot the more you develop..... To me, the dead giveaway (and still hard after 24 years when they are in color phase), is the eyes..... Or a quick head movement...
 
Forget about sneaking up on rabbits. They are way smarter than you are. Hunt with a dog. Any dog. They notice way more than you ever will and move the game ahead of them. Get ahead of the dog, or work together towards a narrow spot in the cover, so the rabbits have to show themselves. A younger brother or hunting buddy is a poor substitute for a dog, but must be employed in desperate circumstances in order to ensure success.
 
I agree with the hunting with a dog comment. Growing up I lived near Fenelon Falls and we used beagles when hunting rabbits - LOTs of fun. Makes me want to go rabbit hunting......
 
When I was starting I couldn't see them either. The more you go out the better you'll get. It's movement that the eye notices, so head to a nice spot and stay still and look for movement. A found crouching and looking closer to the ground help me spot them. Trust me once you start spotting them you can't not see them afterwards.
Good luck
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Id love to try with a dog, but I am a little nervous about shooting ahead of a running dog.

Guess I will have to just keep on trying.

I was starting to suspect that they are indeed smarter than I am.
 
They can be very elusive but as mentioned you will get sharper at noticing them with practice, especially after you miss a few. Ive had good luck walking fencelines in the past.
 
Predators with considerably better senses and skills have a hard time finding rabbits.Unless you are in an area where there is an abundance of rabbits I doubt you will see a lot of them. They blend in to there surroundings very well. They tend to frequent areas with a heavy canopy overhead. This is probably to avoid predator birds. I also notice I see more just as its starting to get dark. Not sure why that is.

I have shot a few of them. There was an area nearby where I could find a few of them in an hour. Now I have not seen one for a while there. There is however a resident cougar in the area now.

Spend enough time outside and you will eventually see one. Chances are the only thing you will end up with is sore legs and the very odd rabbit. I think if a person had to get rabbits the most effective thing would be to snare them.

Also the young cottontails can be tasty. Jackrabbits seem to require that you stew them. I think you would likely starve eating jackrabbits if that was the only thing.
 
don't look for the whole rabbit....look for their beady little eyes and keep working the area. :)
 
I was in the same boat for years, always seeing tracks never seeing rabbits...too busy looking for deer. Then one year we had a cold snap then it warmed up again before our hunt, rabbits were white and everything else not so much! My daughter got her first in a patch of snow, I saw it and she couldnt(I caught the movement and it froze before she saw it) the thing was nearly invisible in its little patch of snow 5ft(not yards Feet!) away didn't even twitch a whisker until BANG!

100% agree on movement and being low, I spot them mostly when walking up hill and can catch ground movement ahead in my sightline.

TASTY, TASTY, TASTY Stew!

Good Luck and be patient
Willy
 
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