Manitoba Wabbit Huntin'?

sean18mb

sean18mb

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Turner Valley, AB
So, I've been wanting to do some rabbit hunting, ya know, to help ease the withdrawal from deer hunting. We have lots of jack rabbits here close to home, but they are all in an area where you cannot shoot firearms. It seems everywhere I go deer hunting, I never see any rabbits. In fact, this year bowhunting was the FIRST time I have ever seen a rabbit while deer hunting.

It seems like there are A LOT of coyotes around, and I hear the wolf numbers are up too. So, does this mean the rabbits are low in numbers?

So, where can I look to do some rabbit hunting? Are there ANY areas in southern MB that have good numbers of rabbits?

Thanks.

-Sean
 
Well good luck, you are likely to see more deer in a day than rabbits. I don't know what it is but the rabbit poplation has been very low in most areas of Southern Manitoba for many years. I rarely see them when chicken hunting in the fall or during deer season. About the ONLY place I do regularily see rabbits is right in or near Winnipeg.:confused:
 
It's more likely the rabbits are seeing/hearing you first and buggering off, or freezing. While living up north, the tracks of these things were as thick as leaves, yet you'd rarely see one, unless you were being extra sneaky.
 
I think there is still lots of Jack rabbits around, at least around here. I used to like hunting them after a new snow. I would strap on the snowshoes and fallow a fresh track, and it didn't take too long to come on him. They love sleeping around old abandoned farm machinery that is sitting on the edge of a slough.
 
wabbits

South of Portage is a huge chunk of Crown land that me and my ol bud Davey used to hunt all kinds of wabbits, about 10-15 k south of Southport. Also crown near Carberry has lots of bunnies. Note if you can walk thru it, its not thick enough...
 
South of Winnipeg has lots of Jacks, hwy 75 I am not sure how far south maybe just to Morris and I am not sure just how far west. I moved away in 91 and some where around 2000 or so they just boomed. before I moved the area was full of foxes. I was out this past Christmas for a visit for the first time in long time and we managed 2 days out first day was one of those legendary days the second was more mundane the weather has warmed up and the wind stopped blowing so the rabbit were spread out in the fields. From what they tell me the nasier the weather the better if it is too nice they stay in the fields all day bad weather pushes them to the hedges.

22lrs and shotguns are close to useless unless the weather is really bad. I was using a 22 hornet and it did OK I would guess a 17 hmr would work as well, but 223 and 22-250 are the normal rounds. Jacks have a habbit of stopping 200-250 yards out in a field some times closer especially if you were not the one to kick them out.

Also it not a solo acvtivity you'll generally need 2 guys sometimes more. Think of a farm with a shelter belt around 3 sides one guy walks up each side. this forces the bunnies to the corners some will run straight out some will around where the other guy shoots them. I also got the impression that land owners in the area are open to letting guys bunny hunt.

No guessing why, we got these off of one farm, a big pig operation with a shelter belt maybe 1km of hedge
StackOBunny.jpg


My cousin told me to bring every round I had, when we stepped out I had one left when the shooting was done about 45 rounds expended :).
 
What area are you in that doesn't allow shooting? Some areas simply need landowner permission as part of the bylaw restriction.
 
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