Poor bunnies ...

cdncowboy

cdncowboy

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I was ought rabbit hunting yesterday, the first time since the snow here in my area has melted. There is usually snow in the bush until mid april. So I'm walking through the bush, which is a dark hue, taking great care to look at all the ground detail for a hiding camouflaged bunny. I look to the left and at about 20 yards, hiding in the dark bush, is this completely bright white bunny... my God they might as well have a flourescent blinking sign signalling their presence... poor bunnies have no chance ... :D
 
I shot one last week that was filled with fetuses. It was a snowshoe hare , and while in season i probably wont try to take another one until next fall.
 
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I shot one last week that was filled with fetuses. It was a snowshoe hare , and while in season i probably wont try to take another one until next fall.
Click to expand...

That's too bad... not fond of killing mamma's but I guess that is the downside to a spring hunt.
 
Got one today....

rabbit2012.jpg


You can see they are starting to turn but still quite white, especially when the background is a dark grey bush... really stand out with no snow.
 
They are glaring white here too... but I don't hunt spring hares... I don't like the feeling of killing a pregnant animal... probably has little effect on the overall population but I just personally am not comfortable with it.
 
One of my agreements with the land owner is purposefully knocking down the local rabbit population for the planted saplings. You can see where I'm going here & I respect differing opinions on this matter such as hoytcanon's.

Cheers!

Edit: Every single hare is taken for food. From my last count, about five households benefit from this harvest. And talk about being taken out of our own personal comfort zones! Had a recent request for a hare with the head left on for the first time ever. :eek:
So on this Friday late afternoon past, I got a case of the eebly geeblies leaving the head on, from the one I took.
 
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it definitely has to be hard to survive when they stand out so much. I wonder because of the weather and them keeping their colour so long if the rabbit populations will be low this year from predators this spring.
 
Yup the weather played havok on them back in the fall too. Snowed for 2 days then didn't snow for a month, all the while the bunnies were white.
Sitting ducks for Hawks,owls,coyote,fox,etc and hunters. Be a bad year this fall and next for hare numbers. Funny how they can turn white in a flash but can't turn brown in a flash.
 
It's still pretty early and that is why I hunted recently but as we get into April the chances of shooting a pregnant female rises considerably ... I am in agreement with other posters in that I won't hunt them again until the Fall. Give them a chance to multiply to up my success rate in the fall :D
 
Same thing happens to partridge and the like if a mid winter thaw precedes a cold snap. The tactic these birds use of diving into the snow to hide can break their necks, prevent them from burrowing into a drift to keep warm and out of the cold wind
 
I thought more about the pregnant thing. Not to get into a debate whether its right or wrong , but any female you kill is going to be a potential mother whether she is pregnant then or not. Furthermore , we shoot late season deer who are presumably pregnant if you take the does , just because they arent far along doesnt mean they aren't pregnant. Same goes for the bunnies i think. I dont know their gestation period but i would guess at what 2-3 months. Anyone who knows correct me but if that is accurate then the prime winter bunny hunting is killing ones that are just pregnant. What all of that is getting at is that really when you kill any adult animal in the population you are taking some reproduction away whether they are far along or not even pregnant yet. That being said I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with doing it or not. Idk maybe i could be way out to lunch on this one
 
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