Rabbit Hunting First Timer

CountryAndCalibre

CountryAndCalibre

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Ontario
Looking to get out rabbit hunting for the first time this coming autumn/winter. Looking to harvest for meat for the freezer and maybe practise my skinning skills while I'm at it but mostly for food purposes.

I currently have an old Stevens 530A side-by-side 12ga (2-3/4" chamber) that belonged to my grandfather that I thought might work well at first but not sure if that will be a bit heavy and ruin meat. Thinking maybe a 20ga or a .22lr.

Any info any rabbit hunters have I appreciate your time and advice.

Thank you.
 
In Alberta, we can hunt them all year as they are not controlled by any license. I save the hare hunting for December through to March, well after my big game seasons are finished. My preference is for a compact, bolt action 22LR. Head shots only so no mess or loss of edible parts.

My primary rifle for hares is a Savage Mark 2 FV SR in 22LR. I sometimes carry a Ruger 10/22 Takedown, Magpul Backpacker with a Burris FastFire 2.

Nothing wrong with the shotgun if you point carefully to land only a couple pellets in their heads but the 22 is precise and clean. My neighbour uses his bow and puts the arrow through their heads.
 
Back in the day growing up in NS many working stiffs got by just fine with a single shot 12 gauge Cooey full choke. Use just light shot. #6 or 7.5 shot. On a sitting rabbit at regular forest hunting distances where you normally discover rabbits in dense cover, just aim your shotload about one inch in front of thier nose.

Therefore you harvest them with a piece of the shot pattern only. Less meat damage.
 
Hunt the thick stuff friend lots of evergreens preferably.
I used to do my old archery tactic of walk softly quietly three steps then stop look listen for three minutes.

You don't have to do exactly this but you get the idea.
Always better with two hunters alternatively walking and stopping a few meters apart heading same direction. But even just alone you could do fine in an area good cover lots of sign.
 
I generally use a .22 and head shoot but have taken hares with a choked 12g with 7.5 or 6 shot while grouse hunting, mod or full choke. I prefer the .22 for less meat damage, early mornings or just before dusk are good times to go hunting but in the late spring I shoot them mid days as well while snowshoeing in the higher elevations.
 
Mmm tasty!





No pick of the finished product but I roasted it. Whole family loved it. Super tasty Eastern Cottontail.
 
Thanks everyone for the awesome responses. Sounds like a .22 is the way to go for less meat damage and clean kill and maybe keeping a hide or two. Those Henry .22s are nice rifles.

I look forward to rabbit on the table this winter amd filling the time between deer and turkey season.

Thanks everyone for your responses.
 
Once you become acquainted to one area myself I found it more important to discover where they move to once disturbed. Finding little melted spots in the snow where they slept overnight means you are that mornings first predator to disturb them. Usually means you will be pulling the trigger very soon.
Rabbits much like deer prefer to stay in very familiar territory. So they often circle back after initial disturbance without nearby gunfire.
If you bump up a mover just be patient. Don't pull a risky shot in haste. But note this area do another sweep twenty minutes later after the critter calms down.


Look for that rounded curve thier back, two ears and being watched one black eyeball.
 
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We used to hunt behind 3-4 beagles. Once in a while you get a rabbit circling back taking it's time well ahead of the dog. In most cases the rabbit is coming out of a brush pile that you have kicked, or a stump pile that the dogs were working. Most of our hunting was in heavy brush. This usually means the rabbit is ears down moving as fast as it can. We always used a 12 ga. with light 1 oz or 1 1/8 with 7.5 shot.
 
Use what you got till you have some experience and decide what gun from there. Your grandfather would be proud you are using his gun. The 12 gauge has taken many a rabbit just fine. Don't over think it. The easiest rabbit I ever got with a shotgun was the one I crept up to, put the muzzle by his head and pulled the trigger.
 
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