Rabbit hunting

For snowshoe hare I agree with a .22LR or shotgun, but for our prairie jack rabbits you need something a little flatter shooting, like a .17 HMR or .223 REM! Once jumped they put a lot of distance between you and them and sit out past 200 yards sticking their tongue out at guys with .22`s or shotguns! :)
 
II should have added one more to my list as I use it more and more every year... and that is a .223 with 44 SP Hornet bullets over 4 grains of Trail Boss... perfect load for grouse and hares... I colour the case heads with a blue sharpie to differentiate from my full power loads...
 
Big Bad said:
One time I shot a rabbit close to the trailhead and was able to hang it in a tree and come back for it.
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My buddy did the same thing once with a a hare except he hid it in the snow with just a foot sticking out, by time we came back an hour later all that was left was the foot and a red smear, the ravens had an easy mean, lol.
 
Ravens make very quick work of a hare. I shot one on one trip a few years ago, field dressed it about a kilometer up the road from where I shot it and continued down the trail. By the time I came back to where I had cleaned it, the entrails, etc where gone and you see marks in the snow where they had fought over the remains.
 
When I go dear hunt, I also spend some time grouse and rabbit hunting. I always use a .22 with subsonic rounds and they are still deadly and accurate and does not spoke the deer out of our area.

When the deer season is over, I like to use my 410 too.
 
I use a 22 or when I'm going to an area where the bush gets really thick a lever action in 44 mag. I use a light accurate load with cast bullets.its about as loud as a 22 mag but doesn't deflect nearly as bad as the 22 in the little twigs. I've found the HV 22 loads do more damage too. The family loves rabbit stew and I go hunting just for rabbits quiet often.
 
Northman999 said:
I love hunting snowshoe hare.

I've done it with everything from slinghots to 12 guage.

Most anything works, as long as you adapt your strategy and use your weapon intelligently.

I'm not a fan of the .410 for shooting anything bigger than butterflies. At close range. And be ready for a follow-up shot.

An accurate .22 or your favorite 12 guage with at least an 18.5" bbl is your best bet for hare hunting. Bows are super fun.

12 guage is not too much; I've used #6 field loads on hundreds of hares, and a heavy #5 or #6 duck load for hares at longer ranges (just carry a few and use as the situation dictates). Just take head shots (even with a shotgun) and you'll rarely have a pellet in your meat.
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Not sure why you feel this way about .410.... a pellet from a .410 shotgun travels just as fast as a pellet from a 12 guage, only there are fewer pellets so with the same level of choke you will have less pattern density.... it only takes one pellet to the noggin to take out a rabbit effectively and humanely.....
 
Brad,

Maybe I just had bad luck.

My brother had a .410 for many years.

I fired three rounds out of it at live game, two rounds were 2 1/2 inch #5 and one 3" #5. Two shots were at spruce grouse standing still at about 20 yards, one shot with 2 1/2" and one with 3". I headshot both of them and they both got knocked over and then took off wounded and were not recovered. The third animal was a snowshow hare, basically same thing. Head shot around 20 yards with 2 1/2" #5 shot and was clearly hit, but took off and not recovered. I had shot hundreds of small game animals by the time I wounded those three animals with the .410, and I know I didn't miss my shots. Three wounded animals in a row, at very resonable ranges, and under conditions that should have been guaranteed humane kills, and I'm not touching a .410 again.

I know some guys like them, but I also know for sure I'm not the only one with similar experiences... :(

But anyway, happy bunny hunting to everyone!

An yes, I'm jealous of Brutus' blunderbuss!!!
 
Northman999 said:
Brad,

Maybe I just had bad luck.

My brother had a .410 for many years.

I fired three rounds out of it at live game, two rounds were 2 1/2 inch #5 and one 3" #5. Two shots were at spruce grouse standing still at about 20 yards, one shot with 2 1/2" and one with 3". I headshot both of them and they both got knocked over and then took off wounded and were not recovered. The third animal was a snowshow hare, basically same thing. Head shot around 20 yards with 2 1/2" #5 shot and was clearly hit, but took off and not recovered. I had shot hundreds of small game animals by the time I wounded those three animals with the .410, and I know I didn't miss my shots. Three wounded animals in a row, at very resonable ranges, and under conditions that should have been guaranteed humane kills, and I'm not touching a .410 again.

I know some guys like them, but I also know for sure I'm not the only one with similar experiences... :(

But anyway, happy bunny hunting to everyone!

An yes, I'm jealous of Brutus' blunderbuss!!!
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Wow... my experiences have been different..... That being said, good on you for not using something you don;t think will do the job.... that's the main thing.....
 
the spank said:
Holy.......it's only 3-4 pounds? Doesn't your hunting coat or vest have a rear game pocket? Just remember not to sit down without removing Peter Cottontail first....ask me how I came to remember that lesson?! :redface:
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Oh it can be done, but to carry one for say an 8 mile walk requires a real fondness for rabbit. And the hope always is to get a full load of grouse.
 
Yukidaruma said:
For snowshoe hare I agree with a .22LR or shotgun, but for our prairie jack rabbits you need something a little flatter shooting, like a .17 HMR or .223 REM! Once jumped they put a lot of distance between you and them and sit out past 200 yards sticking their tongue out at guys with .22`s or shotguns! :)
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Agreed! When I lived in South Saskatchewan for 11 years, my 222 got a regular workout before and after the deer season.

Much like all rabbit/hare species, they tend to stop at the very edge of their home territory for a few seconds of glancing back over their shoulder, at the perceived danger before moving away again.
Usually more then enough time for a decent off hand, often unsupported shot with a good rifle.

I miss those days that favored a rifleman under the big open prairie skies!! ;)
 
I tend to use shotguns of some sort here in Alberta. But my good friend Trevj, (Who now lives in the interior of BC and is missed by all!) used his Ruger 10-22 with bulk Winchester rimfire all of the time.
And 99.9% of the time he got them on the very first headshot.

Rabbit hunting is one of my favorite past-times and I'll just shut up now fellas. lol
 
kodiakjack said:
Anyone else here use a Hammond Game Getter? http://www3.telus.net/gamegetter/

I've played with mine in the back yard, but haven't had the opportunity to get any real world use out of it since getting it.
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I have one, kinda handy. I don't like how once you chamber it you have to fire it or the ball stays in the bore. Seems decently accurate at close range though. I just started making light loads instead for small game. Shot a grouse with the 4570 last year. Worked great!
 
Savage Model 93 .22 magnum with a 3-9x40 Bushnell Dusk&Dawn. Head and neck shots only. Anywhere from 5 yards out to about 80 yards, with an average of about 40 yards.

Where I hunt depends on the season. Fall, I walk logging roads early morning. Usually get at least 6 or 7, often more.

Winter I head into cut blocks with 15 years or so of coniferous regrowth and deciduous shrubs. They love that sh!t.

Nailed 40 of them so far this season. My goal by April 30 is at least 100.

I like the taste of them better in the fall, but I enjoy hunting them in winter the most. A pair of snowshoes, some jerky, some tea, my pack and my gun. Nothing better.

Like Brutus, I have a pretty good snowshoe hare hunting obsession going. :)
 
Kenny_G2 said:
My buddy did the same thing once with a a hare except he hid it in the snow with just a foot sticking out, by time we came back an hour later all that was left was the foot and a red smear, the ravens had an easy mean, lol.
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Here in BC, I've had whiskeyjacks get a hold of a couple of hares I had left on the trail to pick up. The remains were salvageable both times.

On the other hand, during my fall hunts along FSRs, I often hang them in little trees along the road (and mark the spot on the road with sticks or rocks) and then pick them up on the way back. One day, one of the hares was just missing completely. Vanished without a trace. I'd like to know what took it, but it'll remain a mystery. :) Oh well, I shot 2 more after that and hit my bag limit, so no big deal.
 
M16LR.50 said:
What kind of ammo do you guys use when hunting rabbit/hare with .22LR?
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When I was using LR, I used whatever high velocity hollow-points I had on hand. Usually that was Remington Game Loads or Federal Game Shock. I didn't bother with hyper-velocity stuff, which is ironic since I now use "ridiculous velocity stuff".

My .22WMR likes the 33 grain Remington Premier AccuTip-V the best, but shoots the 30 grain CCI V-Max and Hornady V-Max really well, too. They all make excellent head-shot kills, and shoot very flat.
 
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