Rabbit/snowshoehare hunting is generally at it's best at dawn or dusky hours, while keeping legal shooting times in mind. Along logging roads keep an eye on the shorter bushes in or near to the ditch. I'm not sure of how far off a numbered road you have to be in Ontario to harvest them. So make sure you read up on that first off. Rabbits are shorter forest creatures that prefer tender shoots of trees. Look for windstorm blowdowns and piles of recently cleared brush for them to feed on the green leaves or buds. (willows and such) Also look down low for thier signs of eating bark or shoots at thier maximum height. In the fall, when there is no snow down, the hunter is at great advantage if the snowshoehares are turning white (or partly turned white) and there is no snow to hide them in the dark forest background. In South Saskatchewan these fall rabbit hunts, became known to us, as neon bunny hunting trips. Likewise when the first snows came and stayed, ergo the rabbits now had the camoflage advantage. We found harvests were better when slowly and quietly walking along soft ground, while intently observing the shady forests, looking for the one eyeball peering at us from that rounded rabbit outline huddled behind tree trunks or fallen logs. This is not a forest hike, spend more time observing & listening, before you consider moving on to other spots.
Binoculars are great to find critters with, laser rangefinders less so, but both are better that the lonely human eye for sure.
Keep these as light as you can possibly afford to.
This is a job much more productive with a partner too, but keep your chatter minimal to lessen visual distractions of your task at hand. Prearranged hand signals sure help to keep the forest silence when you really need it. Without snow it's a little harder to find thier favorite hangouts, but not impossible if you are patient enough. I advise higher spots in the forests and quietly overlooking the intersection of remote goatpaths or overgrown logging roads, that are not eaisly viewed from nearby highway pavement. Once you identify a crossing of thier trails, bingo for snares or a patient ambush, just downwind of there. "Wind's in your face, no disgrace." Particularly in the early evening or late afternoon, when you've had a full day of sunlight (maybe you've already taken one or two in daytime wanderings of the very thick & shady stands of evergreen trees perhaps) to ID critter sign and quietly choose an ambush sight with ample cover and a great view. Let's say you do this and you cleanly down one at a forest crossing, if there's ample legal time, now wait, see if others come into range too. You might just come home with three rabbits from this one sitting, instead of the one and only. Survey trails are really handy for this style of hunting. Sometimes they will take up house under piles of old branches and tree logs so make sure you disturb these potential warrens, while keeping ready for a fast and furious shot at the moving game with your shotgun.
Beagles are wonderful helpers for this activity.
I live far away so I cannot give you specifics to your locale.
Good luck to you.
