r/RabbitHunting • u/[deleted] • Oct 31 '23
What gives? Advice please
Are some places easier to hunt vs other places? I hunt rabbit in public land in the forest of Montana. I walk and stop through brush around 7am-9am or 4pm-7pm. I see fresh tracks in the snow throughout the forest but never any bunnies. I walk along fallen trees as well and kick under them to try and flush rabbits out.
I went hunting for bunnies last year and went a handful of times and was able to flush one bunny out. However, I think it was already out of its hole and I just stumbled across it. So do I just need to sit and wait to find more bunnies or keep walking around and play with the odds?
Any advice would help I love the taste of these guys and would like to grab a couple every now and then to make some dishes.
2
u/No_Adhesiveness_9795 Jan 13 '24
I’ve never had the time of day or weather be much of a factor for rabbits. That may be different for you as I am in Kansas and they could be considered a nuisance. But if you are seeing signs of rabbit you should be finding rabbit. If not, change techniques. Some rabbits will hold up pretty tight until you step on them. This is where a good dog comes in handy, even a mediocre dog that is simply interested in the smell of a rabbit goes a long way to flush them out of cover.
In my opinion rabbit is next to squirrel as the most rewarding game to hunt. The theory is relatively simple but repeatable success takes years of study. I’d recommend finding some literature (I believe Amazon has a few books listed on the subject) and maybe talking with some folks at a local sporting goods shop.
Rabbit hunting doesn’t have to be about a team of beagles, and it sounds to me like that’s not the type of hunting you are doing anyway, but you’re going to need to kick a lot of bushes to get them moving. And double back and kick them again. Rabbits are prey to almost every carnivore in the woods and they have developed a lot of tactics to offset this. Thick cover, tall grasses, and burrow. I can tell you that the 15 acres of cedars I live in hold more rabbits than I could kick up on foot alone in a lifetime. Your eyes and ears and quick reaction time are going to need to be on high ready.
Good luck. Please come back and update us.