# New to rabbit hunting



## John M

Hello i currently live in florida the state where you hardly see any rabbits(maybe its just i dont see them or they just plain aint there) but i would like to know how do you hunt them? are they in holes do you have to have a dog? any way to bait them in? what time do they usualy come out? I never ever seen a live rabbit in the state of florida only dead one in front of my house a year back

Any tips for a new rabbit hunter would be apreciated and any links to websites that have information about hunting tactics would also be great! :beer: :sniper: 
~ John M


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## StLCardsFan

If you're new to hunting in general, I think rabbit hunting is very exciting way to get into the sport. Here's what I would suggest to start.

1. Get yourself a used 12 gauge pump or semi-auto shotgun. A #6 shot is good for rabbits.

2. Don't forget to purchase your state's small game license, and pickup a map or look online for public hunting land.

3. Dogs are helpful if you have them, but not entirely necessary. You'll probably see more rabbits with them, than without, but depending on the dog, you may not be able to take shots if the dog is too close. Beagles and other small dogs that can easily get into brush piles are the best for rabbits.

4. I often like to rabbit hunt with a friend or two. Together, you cover more ground, and when you find brush piles, you take turns jumping on them while the other poses for a possible shot.

5. The object of rabbit hunting is to flush the rabbit from it's hiding spot, then aim and shoot quick with the shotgun and "roll" the rabbit. Sometime you can get off a second or third shot depending on what cover rabbit runs into. Only at night or early morning will you catch a rabbit just sitting there waiting to be shot at. So that's why I recommend the shotgun.

6. Where do they hide: brush piles, thick thorny patches, tall grass, gullies/ravines, edge of farm fields, near water sources. Often they're in holes underneath the brush or thickets; that's where a dog comes in handy, cause I don't like to get scratched up and a small dog has no problem going right in there and digging into their holes to flush them out.

7. Tactics: walk ditches, fencelines, around ponds/lakes/treelines (about 20 yards off). Walk around brush piles first, or other good places rabbits may have for cover. Then move right into and stomp ontop of the brush pile. Get mean with those brush piles, cause a rabbit in there really won't want to come out unless he thinks you are able to get to him.

8. Always be prepared to shoot. Keep a finger on the safety. No camo necessary. Noise? not a problem. Remember, since the rabbit is likely running, be sure to lead your aim slightly before pulling the trigger.

Best of luck! :beer:

Jeff


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## Bore.224

Thats good advice, also I would recomend a wide open choke on that shotgun, Cyl or imp.


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## mn_beagleboy

If you have good rabbit dog (beagle), it would be easier to hunt rabbits. If you don't have dog, the best time to hunt is early morning and before dark. Rabbits like to come out in the open.

Beagleboy


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## John M

i have a dog part blue tic and part lab would that work?


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## ohio

if its a big dog with long legs that usually means thaat he's fast and thats fine but its hard toget a shot with a fast dog because they tend to be on the rabbits heels


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## Burnout

I too would go with the shotgun, I prefer a short 20ga, I use a youth model charles daily semi auto synthetic, VERY CHEAP and a really good shooter, wont cry if its abused in the brush (and it will, so be prepared).

I would not recommend a .22 in heavy wooded areas when hunting with others due to possible ricochet(sp).

If you dont get a good shot at first dont panic, and dont force a shot if you didnt have one, if you dont have a dog chasing it, its most likely going to stop and try and hide not far from where you kicked it up, provided there is cover.

Good luck and be safe.

Dave


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## michael.bryant

Great first article. I also saw this great read on Field & Stream http://www.fieldandstream.com/promoted? ... C5MEAt8IMA

Rabbit Hunting: 5 Spots to Find Winter Cottontails
Article by T. Edward Nickens

Photo by Donald M. Jones

If you want to shoot a limit of rabbits, you need to find small openings in big, thick cover. Here's where to take a stand.

Forget those old Remington calendars where rabbits made tracks across open cornfields as beagles bawled in the distance. These days, cottontails hole up in the thickest cover around, like brush-choked woods and brier-laced cutovers. The secret to rolling rabbits in this country is to identify escape hatches. And to get there before the bunny-not to mention a fellow hunter-does.

Fringe benefit
It's not uncommon for a rabbit to stop just short of a field edge, giving a stand hunter an easy shot. To keep from ruining meat, take a fringe shot. Put the bead a few inches to the side so the edges of the pattern do the work.

Escape hatches
Post up where cover thins out just enough for a shot.

In the woods

Illustrations by Jason Schneider

A running rabbit will avoid open woods, so target inner edges where young, thick growth, such as pine plantations, forms an obvious boundary. Rabbits will often squirt out of the brambles for a fast dash to open up distance when dogs get too close. And old homestead sites are a honey hole, providing escape cover in the form of overgrown pastures, tumbled-down structures, and old postholes that cottontails have converted to burrows.

In a cutover

A young clear-cut is a cottontail's happy place. To get off a shot, key in on rare patches of open ground. Look for places where rabbit runways-heavily used shin-high tunnels through thick cover-cross old logging roads and skid paths. If possible, gain some altitude. Post up on top of a rock pile, stump, or root ball for a better bird's-eye view. Slash piles and overgrown logging decks are choked with the tangled brush bunnies love. Be there first.

On the edge

Corn stubble and wheatfields, while not all that thick or gnarly, are often too tempting for rabbits to resist, so tip the odds in your favor. Keep watch at the corner of fields and bramble-choked ditch banks for rabbits that cut off the angle. Fencerows along field edges are cottontail highways, so find a spot with a long view. Don't silhouette yourself; lean against a tree and stay quiet. Rabbits will turn away if they hear standing hunters talking back and forth.


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## setter delle milizie

John M said:


> Hello i currently live in florida the state where you hardly see any rabbits(maybe its just i dont see them or they just plain aint there) but i would like to know how do you hunt them? are they in holes do you have to have a dog? any way to bait them in? what time do they usualy come out? I never ever seen a live rabbit in the state of florida only dead one in front of my house a year back
> 
> Any tips for a new rabbit hunter would be apreciated and any links to websites that have information about hunting tactics would also be great! :beer: :sniper:
> ~ John M


hello , I'm Italian and I can tell you that the best way to hunt rabbits and hunting made with the dog .


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