Rabbits

[Seth Isaacson]

Who here hunts rabbits with traditional rifles/shotguns and what do you use in terms of caliber/gauge and loads? I still don't have a muzzle loader despite working with them regularly and my strong interest in them. Finances keep putting it off. Every time I get enough set aside I end up needing to re-purpose it for something for the house, my son, my wife, or one of our cars. I definitely will get around to it at some point either a mostly finished kit or perhaps pick up something used. Regardless, I'd probably only use one for hunting small game and target shooting once I finely get one in my hands. Here's hoping for a good bonus this year or some extra overtime coming up.

I haven't hunted rabbits since I was a teenager, but now that we live out in the country again I am considering doing so again. I've always liked the way they cook up, but nowadays I also like watching them around the yard and out in the pasture. Therefore, I'm torn about whether to hunt them. One of dogs broke one's back this weekend, but got chased off by my wife before they finished the deed. She didn't know at the time that they had critically injured it already. When I came home I shot it with a target load of 7 1/2 steel shot from a few yards away to put the poor thing out of its misery; it basically took the head clean off but left the rest in fairly good shape. I figured the meat was not going to be any good since the animal had been injured for quiet awhile, so I just disposed of him. I should have still saved the meat and fed it to my Blue Tongue Skinks if I had thought of it at the time. I'm sure they would have enjoyed it.

[bob in the woods]

I normally hunt rabbits with my .40 cal flintlock rifle, however use my 20 bore fusil once in a while. I load the smoothbore with either #6 or #4 shot

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

We don't have rabbits out here in North Central British Columbia, but we have the Varying Hare or Snowshoe Hare.  This year they are very plentiful.
I have an original .36 cal English rook rifle that is deadly on bunnies, but I've used most of my guns including a 10 bore Brown Bess musket and shot.  The scatter guns are fun when bunnies break cover and zig-zag allover the thick bush.  I have also used a .36 1861 Navy Colt.  In the case of rifles with a single projectile, I load the guns down to basically pistol loads.  The shots are always very close and I go for the little raisin eye ball.
I make a fine sweet and sour casserole that has proven very popular at wild game banquets.  It involves brown sugar and maple syrup...and of course, lots of bunnies.  Our rod and gun club black powder section used to do a harvest every late winter on snow shoes.  It was always a good time for us...not so much for the hares.

[Seth Isaacson]

That sounds delicious Taylor. It sounds like you both basically go for head shots with the usual "squirrel" calibers but also sometimes use shot. I'd be worried shot, especially something as large as #4 would ruin a lot of the meat if some hit the body instead of the head. Has that proven to be much of a problem? How many pellets are you usually firing?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

As  I said, we load the guns down.  In the Bess, I used 50 gr. of FFg GOEX and 7/8 oz of 7 1/2's again trying for head shots.  I always removed the shot from the flesh prior to cooking.  No meat was lost.

[Seth Isaacson]

Gotcha. That makes sense. Definitely one of the advantage of muzzle loaders vs modern weapons: control over exactly what you are loading.

[Daryl]

With the rifles, head shots only.  Last time I hunted the bunnies, buddy Keith used his .75 English rifle and I, my .69 rifle. Keith used 40gr. 3F and I used 30gr. 3F.  I had to use my 100 yard leaf sight, NP.  The shots were close, no more than 30 yards or so and my little springer Lady Jessica retrieved them for us. with the low velocity and light report, you could actually hear the bones breaking in their little heads - rather interesting.
That was a mid March hunt with over 6' of snow on the ground.  Lady tripped me a few times, stepping on the backs of my "shoes" when she got tired of fighting through the snow.  going ot have to do that again, but getting less snow, these years.

[hanshi]

Where I live now, we haven't seen much in the way of rabbits and I suppose they'd have to be hunted with dogs.  When I lived in Ga I used a pellet gun on rabbits.   We do have squirrels and I use either a .36 or a .32.  We should be moving north this year and be in snowshoe hare country.  I'll be ready for them.

[Joe S.]

With the rifles, head shots only.  Last time U hunted the bunnies, buddy Keith used his .75 English rifle and I, my .69 rifle. Keith used 40gr. 3F and I used 30gr. 3F.  I had to use my 100 yard leaf sight, NP.  The shots were close, no more than 30 yards or so and my little springer Lady Jessica retrieved them for us. with the low velocity and light report, you could actually hear the bones breaking in their little heads - rather interesting.
That was a mid March hunt with over 6' of snow on the ground.  Lady tripped me a few times, stepping on the backs of my "shoes" when she got tired of fighting through the snow.  going ot have to do that again, but getting less snow, these years.

.75 Cal.,.69 Cal.wow them bunnies must be huge or very vicious.I'm now picturing that scene from a Monty python movie

[axelp]

I use my 20 g smoothbore and #4 shot.

K

[Mike Brooks]

I have hunted bunnies with ML shotguns and ML small bore rifles. Also the same modern equivalent. Now I just go pull one out of my rabbit pens.

[snapper]

a lot depends on how good of shot you are and the rabbits you hunt.

In February I will be hosting our 20th annual rabbit hunt on my farm with 5 or 6 friends.  We hunt rabbits, target shoot, drink beer, eat steaks, play poker.  All in that order.

The only two rules are you can only use a rifle and no shooting after you start drinking.

We dont get many rabbits.  My rabbits are trained by the best coyotes in the world.  They run like the devil is after them.  I can tell you my rabbits do not circle back.  We have used a beagle in the past and that just made them run faster way.

So, if you wanted to really get very many rabbits on my place a shotgun would be in order.  If you are in it for high sport use a rifle.

Fleener

[Smoketown]

That sounds delicious Taylor. It sounds like you both basically go for head shots with the usual "squirrel" calibers but also sometimes use shot. I'd be worried shot, especially something as large as #4 would ruin a lot of the meat if some hit the body instead of the head. Has that proven to be much of a problem? How many pellets are you usually firing?

Ruin a lot of meat

You'll ruin a lot more than the meat ... You haven't lived until you bit down on a piece of that shot ...

And, size DOESN'T matter!!!

Cheers,
Smoketown

[Mike Brooks]

My neighbor waits untill be get alot a snow and big drifts then goes out with a gunny sack and pulls them out of their holes in the snow drifts. He can usually get 6 or 8 a day. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.

[Fyrstyk]

I use the spot and stalk method for rabbits here in CT.  Binocs come in handy for dissecting the brush.  Look for the eye or the rounded form of the hind quarters.  Sometimes the ears give them away.  I'll use a mouse squeaker to get them to raise their ears in search of the sound.  Sometimes I spot the movement. 
   I generally use a .36 with 25 grains of 3f, and try to take head shots only.  Most of my shots are at 25 yards or less.  My bag results are generally much better when there is snow on the ground.  In good rabbit cover, it will take me an hour to cover a 100 yards.  You have to go slow.
Fyrstyk

[longcruise]

I prefer to hunt em from a tree stand.

[hanshi]

I prefer to hunt em from a tree stand.

That works well; when they travel between feeding and bedding down you can nail 'em.  Plus, I've discovered over time, if you only wound one, you're safe from a mauling since they can't climb trees. 

[Mike Brooks]

I prefer to hunt em from a tree stand.

That works well; when they travel between feeding and bedding down you can nail 'em.  Plus, I've discovered over time, if you only wound one, you're safe from a mauling since they can't climb trees. 

You have never come across the KILLER RABBIT then.....not even a Holy Hand Grenade from Antioch will kill them and they go right for your jugular.

[Matthew1969]

I use a .32, 20grns of 3x and a little .310 ball. Really got to have a headshot, a body shot ruins good meat. Out here in N. Nevada it is spot and stalk. Snow helps a bunch!
Deep fried pieces in egg and flour mixture with salt and pepper for 4 minutes makes awesome eating! I think I've grown half my size on fried rabbit.
Good Luck! Matt.

[heelerau]

We have a large garden,  a couple of acres,  I have shot about 7 rabbits last season with both a lovely .36 flintlock, and my Lancaster style .40 . Rabbits taste best when shot with a flintlock !! mostly head and shoulder shots,  from my rocking chair off the back stoop, yep Im a clique !

[Seth Isaacson]

Glad this generated some good conversation and some humor. Sounds like a lot of us enjoy the taste of a properly cooked rabbit.

[Dave Patterson]

I use a .32, 20grns of 3x and a little .310 ball. Really got to have a headshot, a body shot ruins good meat. Out here in N. Nevada it is spot and stalk. Snow helps a bunch!
Deep fried pieces in egg and flour mixture with salt and pepper for 4 minutes makes awesome eating! I think I've grown half my size on fried rabbit.
Good Luck! Matt.

Same chunk of the country:  spot and stalk, out here in the high and dry.  Haven't got around to starting MY .32 yet (The Bride's comes first!), so I just download my .54 and use what I've got (a .50 GPR, and a .54 LR; I find the .54 actually works better for this for my old eyes, with the longer sight-plane).

I fry 'em the same way, or on occasion, will marinate and grill them on the BBQ.  Frying is quicker and tastier; the BBQing is more of a social event and something to occupy my hands while BSing with buddies.

Was just contemplating making a bunny-run today, after last night's snow.

[Daryl]

I usually don't post this until just before Easter.  Hunter was Neil by name, using his wife's .40 longrifle that Taylor built - here at ALR now and then.

[hanshi]

That works well; when they travel between feeding and bedding down you can nail 'em.  Plus, I've discovered over time, if you only wound one, you're safe from a mauling since they can't climb trees. 

You have never come across the KILLER RABBIT then.....not even a Holy Hand Grenade from Antioch will kill them and they go right for your jugular.
[/quote]



That's the reason I wear a linoleum collar around my neck when in rabbit country.  Can't be too careful. 

[Nordnecker]

Didn't Jimmy Carter get attacked by one of those Killer rabbits?