I didn't want to start adding on to J's thread so that he can better keep track of his hunts without the confusion of other hunts. So I thought I'd open a general rabbit hunting thread for those hunting rabbits with or without dogs. Feel free to add on with your own hunts if you want.
As J said, I was thinking of driving down his way for the opener but the weather was not cooperating so I decided on a shorter hunt closer to home. Actually I wasn't sure I wanted to go out at all in the rotating waves of rain, ice pellets and snow. I took a vacation today though for the opener and decided I should go out for a bit. I finally started getting dressed a little after 1pm and of course putting on my hunting clothes caused the two beagles in the house to alternately run around me or longingly wiggle their tails and look up at me.
I have a tradition of heading to public land for opening day. It's a long season and I never want to shoot rabbits on the farm early on. Plus it's just nice to go somewhere else once in awhile. Usually I head to Mosquito or Shenango but since the weather was bad I decided on a short hunt at Dorset, a lot closer to home. When I got to the parking area I went to lift the dogs out of the truck and missed. They were very excited and both jumped. My 9 year old female has luxating patellas and one rear leg always gives her more trouble. When she hit the ground she yelped and would not put the bum leg on the ground. Oh great. I massaged the leg and waited a few minutes and she started walking on it again. I knew she would be sore later, but I also knew she really needed some exercise. Running her would make her sore (which I can help with anti-inflammatories) but would not make her condition worse. So off we went.
I drove the block and did not see anyone in any of the parking areas. I started in my usual spot that is near the road. The grass and weeds seemed to be really really thick this year. This is a hard place to hunt to begin with because it is so thick but it just seemed extra bad. We walked the border between a spit of woods and a field that parallels the road. Over by some mulitflora rose, the dogs got on a track. I positioned myself in the most open spot I could find which wasn't very open. The dogs circled the rabbit and when it came through it was so thick that I did not see it until it was running right at my feet. The point of this exercise was to come home with dinner not blow a rabbit to pieces. LOL! It turned 3 feet from me and ran directly away from me and I won't shoot a rabbit with a straight on read quarters shot.
As the dogs pushed the rabbit onward I decided to move up to the edge of the woods/field. There was a narrow swath of shorter weeds that I thought would be my best spot to get a shot. Unfortunately I could never get myself quite in position for a shot. The dogs circled the rabbit at least 3 or 4 times past me and I tried different tactics but could not get it right. Most of the time it would cross too far out of range. The couple times it was close it went running past at warp speed in to the thick high weeds. This a view of the edge I was talking about.
After circle after circle after circle, the rabbit took the dogs way up toward the road. In fact I thought they had crossed the road. This has happened to me before in past years and there are houses across the road. So I jogged up a mowed path to the road and found they were just chasing through the tall grass near the roadside ditch but had not crossed. The rabbit took the dogs back to the field away from the road. I decided to position myself in the original not very open opening where this whole thing started. This spot had much easier access to watch for road crossings if needed. Each circle that the dogs made took more and more time. I'm sure it was getting confusing for them with all the layers upon layers of scent in the same area. I just let them keep working it out on their own. I was however getting quite cold standing there and it was off and on pouring down ice pellets. My fingers were freezing! The low clouds and approaching sunset was making the light very flat and I was having trouble watching for a small grey-brown mammal in the grey-brown weeds. The rabbit passed by me again but I just could not get on it quick enough. Another couple circles and once again I heard the dogs drifting toward the road. I stepped out of my spot to see the dogs starting to sniff their way across the road ditch. I shouted "no no no" to them and they immediately stopped and then came over to where I was. I was quite proud of them listening because well, we all know how well beagles listen at times.
I checked my watch and it was 4:40pm We had been out nearly 3 hours on that one rabbit. Whew! My old gal was using her bum leg when we left to go home but by the time I got them back to the house, the leg was already starting to stiffen up and now she is hopping along on three legs. Hopefully a little carprofen with her dinner will ease up her discomfort by morning. I think I'll let them rest up tomorrow for sure. Might hit the woods for some squirrel hunting depending on the weather.
As J said, I was thinking of driving down his way for the opener but the weather was not cooperating so I decided on a shorter hunt closer to home. Actually I wasn't sure I wanted to go out at all in the rotating waves of rain, ice pellets and snow. I took a vacation today though for the opener and decided I should go out for a bit. I finally started getting dressed a little after 1pm and of course putting on my hunting clothes caused the two beagles in the house to alternately run around me or longingly wiggle their tails and look up at me.
I have a tradition of heading to public land for opening day. It's a long season and I never want to shoot rabbits on the farm early on. Plus it's just nice to go somewhere else once in awhile. Usually I head to Mosquito or Shenango but since the weather was bad I decided on a short hunt at Dorset, a lot closer to home. When I got to the parking area I went to lift the dogs out of the truck and missed. They were very excited and both jumped. My 9 year old female has luxating patellas and one rear leg always gives her more trouble. When she hit the ground she yelped and would not put the bum leg on the ground. Oh great. I massaged the leg and waited a few minutes and she started walking on it again. I knew she would be sore later, but I also knew she really needed some exercise. Running her would make her sore (which I can help with anti-inflammatories) but would not make her condition worse. So off we went.
I drove the block and did not see anyone in any of the parking areas. I started in my usual spot that is near the road. The grass and weeds seemed to be really really thick this year. This is a hard place to hunt to begin with because it is so thick but it just seemed extra bad. We walked the border between a spit of woods and a field that parallels the road. Over by some mulitflora rose, the dogs got on a track. I positioned myself in the most open spot I could find which wasn't very open. The dogs circled the rabbit and when it came through it was so thick that I did not see it until it was running right at my feet. The point of this exercise was to come home with dinner not blow a rabbit to pieces. LOL! It turned 3 feet from me and ran directly away from me and I won't shoot a rabbit with a straight on read quarters shot.
As the dogs pushed the rabbit onward I decided to move up to the edge of the woods/field. There was a narrow swath of shorter weeds that I thought would be my best spot to get a shot. Unfortunately I could never get myself quite in position for a shot. The dogs circled the rabbit at least 3 or 4 times past me and I tried different tactics but could not get it right. Most of the time it would cross too far out of range. The couple times it was close it went running past at warp speed in to the thick high weeds. This a view of the edge I was talking about.
After circle after circle after circle, the rabbit took the dogs way up toward the road. In fact I thought they had crossed the road. This has happened to me before in past years and there are houses across the road. So I jogged up a mowed path to the road and found they were just chasing through the tall grass near the roadside ditch but had not crossed. The rabbit took the dogs back to the field away from the road. I decided to position myself in the original not very open opening where this whole thing started. This spot had much easier access to watch for road crossings if needed. Each circle that the dogs made took more and more time. I'm sure it was getting confusing for them with all the layers upon layers of scent in the same area. I just let them keep working it out on their own. I was however getting quite cold standing there and it was off and on pouring down ice pellets. My fingers were freezing! The low clouds and approaching sunset was making the light very flat and I was having trouble watching for a small grey-brown mammal in the grey-brown weeds. The rabbit passed by me again but I just could not get on it quick enough. Another couple circles and once again I heard the dogs drifting toward the road. I stepped out of my spot to see the dogs starting to sniff their way across the road ditch. I shouted "no no no" to them and they immediately stopped and then came over to where I was. I was quite proud of them listening because well, we all know how well beagles listen at times.
I checked my watch and it was 4:40pm We had been out nearly 3 hours on that one rabbit. Whew! My old gal was using her bum leg when we left to go home but by the time I got them back to the house, the leg was already starting to stiffen up and now she is hopping along on three legs. Hopefully a little carprofen with her dinner will ease up her discomfort by morning. I think I'll let them rest up tomorrow for sure. Might hit the woods for some squirrel hunting depending on the weather.