Rabbit Hunting Without Dogs

Late winter can be a rough time to be a hunter. Most of the bird and big game hunting seasons are long over with, and we’re left with the short, gloomy days of February. The good news is, you don’t have to wait until turkey season to be able to hunt again, because rabbits exist!

While rabbit seasons open early in the fall in many states, many hunters don’t pursue rabbits exclusively until later in the winter. Various species of cottontail rabbits can be found throughout North America, and hares like snowshoe and jackrabbits live in less generalized habitats. Rabbit hunting is an accessible, high-opportunity pursuit. 

Rabbits are an excellent source of food for pretty much all of the predator species large enough to catch them. While they can be overlooked, rabbits are an important part of native ecosystems due to their role of converting nutritious vegetation into tasty protein packs for owls, hawks, bobcats, coyotes, weasels, etc. With everyone trying to kill and eat them, rabbit behavior and physiology favors rapid and prolific reproduction, as well as selecting for habitats with heavy cover to provide shelter from predators. Rabbits’ movement patterns of quick, erratic running and hiding is another one of their escape strategies. 

Why is knowing a little bit of rabbit biology helpful? As a hunter, it can help you beat Bugs at his own game. Rabbits need thick cover to provide hiding places from predators, often in close proximity to feeding areas. A rabbit that ventures too far out into the open to browse puts itself at great risk of becoming someone else’s next meal. Brush piles, shrubs, and other thick areas are all good places to start looking for rabbits. 

Rabbit hunting without dogs is done either with a shotgun or a small caliber rifle, commonly a .22. Hunting with a .22 means you either have to spot the rabbit first and shoot it, or flush it and wait for it to either come back or stop and then shoot it. Hunting with a rifle is best during the times that rabbits are most active, which is early in the morning and late in the afternoon. 

Hunting with a shotgun is better for running shots, which is typically the state you will find a rabbit in when stomping through thick cover. Smaller shot is good for rabbit hunting, as well as a more open choke such as an improved cylinder. We don’t want to completely obliterate any meat on the animal.

 Keep in mind that rabbits run in an erratic, zig-zag pattern to evade predators as well as your shot pattern. Shots through thick brush are also commonplace. In addition to shooting through thick brush, you’ll also be walking through it! Proper protective clothing such as good brush pants, thick sweatshirts and gloves will make moving through snags and thorns much more enjoyable. Since flushing the rabbit is the name of the game here, making noise and crashing through the brush is helpful for hunting this species. 

As you walk, keep an eye out for rabbit sign. Scat is an excellent indicator of rabbits in the area, and tracks in fresh snow are even better. Sign is a good way to tell whether an area is worth spending a lot of time hunting in or if you should move on to better habitat (or rabbitat). 

The best part of a successful hunt is preparing and eating the rabbits you killed. There are lots of recipes online, but stews and braised rabbits are two of the more popular ways to eat them. When handling rabbits, always be mindful of tularemia risk. Tularemia is a vector-borne disease that especially affects rabbits and rodents. Do not handle rabbits if you have any open cuts on your hands, and wearing gloves is a good precaution while cleaning and butchering rabbits. If the liver is spotted white or white in general, this can be a sign of tularemia infection. This disease can be very serious, so take precautions. 

Get out of the house and after some bunnies! Your crockpot will thank you.

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