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MassRabbit

davemata

davemata

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I was wondering about rabbit, down in the Mojave they are relatively easy to hunt if you are up for a long walk. Here though? Haven't seen any that weren't in people's yards.

What's it take to hunt them out here? Beagles? Just curious.
 
Beagles work best IMHO. I have a cousin who runs 6 beagles and I have yet to be shutout in the 4 years I've been hunting them. We average 5 per trip.
 
They're around, you might just have to find a honey-hole though. Check WMA's and other places you can hunt for fields or clear cuts, and then check for sign. You can "still" hunt them without dogs, the best times being morning and evening as their practically nocturnal. I think the season ends late february.[thumbsup]
 
davemata said:
I was wondering about rabbit, down in the Mojave they are relatively easy to hunt if you are up for a long walk. Here though? Haven't seen any that weren't in people's yards.

What's it take to hunt them out here? Beagles? Just curious.
Click to expand...


First kill all of the Coyotes, and foxes. Then somehow get rid of the fishers. Then wait for any semblance of a breeding population to stabilize, then hunt them.

When I was growing up, I could see them every single day in the woods while hunting. I think the ones i remember shooting were New England cottontails. I don't know if I ever saw an eastern.

Now, in the last ten years, I have only seen one NE cottontail and one snowshoe (from the stocking of the local beagle clubs years ago) on my property.

Damn idiots on Bacon hill passing laws that they don't understand. Now coyotes are attacking kids, never mind decimating the population of rabbits and squirrels.
 
I went about 2 weeks ago down in Crane WMA in Falmouth, MA. Seemed to be a perfect spot, got out about 20 minutes before sunrise, light snow fall, tons of low lying bush and grass with patches of large growth, essentially rabbit heaven. Didn't see 1 turd. The only rabbit we saw was (literally) the one that ran in front of the car as we pulled out of our driveway to go to the WMA.
 
HTRN said:
First kill all of the Coyotes, and foxes. Then somehow get rid of the fishers. Then wait for any semblance of a breeding population to stabilize, then hunt them.

When I was growing up, I could see them every single day in the woods while hunting. I think the ones i remember shooting were New England cottontails. I don't know if I ever saw an eastern.

Now, in the last ten years, I have only seen one NE cottontail and one snowshoe (from the stocking of the local beagle clubs years ago) on my property.

Damn idiots on Bacon hill passing laws that they don't understand. Now coyotes are attacking kids, never mind decimating the population of rabbits and squirrels.
Click to expand...

Exactly. But you left out the rise in the raptor population as well.


JasonC said:
I went about 2 weeks ago down in Crane WMA in Falmouth, MA. Seemed to be a perfect spot, got out about 20 minutes before sunrise, light snow fall, tons of low lying bush and grass with patches of large growth, essentially rabbit heaven. Didn't see 1 turd. The only rabbit we saw was (literally) the one that ran in front of the car as we pulled out of our driveway to go to the WMA.
Click to expand...

That is why I stopped hunting them. I can't tell you the last time I saw one in the woods.

Bob
 
I've been out looking for them a few Saturdays on the Cape so far. Haven't seen one.
A few weekends ago a buddy and I were out on the Nat'l Seashore where there's tons of Heath/Heather and other underbrush. We saw several guys with a pack of Beagles but it didn't look like they were having much luck either. I'm just waiting for Turkey to start.
 
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