Ask any hunter and he or she will tell you how hunting rabbits are one of their favorite hunting activities of all time. We have our own reasons for rabbit hunting, don’t we?
If you’re anything like me, then you know how fun and profitable it is when you’re hunting the little critters. Don’t you agree?
I have a farm-like garden right outside my house. And keeping the pestilence controlled caused by rabbits in that region is something that I have to keep doing. So I know how to hunt rabbits in the most efficient manner.
But before I begin to explain the step by step procedure, let me first tell you that rabbit hunting with a dog can really speed up the process. Every hunter knows how important a dog’s presence is while he or she is chasing down critters. The most helpful dog breeds that assist in hunting are Labrador retrievers, hounds, beagles, and golden retrievers.
While hunting with a dog may be an effective method, not many hunters prefer carrying out the job with a canine companion. And some don’t have dogs that are fit for tough and challenging activities like hunting. These are the reasons why I have explained the easiest way to hunt rabbits without a dog. So let’s learn the most traditional way of how to hunt rabbits.
How to hunt rabbits?
1.Preparation
Before you embark on your wild adventure, it is very important to prepare yourself and your hunting gear. The first and most crucial element of hunting is a hunting license. You have to have a hunting license if you don’t want to get into trouble.
So once your hunting license is in place, the second important thing to prepare is your hunting gear. Every hunter’s gear largely depends on the kind of hunting method he or she chooses to adopt.
Setting your pack before you begin your journey ensures that everything is in place, quite literally. Your pack should have a good supply of water and food. It should also be loaded with the essentials mentioned above, like guns, ammunition, hunting knife, gloves, etc.
And as far clothing is concerned, there is only rule in hunting. If the location that you will be hunting in is a place where friendly fire is a risk, then it’s always a better idea to opt for bright orange attire. Choose the same colored clothing if you’re going to be hunting in a group.
2.Pick Your Hunting Method
When learning how to hunt rabbits, you must pick one of the two methods involved with rabbit hunting. The first is setting up traps and the second is hunting them directly. Both methods are equally tough or easy. And both require the same amount of skills and patience.
But you must pick one based on your particular needs and requirements. So it’s important to weight the disadvantages and advantages of each method. Let’s do that, shall we?
The first method involves trapping the rabbit. One of the most important rabbit hunting tips using this method is to make use of either a pitfall trap or a rabbit trap. These two traps ensure that the rabbit is killed in the most humane and efficient manner.
A rabbit trap is simply a spring equipped cage in which you put your bait. Once the rabbit enters, the door shuts, and the creature gets trapped inside. While in a pitfall trap, the rabbit is tempted to enter a tunnel that has a spring loaded panel. Once the rabbit reaches the panel, it opens and drops your prey into a pit.
While both are one of the easiest ways to hunt rabbits, the latter is used to catch more than one rabbit while the former is designed only for a single rabbit.
How to Trap Rabbits?
Now we can talk about how to hunt rabbits directly. And that means using a gun. A .22 caliber bullet is perfect to kill the rabbit while also causing minimum damage to its fur and meat. Many hunters use shotguns or hunting rifles as well. But these are the kind of hunters who have better aiming skills and shooting experience.
Shooting 160 Rabbits in One Night
The best rabbit hunting advice that I can give you when hunting with a gun is to shoot the head, heart, or lungs of the creature. Such a shot ensures that the rabbit doesn’t suffer and dies immediately.
If you’re an experienced hunter, then you can use the method of driving out the little critters from their holes. While this method may require agility, skill, patience, and stealth, it can be used to catch plenty of rabbits at the same time. So how to drive out rabbits from their holes? You can do that using three sub-methods; long netting, falconry, and ferreting.
Falconry and ferreting methods make use of animals to drive out rabbits. Ferrets have the ability to get into holes and drive out the rabbit. While falconry may be a more complicated method. You have to train the bird carefully and patiently. But once done, the hawk will do all the rabbit hunting for you.
The last sub-method is long netting. It means catching rabbits with a net. You set up the long net around the rabbit’s hole. You can either wait for the rabbit to come out or draw it out. And once the rabbit gets out, it is trapped in the net with nowhere to run and hide.
Ferreting Rabbits with Nets and Long Nets
3. Decide What to do With your Catch
When rabbit hunting, you should know the local rules imposed on the number of rabbits you can hunt in a single day. If you think you’ve caught enough to keep you out of trouble with the law, then it’s time to decide what you’re going to do with them.
Hunters who catch rabbits for food or profit should field dress the animal immediately after killing it. You can sell the fur and the meat or cook it yourself.
How to Butcher and Cook Wild Rabbit?
I hunt rabbits only to prevent my garden from getting eaten up and destroyed by them. So I contact wildlife control to take the little creatures away as that seems like the best option when I don’t want to kill them for food.
Conclusion
So now you know how to hunt rabbits without a hunting dog. Just remember that hunting is fun yet a very challenging experience. So you have to be patient and skilled to be able to deal with small creatures like rabbits. Don’t feel too bad if you’re unable to catch a rabbit on your first hunting journey. The process is a tad complicated so it may take a few more tries before you make a kill.
So be patient and keep practicing to aim better, shoot better, and ultimately hunt better.
I hope you found what you were looking for in this article. Please drop in your comments and share your thoughts with us below. And if there are any beginners who want some expert rabbit hunting advice, then please don’t forget to share the article with them.
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