Here are some rabbit hunting tips that you can use to make your hunting trips more productive.
While any shotgun choke can work, using a modified or improved choke improves your chances of being able to connect on the fast moving and erratic running rabbit.
Many rabbit hunters swear by their pumps and autoloaders, but in rough terrain and especially hunting without dogs, a light and short single shot shotgun is hard to beat.
Rabbit hunting generally requires spending a lot of time in brush and briars. Though not an absolute necessity, wearing nylon faced brush pants can make rabbit hunting much more enjoyable. Wearing briar proof gloves is another great tip to make rabbit hunting more pleasant.
Most rabbits are spotted after they have run from cover, but a good tip is to keep an eye out for a rabbit that is sitting still. Carefully watching under brush and in openings will often help a hunter spot a rabbit before he bolts.
One of my favorite rabbit hunting tips is to hunt in the snow. Not only is hunting in the snow pretty, but fresh fallen snow helps hunters to track rabbits. Even without seeing the rabbit, hunters finding tracks know that the rabbit is nearby. With or without dogs, follow the tracks and try to jump the rabbit before he holes up.
On especially cold days, a good tip is to look for rabbits to be catching the sun when available. In fact, cold days that have a bright sun are often the most productive. Hunt the side of the hills that the sun is hitting and look for rabbits in openings. While rabbit hunting is generally best in the morning and evening, those frigid days will often allow good hunting all day as the rabbits seek out the warmth of the sun.
Brushy creek banks, overgrown fields and pastures, and brushy fencerows should never be passed by. These are great places to find rabbits. If the hunting is miserable and you are being cut to pieces by briars, then you are likely in the right place!
When hunting in a group with or without dogs, one hunter should stay behind while the others chase a jumped rabbit. Rabbits often circle and will come back to their original location providing a shot for the hunter who waits.
