Rabbits.... Where to hunt them?

[bobmet]

I have a young Brittany who absolutely killed it in his second pheasant season last fall.

We live in town, and to get him off season exercise I take him out along the Charles River, where there are a ton of rabbits. He loves it. He'll point them and hold until they break, then bust after them hell for leather until they dust him. There's been more than a few times that I could have taken one with a light 20 ga load, or even a .22. But given where we are I'd get lugged by the local cops before I even got the gun out of the car.

What's a likely WMA/location where we can both actually hunt them without some local Karen getting the vapors?

 

[peterk123]

Man, I so wish I had a hunting dog. Come to Montana. Bring the pup. Sleep at my house. The only catch is you have to bring me

We have some seriously big snow shoe hares running around. I just can't fish them without a dog. My Shephard just doesn't get it.

 

[whacko]

I have a young Brittany who absolutely killed it in his second pheasant season last fall.

We live in town, and to get him off season exercise I take him out along the Charles River, where there are a ton of rabbits. He loves it. He'll point them and hold until they break, then bust after them hell for leather until they dust him. There's been more than a few times that I could have taken one with a light 20 ga load, or even a .22. But given where we are I'd get lugged by the local cops before I even got the gun out of the car.

What's a likely WMA/location where we can both actually hunt them without some local Karen getting the vapors?

Find a wma that has power lines thru it many of them do. That early succaional forest/scrub brush habitat usually holds rabbit.

As far as karen......if your on a wma tell Karen to suck it!

 

[Mark from MA]

Find a wma that has power lines thru it many of them do. That early succaional forest/scrub brush habitat usually holds rabbit.

As far as karen......if your on a wma tell Karen to suck it!

Come out to North Central there is a ton of public land. Rabbits won't be as prevalent because there are coyotes and foxes here but land....you can hunt and walk all day in places like Barre Falls Dam and other areas as well. There are lots of fields...and I would try fields with edge cover here as your best bet. Rabbits aren't going to be in the woods that much.

I walk Barre Falls dam area as much as I can and there were a bumper crop of rabbits this year, but they do get whittled down by the coyotes.....

 

[Bodhisattva]

Is it possible to hunt them without a dog? I want to get out for rabbit pretty bad. Only gonna goose hunt once or twice more and then try to focus on them. I’m sure Western MA has a ton.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Petco?

 

[KMM696]

Is it possible to hunt them without a dog? I want to get out for rabbit pretty bad. Only gonna goose hunt once or twice more and then try to focus on them. I’m sure Western MA has a ton.

Not everywhere - W Mass also has a lot of coyote.

 

[whacko]

Is it possible to hunt them without a dog? I want to get out for rabbit pretty bad. Only gonna goose hunt once or twice more and then try to focus on them. I’m sure Western MA has a ton.

It's possible but low success rate. Find thick brush ans cover where there is sign.....tracks....poop. walk 4 to 5 steps stop and look around for 30 to 45 seconds. Take 4 to 5 steps.....look around.....rinse and repeat. They tend to flush when your stopped. I've popped a few this way.

 

[Mark from MA]

It's possible but low success rate. Find thick brush ans cover where there is sign.....tracks....poop. walk 4 to 5 steps stop and look around for 30 to 45 seconds. Take 4 to 5 steps.....look around.....rinse and repeat. They tend to flush when your stopped. I've popped a few this way.

Did this in the 80's when i started hunting. No dog. Worked well.

That said the place was filthy with Rabbits certain years.....Coyotes/Fisher Cats/Bobcats didn't exist here back then. Small game was abundant, Grouse and Rabbits all over the place, as there were many covers around as well that hadn't been taken up by houses.

 

[greencobra]

the vineyard

 

[whacko]

Did this in the 80's when i started hunting. No dog. Worked well.

That said the place was filthy with Rabbits certain years.....Coyotes/Fisher Cats/Bobcats didn't exist here back then. Small game was abundant, Grouse and Rabbits all over the place, as there were many covers around as well that hadn't been taken up by houses.

Yeah it's pretty thin where I go in nh but I get one about every 3rd walk thru there. Not a high success rate but still worth the try

 

[HorizontalHunter]

It's possible but low success rate. Find thick brush ans cover where there is sign.....tracks....poop. walk 4 to 5 steps stop and look around for 30 to 45 seconds. Take 4 to 5 steps.....look around.....rinse and repeat. They tend to flush when your stopped. I've popped a few this way.

This is spot on. Plus you will probably find a few sheds depending on the cover you are hunting.

 

[MisterHappy]

I'm pretty sure the key is to be vewwy vewwy quiet, at least according to some documentaries I've seen.

 

[rogerk]

Yeah it's pretty thin where I go in nh but I get one about every 3rd walk thru there. Not a high success rate but still worth the try

At least you have a season. Maine is so depleted there’s no cottontail season. I almost thought it was a joke when I read it

 

[DJBrad]

Would love to have such a squad when I become an empty nester.




View: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czs6jA_gKrx/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

 

[PatMcD]

At least you have a season. Maine is so depleted there’s no cottontail season. I almost thought it was a joke when I read it

Never was a ton of rabbits up here.
Snowshoe Hares; there are tons of them around.

 

[M60]

the vineyard

I've hunted the vineyard. Very tough terrain. The dogs get beaten up and tired in that thick stuff. Lots bunnies though.

 

[pupchow]

I wonder what their reasoning behind this:

(MA) Hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and ends at midnight

 

[Patriot]

^^^That's when the bars close?

 

[KMM696]

I wonder what their reasoning behind this:

(MA) Hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and ends at midnight

Interesting. I took a quick look, and I believe it's due to MA 321 CMR 3.02(10) "Hunting of Hares and Rabbits" saying:

(e) Hunting Hours. The hunting hours each calendar day of the open season shall begin at ½ hour before sunrise.

So, from 1/2hr before sunrise start, ending on the end of the calendar day - midnight, I suppose. That definition of hunting hours is shared in the CMR with fox and coyote. I'm not an intentional rabbit hunter, so I don't have an opinion whether hunting rabbit after dark is a thing. Is it?

 

[Dennis in MA]

the vineyard

1. You won't find much land you can hunt anyhow.

2. They are BSCrazy over there against hunting, hence their high Lyme #'s.

3. If you DO go, stop in at the old Holiday Inn in Taunton and pick up a truckload of refugees. I'll even pay the $7/ea one-way fare for them. Take a rabbit, leave an illegal. It's a new program.

 

[Patriot]

Take a rabbit, leave an illegal. It's a new program.

Genius! It needs to be expanded throughout the Commonwealth at the very least. More species also.