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- Mar 9, 2019
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Saturday was a perfect day for rabbits. There was virtually no snow but at 8 am it snowed about 1/2 inch. So everything was fresh. We lefty my house and walked 200 yards to the field we were going to hunt. Its a hundred acres of abandoned field with all kinds of perfect rabbit habitat. My buddy and I took separate paths and soon he yells he jumped one and its heading in my direction. Little did he know the rabbit was already sitting 15 feet away and didn't seem to have a clue. My mighty 410 single shot at the ready the little bugger went from 0-60mph in 3 feet. I had a shot but believe the damage would have ruined the rabbit so he won that encounter.
I followed the dog as the dog followed the trail and jumped another just 50 yards from the first. He headed behind me again without a shot so I stood my ground and waited. The dog was out of ear shot for some time then was starting to get closer. I heard my buddy shoot but he yelled two rabbits coming your way. Before he was done yelling the first rabbit appeared and fell to my powerful 410. Im reloading and can do it pretty quick but blew the second shot at the second rabbit. However I reloaded and the next shot connected. Two rabbits down. We jumped a couple more, they were going a long way out before coming back to the point of origin. Eventually one came back and we had 3.
We moved about a quarter mile to get into some fresh area. We had hardly arrived when the dog started in. Again he went far and my buddy motioned and said birch tree. I immediately knew what he meant and moved as quickly as I could 100 yards to the top of a hill where a birch tree was. We have chased rabbits passed that tree many times. I hadn't even settled in when the rabbit came hopping through. Finally a nice easy shot. Number 4.
While I was lining up to kill number 4 I saw another rabbit running a path 80 yards to my left. When my buddy arrived we took the dog over to the track and he was off on another. We spread out and after 20-30 minutes I caught the rabbit already behind me. The dog followed and I relocated 50 yards. I looked back and my buddy had done the same. Again the dog went out of ear shot and after a while he is heard coming back. My buddy had the right spot and soon a hear a boom. He yells out he got it.
We started hunting at 10:00am and finished at 2:30. We figure the dog was on a rabbit for all but maybe 20 minutes of that whole time. He had a tracking collar and it totaled nearly 5 miles. We figure he tracked the last rabbit for a full mile.
The dog in the picture is 14 years old. My buddy has 3 dogs and we run them individually. These 5 are added in to the 31 rabbits so far. We are trying for 50.
I followed the dog as the dog followed the trail and jumped another just 50 yards from the first. He headed behind me again without a shot so I stood my ground and waited. The dog was out of ear shot for some time then was starting to get closer. I heard my buddy shoot but he yelled two rabbits coming your way. Before he was done yelling the first rabbit appeared and fell to my powerful 410. Im reloading and can do it pretty quick but blew the second shot at the second rabbit. However I reloaded and the next shot connected. Two rabbits down. We jumped a couple more, they were going a long way out before coming back to the point of origin. Eventually one came back and we had 3.
We moved about a quarter mile to get into some fresh area. We had hardly arrived when the dog started in. Again he went far and my buddy motioned and said birch tree. I immediately knew what he meant and moved as quickly as I could 100 yards to the top of a hill where a birch tree was. We have chased rabbits passed that tree many times. I hadn't even settled in when the rabbit came hopping through. Finally a nice easy shot. Number 4.
While I was lining up to kill number 4 I saw another rabbit running a path 80 yards to my left. When my buddy arrived we took the dog over to the track and he was off on another. We spread out and after 20-30 minutes I caught the rabbit already behind me. The dog followed and I relocated 50 yards. I looked back and my buddy had done the same. Again the dog went out of ear shot and after a while he is heard coming back. My buddy had the right spot and soon a hear a boom. He yells out he got it.
We started hunting at 10:00am and finished at 2:30. We figure the dog was on a rabbit for all but maybe 20 minutes of that whole time. He had a tracking collar and it totaled nearly 5 miles. We figure he tracked the last rabbit for a full mile.
The dog in the picture is 14 years old. My buddy has 3 dogs and we run them individually. These 5 are added in to the 31 rabbits so far. We are trying for 50.