Rabbit Hunting Without Dogs
Rabbit hunting without a dog is good exercise, fun, and can be very successful. Depending on the weather and snow the rabbits may be sitting tight, or flush quickly. The great thing with snow is tracking, staying on them until you either bag your game or the rabbit finds a safe house or hole where you can not get them to flush.
What Gun To Use
I Prefer using a Ruger 10/22, a 410 over & under (with a full/modified choke barrel on the bottom), or the 410 double barrel. All are grate guns for Rabbit Hunting. However if I’m hunting for food I will use a 410, as the 10/22 is more challenging for hitting a rabbit on the run and in the brush.
If you have a 410, but it does not have a modified or full choke barrel then try using different 410 shells and BB sizes. For example I will use low brass on the top barrel and high brass on the bottom barrel of my over & under. For my double barrel I will use low brass #8 (smaller BB) shot in the left barrel and high brass #6 shot in the right barrel for more distance.
If you have a partner and the rabbits are sitting tight then have one hunter positioned in an advantage spot while the other is kicking the brush piles. If the rabbits are flushing before you approach your brush piles then have one circle around. Whatever style of hunting you use always keep safety as your number one priority.
Rabbit Sign – Where To Find The Rabbits
The areas that produce the best rabbits are those that have the following; down-fall, brush piles, briers, raspberry bushes, old farm junk yards, or old vehicles and metal. Then you want to look for the rabbit trails, rabbit droppings, and feeding areas. In this video I take you into a field and woods to show you what to look for. I did kick out 2 rabbits, but they do not show up in the video with all the brush, both would have been very easy to take with a 410. Anther way to get Rabbits without dogs is by Using Snares, which are very easy to make and use.