Rabbits

[Red Hawk]

I went rabbit hunting last with my bow for last couple of days with no luck. As far as i know the season for cottontails is open but i wont shoot one until i know for a fact. There was alot of Jackrabbits out there but they acted like they been shot at or something because they would run out far then stop when they normally either sit there looking stupid or run just a short distance. I shot three times and lost two arrows because of how thick the brush was. I had fun but does anyone here bowhunt for rabbits? If so how the bloody heck to you hit a rabbit running so fast? lol

[coyote caller]

Hi Red Hawk;
Sounds like to me that you need to practice at shooting at moving targets. Now this is a different ball game your getting into, compared to deer hunting. You need to get rid of your release if your shooting one, and go to fingers or a tab. And forget about using any kind of sights. They' re just going to get in your way and screw you up. In other words your going to have to learn to shoot instinctively. This involves not dropping your bow arm, not plucking the bow string, peeking at the arrow, And having a sling on the bow so your not torqueing the bow.

Now have someone take a ball, lets say about the size of a basket ball, and stand 15 to 20 yrds. on the side of you and roll the ball. Your going to have to learn how much of a lead you need on your shot. And don' t stop your swing when you release the arrow. It' s like shooting a shotgun. You have to follow through with your shot, or your never going to accurate shooting this way. Keep practicing this way until you get shooting consistanly on target. Then switch to a smaller ball. When you can constantly hit a ball 5 out of 6 time, I' d say your ready for Rabbits.

[Red Hawk]

Thank you for the tip coyote. I am actually curious about the part when you mention about the bow part because i am shooting a hoyt compound. So you are pretty much saying dont use the sights but using the tip of the arrow for aiming?

[coyote caller]

Red Hawk;
No! You don' t aim the arrow at the target. As a matter a fact you don' t look at the arrow at all. If your right handed your left arm is an extention of the bow, and visa versa It' s like shooting a shotgun, Back to this again, When shooting a shotgun you don' t close one of your eyes and try and put the bead on your target. You keep both eyes open and follow the target, or bird your shooting at. Are you right handed? If you are try this little test. With both eyes open, point at an object anywhere, now close your left eye. You should be pointing right at that object. If your left handed just do the opposit of what I told you to. Thats instinctive shooting. It doesn' t take that long to learn this way of shooting. It may seem a little awkward at first, but when you finally get it. You' ll be amazed with your shooting abilities. Good luck!

[S.Texas]

Remember it is best to shoot and eat rabbits after the first cold snap.

When field dressing a rabbit look at the liver. If there are any yellow spots on the liver - either discard or cook till very well done.

The yellow spots on the liver is a disease which will go into remission in cold climate. We have called it yellow fever, I forget the proper name.

But yes, they make great practice and a good stew.

[coyote caller]

But it' s not called yellow fever. It' s called (Rabbit fever/deerfly fever). The scientific name is Tularemia. It' s a bacterial disease that people get from animals. Especially from rabbits, Hares, Muskrats, and Beaver. Tularemia is most often transmitted to people from wild rabbits. You get tularemia by handling or eating undercooked, or infected rabbit meat, or exposed to the fluids from infected deerflies and ticks. Here in Michigan we usually don' t eat rabbits until the really good first or second good frost. That has the tendency to kill off the disease from the rabbits.

[Red Hawk]

Ok i got what you are saying now about the shooting without sight deal. My dad calls its Kentucky Windage lol. Thank you for the tip again [:-]