Northern Lower rabbit hunting techniques(Michigan)
01-07-2002, 09:45 AM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Bellevue, Mi, USA
Posts: 1
Northern Lower rabbit hunting techniques(Michigan)
I have found that rabbits are always further ahead than where I tend to look so we have one guy circle up about 50 yards and we push to him. killed nice bunnies that way with out dogs. We like the Pigeon River Valley for nice rabbits. What is your take on the rabbits in the norther lower of Michigan
01-07-2002, 12:38 PM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Munising MI
Posts: 501
RE: Northern Lower rabbit hunting techniques(Michigan)
I'm a Little further than you-I'm up in the U.P. about 2 hours west of the bridge. I'm usually out 60-70 times a winter, but I carry a gun only about 3 or 4 times. I found that those bunnies don't run much any more after you shoot them.
What I do the entire time is wander around, listen to how the dogs are doing, and look for rubs. On the second loop I'll move in, and take a look at the rabbit, see how the dogs are doing, which ones doing the best, and so-on. I know for a fact those dogs will run the same rabbit sometimes for over an hour-maybe close to two. The will run the same loop sometimes 4-5 times, taking 10-20 minutes per loop. I'll sometimes see a rabbit, with dog's in tow, 12-15 times in 2 hours.
Most of the time I'm with or near the dogs when they get a start. At least 70-80% of the time the rabbit will come back to the spot of the start. If that rabbit is not killed by predators or whatever, we can go back to that same spot and get a jump for most of the winter, and the rabbit will run the same loops.
If you know the loops in the areas you hunt-funnels, sides of fields, rounded corners, thick spots, log piles, corners, you can shoot them there every time, year after year.
Don't shoot to many in one spot though. A friend of mine took me to this great spot to do one of my 3-4 hunts of the season. He said the first time they shot 25, the next 7, and when we went, we shot 3. I didn't really care, we had a great run, but he felt the need to apologize and said "the rabbits must have moved, they do that throughout the winter".
Moved??????
Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.
What I do the entire time is wander around, listen to how the dogs are doing, and look for rubs. On the second loop I'll move in, and take a look at the rabbit, see how the dogs are doing, which ones doing the best, and so-on. I know for a fact those dogs will run the same rabbit sometimes for over an hour-maybe close to two. The will run the same loop sometimes 4-5 times, taking 10-20 minutes per loop. I'll sometimes see a rabbit, with dog's in tow, 12-15 times in 2 hours.
Most of the time I'm with or near the dogs when they get a start. At least 70-80% of the time the rabbit will come back to the spot of the start. If that rabbit is not killed by predators or whatever, we can go back to that same spot and get a jump for most of the winter, and the rabbit will run the same loops.
If you know the loops in the areas you hunt-funnels, sides of fields, rounded corners, thick spots, log piles, corners, you can shoot them there every time, year after year.
Don't shoot to many in one spot though. A friend of mine took me to this great spot to do one of my 3-4 hunts of the season. He said the first time they shot 25, the next 7, and when we went, we shot 3. I didn't really care, we had a great run, but he felt the need to apologize and said "the rabbits must have moved, they do that throughout the winter".
Moved??????
Jeff...U.P. of Michigan.
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