Questions for hunting rabbits.

[David Dumke]

I'm going to be taking a hunters safety course with a friend as soon as possible to be ready to go out hunting for some rabbits. I live in the upper peninsula and my questions are as follows.

What's the prime time for hunting?

Are rolling disks a must for practicing the hunt?

What's the best small game tip for securing a kill?

What's the kill shot box on rabbit?

Would a 40# bow be a bit overkill or doesn't it matter?

Where is the prime hunting ground for Rabbits?

Thank you for your time.  

[tracker1]

David, check to see if there are any hare field trails in your area of the U.P.and try to hook up with some good beagles.  Most people like myself wait until after deer season Jan,Feb, and March to run snowshoe hares or cottontail rabbits.  Good hunting in mixed cedar swamps with some aspen mixed in.  You should not have any trouble killing a rabbit with a 40# bow in the head or through the chest.

[stevewills]

i use broadheads if im not using dogs and just stalking them.if i use a dog i use hex heads or a long field point ground flat.rabbits dont take a hit really,they are pretty soft if you hit them in the cheast or head....good luck too you

[Roadkill]

We hunt around piles of brush and barn lots early.  Binos to spot them under brush and around equipment and stalk.  The backup man moves to a cut off point.  It is more productive than just wandering    Many ranchers actually ask us back year after year

I stalked a rabbit under a pallet two years ago.  Took a quarter hour   Knelt down, drew and loosed.  A hit!  The rabbit was already dead and did I take a ribbing from my backup man.  I
 Have been bunny hunting for over 50 years. Love it

[Michigan Mark]

You can watch along the trails, dirt roads, and field edges, just at light and before dark to find the rabbits/hare. Otherwise you know your going to have a hard time drawing and shooting that fur during most daylight times in the swamps of the U.P. I have mostly used field tips blunts would be great also. Sometimes they keep running for a while with your arrow in the guts if you don't get em in the boiler room (Heart/lungs). During the best times to hunt I am waiting for Deer unless as stated above Jan./Feb./March. A 40# bow would be great. Get out and have some fun.

[Shawn Leonard]

Well, I have put on traditional hunts with as many as 100 guys and rabbits are tougher than most think. I have killed hundreds and hundreds with both bow and gun(mostly shotgun)and I like a steel blunt or hex head. Broadheads are great if no dogs or people as I have seen some rabbits take 3 or 4 shots to be anchored. 40#s seems light to me for bow weight as they are usually in heavy cover and in a lot of cases running. Heavier bows and heavier arrows work well, deer hunting rigs are great rabbit rigs. Also remember a shot behind the shoulder even tight behind the shoulder is usually a gut shot, the shoulders protect the heart and lungs and they are almost up in the neck. Heavy cover like multiflora rose and hedgerows are great places to look for bunnies. The biggest mistake I see guys make is they hunt heavy cover but there has to be preferred food in there or nearby for bunnies to be in there. I always find late afternoons to be best as well. Shawn

[David Dumke]

Great responses once again and thank you.

[Ben Maher]

The best way to spend a day afield is chasing rabbits .
I prefer blunts but do also use broadheads and mornings and evenings are prime time but they can hunted any tme of the day roound here ... but at sunset they are everwhere !

I totally agree with Shawn ... bunnies are ridiculously tuff compared to most animals given there body size .

Made for bowhunting ... and making me look bad !!!

[Thumper Dunker]

A bit diferent out here but a forty lb bow will work. Blunts ,judoes and hammers and other blunt types all work. I do use broad heads for the bigger jackrabbits out here. Morning and evening are best but I chase them all day.

[no]

well, I just love running bunnies with my beagles. Rather do this than hunt deer. In my opinion there is nothing more fun than running with fine dogs. For me its all about the dogs work & not the killing. As a hard & fast rule no rabbits get shot on the jump. All must complete a full circle before shooting with bow or gun. Mornings & evenings are usually best but we do quite well throughout the day however. Mike

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I have to agree with Mike, Nothing better than them hounds poundin hard! I have the same rules over my dogs. No jump shots and no broadheads.
 
 When your dogs jump'em they'll circle right back where they came from. if you stand still and are ready for a shot you'll get some bunnies.

 Ought to be some good bred hare hounds around your parts. Never have hunted hare but I heard it's a bit different than cottons, Big runs on them hares from what I hear.

[Ia Hawkeye]

"Question for huning rabbits?"

Didn't know rabbits hunted and could answer questions!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

[Ia Hawkeye]

Oops,should have been "hunting".

For light weight bows I have the kids use a cheap(as in free) Hi Precision three blade broadhead that were made locally years ago. I have had plenty of success with blundgeons and small HTMs fit over steel blunts with 40 pound bows. Evenings and mornings in farm groves with lots of junk equipment and brush are the hotspots around here. There used to be areas along the railroads that were pockets of chunk and lots of old downed timber. One day with my pheasant pointing and retrieving basset hound, I had 10 rabbits. I took over twenty shots to get them. I was working those low dump areas along the railroad. that darn dog pooped in my back seat when I was getting ready to go hunting and then after a great afternoon running rabbits I got her into the car and she pooped in the back seat again. That dog was all hunt and no manners, she got hit by a car running a rabbit.

[Roadkill]

We use all manner of blunts and our bows are in the upper 40 and 50 pounders.  Our jackrabbits take some killing but they fall to our rigs. We have not used broad heads, we all carry them for Yotes and badgers.

Go huntin

[MIKE WIRT]

I am with Big Mike on this one. Listening to a good pack of beagles is hard to beat. We never shoot on the jump. If you do, why feed the dogs! The rabbit is fair game after the first, full circle. If bowhunting, one good dog to hit the brush and push the rabbit. makes for better bow shots. Hope this helps. Good Luck