Rabbits A Midwinter Challenge

COTTONTAILS PLENTIFUL ACROSS STATE

Thursday, February 21, 2013

February is rabbit hunting time across Arkansas.

Deer hunting is over except for a few bowhunters. Duck season has closed. Dove seeking is long past. Turkey hunting is two months away.

However, rabbit and squirrel seasons are open, and chances are you will run across few other hunters. Another advantage is squirrels and rabbits are nearly everywhere in Arkansas.

Rabbit hunting is simple, requiring only a shotgun or .22-caliber rifle, some ammunition, a hunting license and a place to find the game.

If you or a friend have dogs suitable for sniffing out rabbits, that is another plus.

Good opportunities for rabbits are in most of the wildlife management areas of the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Skip the deep woods and the open fields for finding rabbits, unless those fields have some brushy spots in them. Rabbits are usually on the edges and particularly along brushy or grassy ditch banks.

Plan on doing a lot of walking in hunting rabbits, although on private land an all-terrain vehicle may help get around. This can be an option for persons who have difficulty with extensive walking.

Rabbits are quick but not fast in comparison to a deer. They tend to hide in cover and run only as a last resort. When one bursts from cover, the hunter’s priority is getting a gun up into shooting position while using peripheral vision to make sure another person or a dog isn’t in the line of fire.

Hunter orange clothing and caps aren’t required for rabbit work, but many Arkansans choose to wear them for safety when tall brush or grass may obscure a fellow hunter.

More shotguns than .22-caliber rifles are in action in February rabbit hunting. A shotgun with an improved cylinder or a modified choke is best. Whether it’s a single shot, double barrel, pump or semiautomatic, just pick what you have available.

Field load shells left over from dove season will work, but a better choice may be high brass No. 7 shells for a little more punch and range.

Hunters can take eight rabbits a day in any part of Arkansas. Get a limit, and you will have the makings of several tasty meals.

Outdoor, Pages 7 on 02/21/2013