Rabbits are one of the most fun things to hunt. It is well known that the best way to hunt rabbits is with dogs. In this blog, I will tell you how I have managed to hunt rabbits successfully, without dogs.
Best brush to hunt
The best way, in my option, to get the most rabbits is hunting thick brush. In the day rabbits stay in thick brush; It is the spot where they feel the safest. I can’t tell you how many rabbits I have kicked up in thick brush.
I find most rabbits hiding honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is a vine that grows on tree limbs. Honeysuckle gets very thick and rabbits love to hide in them. Rabbits hide behind the walls of honeysuckle and wait for you to pass by so be sure to kick the thick walls of brush.
Briare patches. Briare patches can get thick enough to hide a lot of feeding rabbits.
Rabbits will eat the young briars that are still growing and when the briars are fully grown, they will get so thick you won’t be able to see the ground. When you hunt in briars, you want to walk right through the briars until you kick up rabbits.
Shrubs can get thick and hide a lot of rabbits. My favorite shrubs are dogwoods. Dogwoods can have grasses that feed rabbits and get thick enough to hide the rabbits.
Go over your tracks a few times
Rabbits are small quiet animals that don’t like to move, like pheasants. When walking up and down tree rows or walking through briar patches, I double over my tracks a lot. Rabbits don’t like to move if they don’t have to; If you walk by a rabbit sometimes they don’t move and you walk right past them. Sometimes that first pass gets them jumpy and on the second pass, they run.
I have had times where I have almost stepped on rabbits, and if they are stubborn and don’t want to move, you have to double over your tracks.
Go through the thickest stuff you can find
Rabbits love to hide in the thickest stuff they can find; So if you find a super thick patch of briars you have to go through it. Rabbits, if spooked, when you go through where they were at, will retreat to the thickest stuff they can find. Rabbits do this because they have no defense against predators.
Rabbits never feed far from thick cover. So if you are going by a food plot make sure to check the thick patches near it.
How to hunt them
If you are hunting in a big tree row, native grass, or a long patch of briars then you have to walk the whole thing. If you are alone walk the middle of it then each side and be sure to check the thickest spots a few times.
Go to a good food source, like young shoots of grass or food plots. It doesn’t matter if you drive to your spot or walk. Most likely if there are any rabbits they will spook which is what you want.
Find a good food plot. Go to the thickest briar patch or just the thickest densest cover close by a food plot, and kick it just try to get any rabbits out of there. If there is nothing there go to the next thickest spot. If there are no rabbits go to the next food plot and repeat. If you do kick up a rabbit then get a good angle for a shot and take it.
If you are not finding any rabbits, crouch down and look for them. It can be hard to spot rabbits if you’re not used to it, but just take your time and look real hard. When looking for rabbits you want to look for movement. If you see no movement then look for the white tail or belly on the rabbit, I have even spotted rabbits by the reflection of their eyeball. If you see a rabbit go into thick brush but don’t see the rabbit try throwing a stick or rock in the bush and look for movement.
My favorite way to kick up rabbits is to walk in number eight patterns. Then if you don’t find anything along with that pattern after a few passes, cut straight through the middle. This will cause you to spook the rabbits into two areas that are easier to cover. Now it doesn’t have to be an eight pattern, you just have to try to get the rabbits into small areas.
This blog should help you be more successful in the field. I have used these techniques to help me be more successful and I have a pile of rabbits to prove it. So if deer hunting isn’t going to plan, try hunting rabbits, it is a lot of fun and they are good eating.