While thoughts of spring activities are slowly beginning to creep into my mind I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to hunt rabbits when George Burgett called me last week. A late season rabbit hunt is something we’ve been doing for quite a few years now with varying degrees of success but this year proved to be one of our better hunts. Rabbit season is open until Feb. 29 along with squirrels and pheasants and if the weather cooperates it can be very productive.

February rabbit hunts can be very unpredictable when it comes to weather but with the relatively mild conditions this year and a seemingly decent number of rabbits available our expectations were fairly high. A rabbit’s fur and skin is not all that thick so deep snow and bitter cold temperatures can make them hole up or sit tight in thick cover and brush. Even with the mild temperatures and total lack of snow we still found our targets sitting tight so working heavy brush was the norm. With good conditions at hand some of the best locations to find rabbits are the thickets and heavy brushy areas surrounding tall grassy fields or harvested corn and grain fields. Other good locations are the brushy fence rows that surround or border fields. Even somewhat open wooded areas with new growth and thick briary undergrowth can be good places to hunt especially if there are some downed trees and brush piles from left over tree tops. Overgrown Christmas tree farms can be another good location to hunt.

When it comes to our late season rabbit hunts both George and I prefer to go on the lighter side with shotgun choices. Lighter means less shot so greater accuracy is required; George being a much better shot than I opted for his 410 while I went a bit heavier with my Ithaca 20 gage pump. Don’t be afraid however to carry your 12 gage since many shots may be long and in brushy locations more BB’s are good.

It’s also a big plus to have some rabbit dogs available; they can get into places that we can’t and with their super sensitive nose they can bring a rabbit back around for a decent shot. We started in a very thick brushy ravine and George’s two dogs immediately had two cottontails on the run. Within minutes I heard George’s 410 ring out and the first rabbit was in the bag. A while later working a thick overgrown hillside the dogs yelps indicated another rabbit on the run; seconds later I again heard the 410 and another rabbit went into the game bag.

We had nearly a dozen rabbits going off and on all afternoon with some never presenting a shot or holing up right away. As we worked our way back to the vehicle the dogs again picked up a hot trail and the yelps were quickly followed by the bark of the 410; another rabbit in the bag.

While I didn’t get off a shot, the hunt was still very successful and a good way to close out my hunting season. What made it even more enjoyable was the fact that George’s wife Michele and his 28-year-old son Matt were able to join us on the hunt-something they do every year. Even more noteworthy however is that Matt has a progressive neurological condition that has resulted in a very handicapped condition. His brother Jeremiah who had the same condition passed away on June 9 of the past year. What has impressed me over the years is that George and Michele have never allowed their boys handicaps to keep them from enjoying the outdoors; with mom and dad’s assistance the boys have both bagged deer, fished and enjoyed other outdoor activities-what a great example.