New Years Day Rabbit Hunt

[WH1]

Great way to start 2014! The wife and I got up early this morning and went rabbit hunting with a great group of gentlemen. We were hunting with a pack of beagles. It was like dove hunting. Surrounded a large section of cedars and scrub brush which they had brush hogged paths through. The dogs and 2 hunters worked the cover. When they got the scent of a rabbit they began to bay. A the sound came closer to your position on the perimeter you prepared for the rabbit to cross the path or break cover. It was a pleasure to watch the dogs working and the company was great. Tonight for dinner I cooked a rabbit with bacon (of course), oregano, marjoram, basil, salt and pepper simmered in dry white wine and finished with a cream sauce. Very Tasty. Used the side by side 20 gauge, first time I have ever done a southern style rabbit hunt.

 

[winterland1]

Sounds like fun. Never hunted rabbits with dogs but I have hunted them and they are good eating.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I remember the first time I hunted rabbits with a friend who had well trained dogs. I was amazed just to stand there and wait as they circled the rabbit around. Great fun..!!

 

[scrawlysteve]

Yep, nuthin' quite like watchin' a small furry critter bein' ripped apart by dogs, fer sure. Great day out !

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Uh..no dogs ripping apart our rabbits. We shot the rabbit as it ran by...and picked them up while the dogs chased after more to circle around. Sounds like you have never hunted with dogs scrawly....yet seem to be sensitive about it.
HD

 

[HoosierDaddy]

If you eat...the food's gotta be killed somewhere along the line. Whether picked or shot. [huh]
HD

 

[scrawlysteve]

No, not that sensitive really. Hunting seems to me fine for those who need to do it to eat-- or if it is necessary to cull some animals for genuine reasons. But when a bunch of folk (who, quite frankly, often look like a salad would be more advisable than more meat) clamber out of their pick-ups and go out killing deer, ducks , squirrels, etc etc for "a fun day out " that just irritates me a little. I'd quite like to see these folk dumped in, say, the Sunderbans without their weaponry and see how they enjoyed the tigers having a little "sport" ....

 

[Two Types]

Hunting seems to me fine for those who need to do it to eat-- or if it is necessary to cull some animals for genuine reasons.

I'm not quite sure what you are getting at here: we all need to eat and shooting it yourself seems logical and far less wasteful than buying processed meat from a supermarket. And since the OP cooked the rabbit, we aren't talking about 'trophy hunting'.

I'm certainly no fan of the gun lobby (and must admit to being bemused by the attitude towards firearms showed by some people), but using a shotgun or hunting rifle and shooting your own dinner seems a completely sensible way of spending a day.

I can't see that enjoying the hunt is any different to enjoying the eating.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

No, not that sensitive really. Hunting seems to me fine for those who need to do it to eat-- or if it is necessary to cull some animals for genuine reasons. But when a bunch of folk (who, quite frankly, often look like a salad would be more advisable than more meat) clamber out of their pick-ups and go out killing deer, ducks , squirrels, etc etc for "a fun day out " that just irritates me a little. I'd quite like to see these folk dumped in, say, the Sunderbans without their weaponry and see how they enjoyed the tigers having a little "sport" ....

Kinda like those jumping in a gun thread because that irritates them..heh...

 

[Tomasso]

Bunny killers! I'd like to see the look on your faces when you arrive at the Pearly Gates only to find that Saint Peter is a bunny.:eeek:

 

[Tomasso]

Seriously though, we had a family farm that hadn't been used for a couple generations and unbeknownst to us had become infested with rabbits. I'm talking hundreds upon hundreds. The property had always been closed to hunters but when my father heard of the problem he opened it up for the locals. We then received numerous letters of thanks for helping them feed their families. That's a feel good story in my book.

 

[Atticus Finch]

But when a bunch of folk (who, quite frankly, often look like a salad would be more advisable than more meat) clamber out of their pick-ups and go out killing deer, ducks , squirrels, etc etc for "a fun day out " that just irritates me a little...

You mean like these rotund guys and this old pickup truck? This fuzzy photo was taken a few years ago during my rabbit hunting days. If you look into the dog box, you can just barely see the tail end of one our beagles. BTW, my favorite weapon for rabbit hunting also was a side by side, but mine was a twelve with 26-inch barrels, open and modified.

AF

 

[Feraud]

I'm not quite sure what you are getting at here: we all need to eat and shooting it yourself seems logical and far less wasteful than buying processed meat from a supermarket. And since the OP cooked the rabbit, we aren't talking about 'trophy hunting'.

I'm certainly no fan of the gun lobby (and must admit to being bemused by the attitude towards firearms showed by some people), but using a shotgun or hunting rifle and shooting your own dinner seems a completely sensible way of spending a day.

I can't see that enjoying the hunt is any different to enjoying the eating.

Agreed on all points. There is nothing about this thread that is unsporting, cruel, or wasteful of the game.

Kinda like those jumping in a gun thread because that irritates them..heh...

Right, and those threads never end well. :eusa_doh:

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I also used a sXs when rabbit hunting years ago. 26" full & modified 20 guage 3" Charles Daly.
HD

 

[Oldsarge]

Meat is meat. Killing your own is more morally responsible than going down to the supermarket to pick up some pre-packaged protein processed by some underpaid minority in less than ideal conditions all the while pretending it grew on a bush! Rabbits are going to get eaten by something sooner or later. None of them live to die of old age. Being part of the predator/prey cycle is the natural order.

 

[Two Types]

Kinda like those jumping in a gun thread because that irritates them..heh...

I'm normally one of those :eusa_doh:!!!! Not this time though

No problems with hunting for food.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Rabbits are going to get eaten by something sooner or later. None of them live to die of old age.

Not sure about that. I've got one that's been living under my grapevine long enough that his social security check is now coming to my mailbox.

AF

 

[Feraud]

Being part of the predator/prey cycle is the natural order.

I'm going very off topic here but Louis CK has a funny stand up routine about how humans have removed themselves from the food chain. He talks about having to commute to work and avoid being eaten by predators. Funny stuff.

 

[Tomasso]

Had a family friend who hunted with bow and arrow exclusively, from childhood up into his 80s. He traveled the world in quest of prey (while also finding time to found one of America's iconic TV and appliance manufacturers.) His home was incredible, with dozens of big game trophies mounted on the walls and laid as rugs on the floor. When Ross Siragusa walked into Abercrombie & Fitch (the real one ) to outfit a trip he was treated as a god by the staff.

 

[WH1]

Yep, nuthin' quite like watchin' a small furry critter bein' ripped apart by dogs, fer sure. Great day out !

Nothing ripped apart by the dogs. Hunted them with a shotgun, the dogs merely track the rabbits. But thank you for what seems to be an arrogant, pompous and somewhat uninformed opinion as well as demonstrating a highly offensive ability to stereotype. Not obese (73" tall with 16% body fat) or in need of salad, although I do enjoy them. I eat a well balanced diet which does include wild game such as venison, elk, rabbit, quail and pheasant all of which I have ethically harvested in a legal manner. I am a meat eater but unlike some who seemingly believe that their steak, chicken, etc. were born in shrink wrapped packaging or that their beautifully tanned leather jackets with tartan lining just grow on trees, I take responsibility for most of the harvesting. Additionally the licensing fees and taxes upon my firearms and ammunition go towards wildlife habitat preservation and ensuring the continuation of a healthy ecosystem. As a member of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited and other wildlife conservation organizations I have been involved in multiple hands on conservation programs. Responsible and ethical hunting practices are essential to ensuring healthy, stable wildlife populations.