Rabbit Hunting

[Shotgun86]

Hello Fellow Hunters,

I am a very new hunter who just got his license last year. I’m planning to go on a cottontail or snowshoe hare hunt August 1st week when the season opens. I have been up the coquihalla and Merritt last year, but did not see even a single rabbit or hare. Could you suggest some place in the lower mainland where I will have a change to shoot them please. Any advice will help. I have a shotgun and a Ford Escape, so can travel on FSR but not off road. Thanks a lot for your advice in advance :grin:

[REMINGTON JIM]

Jassmine was our Rabbitt hunter buts shes MIA ! :wink: lol RJ

[scoutlt1]

I was going to suggest the Burnaby Mtn/SFU area, but I haven't seen any updates lately..... :)

[Would Rather Be Fishing]

Last yeR I got quite a few on the east side of manning, still drivable but not exactly lml.

[ab3]

I see them on the island occasionally. Nanaimo all the way up to Courtenay, though they are often in the neighborhood areas (where u can't shoot em).

[scoutlt1]

I hunt the LM, up the Coquihalla and Connector lots. I/we see and shoot rabbits and grouse on a regular basis.

If you are serious about it, send me a PM.

[Shotgun86]

Thanks a lot for the reply guys. Much appreciated. I don’t mind driving up to 3 hours to shoot the critters �� I live in Cloverdale

[ActionJackson017]

Search some posts by HareAssassin (where is that guy btw, I dont think I've seen any posts recently!!) -- he knew his stuff for sure.

I look for hare myself any time I'm out in the fall but they're hard to find during the day. I find the majority at lower elevations and they come out as the shadows get long in the day, and usually along FSRs that were replanted probably 10 or so years prior where the trees are less than 15-20 feet tall. They like low lying cover but there's lots of info on this forum if you look for it. Welcome to the site!

[Kill-da-wabbit]

ActionJackson is right. Late in the day is when they will come out. Bring a cooler and ice with you and brine them overnight in salty water to pull the bitter dandelion taste out. They also have some of the best liver, if you like liver. Late October is awesome as they start to turn white before the snow falls and are easy pickin's.

[barongan]

Will be fun followhttp://juragan.club/assets/13/o.png

[HarryToolips]

Try the following steps and you'll do alright:

1.find the FSR's lined with alder - usually when driving through regrowth blocks with 10-15 year old trees
2.slowly but not too slow, drive these roads the last 2-2.5 hours of light, though sometimes in the morning can also be productive, I find the hour before the last hour of light is the most productive, as I believe they are gathering the last bit of solar heat from the road
3. When you see one, stop slowly, have your vehicle partially blocking the rabbits view of your body, then shoot it
4. Post your success with pics on this site

Good luck..

[Huntingtyler123]

All I hear is up the coquihalla but never gone solely for rabbits. I see them when ever I am out hunting though but always hesitant to shoot them when hunting other game. Maybe a sling shot ;) haha

[Downtown]

Hello Fellow Hunters,

I am a very new hunter who just got his license last year. I’m planning to go on a cottontail or snowshoe hare hunt August 1st week when the season opens. I have been up the coquihalla and Merritt last year, but did not see even a single rabbit or hare. Could you suggest some place in the lower mainland where I will have a change to shoot them please. Any advice will help. I have a shotgun and a Ford Escape, so can travel on FSR but not off road. Thanks a lot for your advice in advance :grin:

Sorry cant give you any advice on hunting the lower Mainland as I have zero experience there. However allow me to wish you Good Luck on your Rabbit hunts, your a big Game Hunter in the making !

Cheers

[DannyO]

i have a very similar plan lol I’m a brand new hunter myself and will be doing a lot of walking up there in August trying to get into some hare and learn a thing or ten. Hope to hear some good reports from you!

[Golddust]

Search some posts by HareAssassin (where is that guy btw, I dont think I've seen any posts recently!!) -- he knew his stuff for sure.

I look for hare myself any time I'm out in the fall but they're hard to find during the day. I find the majority at lower elevations and they come out as the shadows get long in the day, and usually along FSRs that were replanted probably 10 or so years prior where the trees are less than 15-20 feet tall. They like low lying cover but there's lots of info on this forum if you look for it. Welcome to the site!

I'm no bunny expert, but this is bang on from my experience.

I've found hares nearly everywhere I've gone in BC. In the winter when it was snowed up I've found tracks in coquitlam and up near Grouse Mountain my buddy has the odd one hit by a car outside his house fairly often. But, making it worth your time I'd say exactly what ActionJackson said find some relatively young replanted areas and hunt from sun up to about 7:30 and then again from 6 to sun down. I can't remember ever seeing one, even on the side of a logging road, mid day on warm days.

If it snows take the chance to get out and follow their tracks - see where they are hopping around. I found I could read as much as I wanted, but going out in the snow and looking at tracks helped me a ton.

[Redthies]

I’m at 176th and 20th and have dozens of cottontails on my acreage. You don’t have to go too far to find them, but legally shooting them is the problem. Although a .22 short is fairly quiet... Hmmmmm...

[Coach Bob]

Hello Fellow Hunters,

I am a very new hunter who just got his license last year. I’m planning to go on a cottontail or snowshoe hare hunt August 1st week when the season opens. I have been up the coquihalla and Merritt last year, but did not see even a single rabbit or hare. Could you suggest some place in the lower mainland where I will have a change to shoot them please. Any advice will help. I have a shotgun and a Ford Escape, so can travel on FSR but not off road. Thanks a lot for your advice in advance :grin:

General rule of thumb don’t shoot rabbits until after the first frost. Most are covered in fleas till after a frost.

[Firstblood]

When I go for rabbits I go specifically for rabbits, most areas I arent much good for hunting anything else becuase its so thick, not saying you wont find them elsewhere but If im going for bunnies im going for a limit. I pick the thickest new growth/scrub bush I can find and hunt the roads really slowly. Best piece of advice it to be out there early and late, out with a loaded gun walking at legal light, and hunt until legal light is gone, walk in in the dark and out in the dark. Mid day they are hard to find becuase they really hunker down in the thick stuff. In winter tracking them on fresh snow is super fun as well, strap on the snow shoes and follow the tracks super slowly, when you think its slow enough, slow down and look more.