Summer Hunting

To say I’d earned it would be a gross exaggeration.  All I’d done was get up and drive a short way out of town.  It was early, a bit warm, and I had sweated a little.  That must have been dues enough.  Regardless, there he was.  The glow of his ample headgear in the morning sun had given him away.  I knew he must have seen me or heard my approach.  As I slowly raised my handgun, I wondered if I would be able to get the shot off or he would quickly evaporate into the thicket.  As I steadied the handgun against my walking stick and peered through the scope, I began to believe I would get shot.  Barely finishing that thought, he was off in an instant.  Dang it!   But then, just as quickly, he stopped behind a clump of desert brush.  I quickly took a step sideways and wasted no time lining up the crosshairs.  It was a long shot, but I knew my customized Contender was up to the challenge if I was.  I tried to steady for the shot, but the scope clearly showed the wobbles.  Then for just a split second, the crosshairs settled and the shot broke the morning silence.

Although it was the last day of the season, I was quite possibly the only hunter is the field.  By all observation, I was.  Possibly, the other hunters were waiting tomorrows opening day.   All kidding aside, why more people don’t partake in summer rabbit hunting is a mystery to me.   Sure you have to get up early and it is a bit warm, but you can pretty much count on having the field to yourself.  Surely, it isn’t the slow action.  Rabbits are so plentiful.  I’ve learned long ago not to guarantee anything when it comes to hunting, but you can generally count on seeing lots of rabbits.  Summer is the annual peak of the rabbit population.  So summer is the perfect time to go rabbit hunting.

Regardless of the season, rabbits offer something for every hunter.  You can pretty much hunt them anyway that you want to.  While shotguns and rimfire rifles are most popular, the hunter can legally use high powered rifles, muzzleloaders, archery, airguns, and even slingshots.  So what’s your passion? 

To maximize bunnies in the bag, one can stroll along with a shotgun loaded with #6s.   Fast fleeing Cottontails weaving through the brush are sure to challenge even the accomplished gunner.  

The .22LR was surely invented to hunt rabbits.  No caliber is more perfect.   However, hunting with a rimfire rifle or handgun can be quite challenging.  Getting within my effective range requires stealth, but I can generally hunt up a careless bunny or two.  The challenge for the rifleman is getting a clear shot at a rabbit that is sitting still.  For ammunition, I recommend standard velocity solid point bullets.  High velocity hollow points are of course ok, but the hunter should limit themselves to headshots.   This is true for hunters using magnum rimfires or centerfire varmint cartridges.

In a recent seminar on glassing, one club member asked how you become proficient with the glass.  How about some rabbit hunting?  Bring along a varmint rifle, tripod, and your best pair of binoculars.   Find some elevation overlooking an open flat or a desert waterhole and begin slowly glassing each and every bush.  Glassing up bunnies hidden under bushes 200 yards away is just as challenging as finding a bedded Coues Deer or Javelina.  When you spot a rabbit, get out your shooting sticks and try making a head shot on the tiny distant target.  When I’m not looking for a lot of exercise, this method proves to be fun and effective.

To those that haven’t hunting rabbits during the hot months, you are probably concerned about the meat.  When I first moved to Arizona, the thought of hunting rabbits in summer was foreign to me.  I had heard hunters say that one should wait for the first frost before harvesting rabbits.    However, that would all but eliminate my rabbit hunting in the desert.  Eventually, my desire to get off the couch and hunt Arizona’s cottontails helped me to overcome that misinformation.   Now, I definitely take more rabbits during the warm weather.   Other than placing added emphasis on rapidly cleaning the rabbits and getting the meat on ice, no special concerns apply to summer rabbits.  As always, I wear gloves and would leave any questionable meat in the field.

So why wait for dove season?  Some of Arizona’s finest hunting can be had right now.  Rabbits are plentiful and truly present an untapped resource for Arizona’s hunters.  With a year round season and a daily bag limit of 10, rabbits present constant action for all kinds of hunters.  So pick your challenge and set that alarm.  You won’t be sorry.  OK, I guarantee it.