Knowing when and how is imperative to being successful on any type of hunt. A little backwoods knowledge can put you on game fast and also save the day, at times. Being able to read the current conditions outdoors, can be all you need to stack the cards in your favor.
A few weeks back, Kodi and his father Kyle Olsen stopped by for a morning rabbit hunt. You may remember Kodi from the column titled, “The Grinch that stole Bambi.” He was the first-year bow hunter that lost his deer to an anti hunter when it crossed the fence and died on her property. We have shared a bunch of exciting hunts since then, most of which were successful. I was there to watch him harvest his first rabbit last winter, and his first duck this fall. We will be looking forward to spring turkey, and I'm confident if a bird comes into range, it will end up on the table. Kodi listens very well for a youngster, but like most kids, has more drive than instinct. This adds up to a day of exercise, rather than a successful hunt in some cases.
Kodi called the previous evening to make plans. I informed him that the conditions were the worst they could be for rabbit hunting. I needed the exercise, so I didn't argue with him when he asked to go. I knew there was a slim chance that we would even see a rabbit because of the snow. When you have good snow cover and cold conditions where we hunt, the rabbits tend to remain in their dens. I usually see lots of holes leading up under rocks during these types of conditions. We walked the whole hill and saw nothing but a few Ruffed Grouse that got up and flew out of range. My legs were jelly when we got back to the house, so I considered the day a good work out.
Less than a week after Kodi, Kyle and I had gone, the conditions changed in the hunter’s favor. Rabbits are controlled by many natural factors, the most predictable is water. You may think for drinking purposes, but they get most of their water from the food they eat. When rain melts the snow pack, water fills the rabbits dens, which forces them to the surface. When my buddy, Dana Crosby, called to see if I wanted to get outside and do something. I said it would be a perfect day for some rabbit hunting. We had experienced a couple days of rain and warm temperatures, so with water in the dens conditions were prime for good old foam-dome Fudd to strike again.
I threw on my orange safety vest and lucky circa 1980s blaze, foam-dome cap. Instead of the traditional shotgun, I used my home defense Remington 870. I choose to use this model on nearly all moving game. My reasoning behind this is that if I'm capable of hitting a running rabbit or wood duck flying by at nearly 50 miles per hour, there would be little to no chance of missing a slow moving or stationary target such as a home invader. With old faithful in hand, we headed out for the hunt. As expected, there were rabbits everywhere. I ended up shooting four times and downing all four rabbits. Quite the task for the beagle-less rabbit hunter.
I was unable to retrieve one of the rabbits by hand because it had become lodged in the center of a large brier patch. It was early in the hunt, so I opted to leave it to be later retrieved. On the way off of the hill, I asked Dana if he had a knife on him, which he did. I have made knives for nearly 10 years now and everyone finds it ironic that I have never have one on me. About eight years ago, I shot a doe with David Zeb Lewis. We were by the river, which was up over its banks. A large finger of water had extended into the deer’s escape route. There was an inch or so of ice on the surface, and as the deer was hit and attempted to cross, the ice broke. The doe ended up in the water about 15 feet from land. When I realized what had happened, I got pretty upset and asked what now. He told me to strip down to my under drawers and wade out to get it. It was like 10 degrees out and being raised in the south, I can't handle cold water well. I asked if there were any other options. He huffed a bit and said come on.
We headed for the car and he dug a small hand saw out of the trunk. He pointed to a large sapling about 20 feet tall, and said, “cut it off at the base.” He then said, “Cut off a branch, which was inches from the base and leave about 12 inches.” He then had me cut off all of the other branches. When it was all said and done, I had created a large hook. I walked over to the deer and dropped the sapling onto its neck. I manipulated the hook as to catch the deer’s neck as I pulled. To my surprise, it worked the first try and the deer was safely and warmly retrieved.
When encountered by a similar situation with the rabbit, I knew exactly what to do. I made a small version of the Zeb hook, and was able to get it out on the first try. Sometimes success can be measured in your ability to react properly to a given situation. Be versatile and observant while outdoors, which will add to your enjoyment and success afield.
Good wishes and rest in peace Zeb, I will never forget the experiences that we shared.