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.
