How To Hunt Cottontail Rabbits

Ethan King
2 min readNov 1, 2022

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Do you want to hunt during the winter season? Have you thought about hunting cottontail rabbits during winter? Cottontail rabbits are fast and difficult to find. They have learned to keep away from open skies because of aerial predators. In this article, we will discuss major points about hunting cottontail rabbits.

How To Hunt Cottontail Rabbits

1. Scouting Cottontail Rabbits

Look for cottontail rabbits in brush piles, hollow logs, deserted barns and sheds, thorn tangles, briars, fallen trees, fence rows, and overgrown homesteads. As you scout an area for signs of cottontail rabbits, look for tracks, trails, and droppings.

2. Fresh Snowfall

After a snowfall, get out and look for cottontail tracks and droppings. If you come across tracks study them to see where they leading. The direction they are going can indicate a cover for cottontails. With this information, you can set up and wait for cottontails. You can also drive on back roads after the snowfall in search of tracks as well.

3. Jumping Cottontails

In an area with tall grass, downed trees, and thick vegetation, you can walk slowly in these areas and then suddenly stop. Wait for a minute and do it all over again. If cottontails have been caught in the tall grass with you walking, then will become uneasy as they sense danger and feel that you are upon them.

With that level of uneasiness, they will flush out of the area to put some distance between you and them. That will be your chance to take a shot or one of your hunting partners take them down.

4. Hunting with Dogs

Dogs can be used to hunt down cottontails. Once your dogs pick up the scent of cottontails, it will be on their trail until it finds them and pin them down. This is then your chance to take them down when they try to escape the dog. If you would like to learn more about how to hunt cottontail rabbits, then click this link.

5. Chat with Farmers

Search for nearby farms and have a chat with them. Most of the time they are experiencing problems from cottontails, groundhogs, coyotes, and other predators that pose a threat to their crops and livestock. They may allow you to hunt on their farms when you can assure them that you will be liable for any injury to yourself or damage to their property.

Conclusion

Hunting cottontails is exciting, challenging, and rewarding. They are fast and have become very good at being elusive. In this article, we shared information and knowledge to help you successfully hunt cottontails during the winter. if you would like to learn more about hunting, then click this link.

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