How to hunt?

[bandit]

I do a lot of hunting by myself. How do you guys position yourselfs? It seems I never see the rabbit many times. Also when the dogs get on a swamper I never see it! I'm a little better on cottontails. Have any tips?

[James Carman]

I don't know what you are doing to get into position. Many times the best place to stand is an opening very close to where you first saw the rabbit. Some folks follow the dogs trying to get in front of the rabbit. If your hounds circle the rabbit, you are already in front of the rabbit as he will come back to that original spot much of the time. Of course, since the rabbits don't know the rules, they don't always do what I just said. Sometimes, they just leave and never come back. When this happens you must move to that area. If the hounds have circled the rabbit more than once without you seeing it try to find an opening in that circling pattern. Look for the rabbit way in front of the dogs, especially with swampers. My experience here is the swamper may go by you before you ever hear the dogs coming back.

[DG TX]

If your hounds strike while a good ways from you, go and make contact with them. Look for a good place to set up the "ambush" fairly close but not on top of the line they have run. Stand STILL and look for the rabbit to circle BACK in the general area that he did the first time. Learn to listen to your hounds as well as this will tell you when they are turned and coming back. You need to be QUITE & STILL, all the time looking back for the rabbit to come back through the same area he did before. As you, through time, learn your hounds better, you will then be able to "sneek" around and set up for better positioning. BE SURE AND ALWAYS KNOW WHERE YOUR ALL YOUR HOUNDS ARE BEFORE SHOOTING! Just be patient and keep movement to a minimum. That rabbit can see you moving a long time before you see him.

[ducktape]

I try to find a break or change in the cover. i/e swamp edge or wood line in fields i look for change in grass types or even hieghts. even a slight change in terrian of course always look for old fence lines I also have several spots where the tallest tree around seems to be the best place to stand i always figerd the rabbit could see that tree from a long ways off so he knew he was near home i had this proven to me a couple years ago when a wind storm took down a big pine i have killed many rabbits by well since that tree fell i have not had a rabbit run within a hundred yards of that spot

[Richard]

I used to hunt with a fellow that would always try to cut the rabbit off , he would "go with the hounds" and walked many more steps in a hunt than I would. I always try to stand near where the rabbit was jumped and I usually killed most of the rabbits when we went on a hunt.

[bowhunter59]

hunting by urself is hard i have some good dogs and stiill u cant tell where that rabbit goin to be especially in swamp land its so thick u got to be on top of him to see him where i hunt anyways when i hunt swampers . cottontaiols still dont come out where u want or there to far away when they do i always try to get somebody to go with me or just enjoy the dogs and if i get a ranbbit its a bonus!