0 degree rabbits

[I'llbeoutside]

The older guys that I grew up hunting around always said that they stay holed up when it gets this cold out. I don't know if that was a excuse so they could stay "holed up on the couch" but I seem to do ok most of the time especially if the sun comes out. My lab would have been a great bird dog but I deer hunt to much so I usually take him out with me. He lives for it and has turned out to be great at locating and flushing in the places I can't get into. When it gets this cold though I usually don't let him out much and do more still hunting since they do seem to stay close to the holes. I don't mind hunting when its this cold but if there is much wind at all I stay "holed up" too. I do try to clean any rabbits I get while they are still warm because its a lot easier than waiting until the end of the hunt when you are sweaty and can't feel your fingers (or knife). Cottontails in our area are everywhere this year. What do the snowshoe numbers in the North look like? We usually spend a weekend or two up around the Moorestown (Deadstream swamp) area. Good luck to those who get out.

[Robert W. McCoy Jr]

Rabbits are funny but after a while they become pretty predictable.


They do move when it's cold. But usually not that well after a fresh snow. Now if the snow has been around a couple days the they will resume there daily eating habbits.


When it is really cold yes they find cover quickly.

I agree if the sun pops out on a cold day they will try to take advantage of it.

I don't like to hunt much when it is zero degrees out. I never miss a weekend but I normally do better when temps hang around 20 to 30.

[1-CHANCE]

I'm not quite sure what the temp was today but the rabbits were out. I met my buddy in millington today and he brought his year old pup and borrowed his buddies old timer 15+ years...
Man, was it fun watching the old dog work. This was the first time I had the chance to go out with and expierenced beagle. The "music" he made Kinda wish I had more room for a beagle or two. Anyways, I had a 35-40 yard shot and as I squezzed the trigger --CLICK-- my gun never went off. My buddy got the shot and the rabbit.
We continued to hunt and I had the dogs chase one by as I stood still and again --CLICK-- I racked in another shell --CLICK--. Now that the rabbit ran by me nearly 1-1/2 feet away I couldn't believe what had just happened. My buddy ended up getting the second rabbit which was the last of the day. So after I'm off the net I'm going to tear apart the REM. 870 and hopefully find out why. It was working fine for the geese, earlier this week.
Well good luck to all. Hopefully I'll have better luck this weekend.

1-CHANCE

[deputy]

when the temps get this cold most folks forget to de-grease-junk there guns the little temp changes from truck to outside to holding it can can play havoc on your guns best thing to do is pull the bolt and trigger group spray it clean gun scrubber etc.... or even boiling hot water i mean scalding hot to let it evaporate right off the gun leave it dry no lube at all thrn give it a try! make sure to sprayout the underside of the bolt were the firing pin sets and keep it lube free as well!

[1-CHANCE]

Deputy:

Thanks for the info. I did clean it and looks like there was a few small particles of leaves and debris inside the chamber. After I put it back together I didn't spray it. I didn't think a 12 ga. would be that difficult with hardly anything inside. I'm taking it out later and see if the cleaning helped. If not I'm going to try the scaulding hot water. Thank again.
1-CHANCE