Good day hunting.
I manage to get one day of bunny hunting in this year. Season ends at the end of this month and I will not likely get out again. A co-worker, myself and our dads all meet down at the farm this morning and we hunted for about 4 hours or so. It was really cold this morning, temp in the low teens, but the sun was out and very warm. We had lots of rabbits up but due to the cold they were going underground pretty quick. The first rabbit we jumped ran 50yards right into a stack of cinder block. The second one we jump made three hops and then right down a groundhog hole. We lost the third one when the dog couldn't follow the sent due to the very cold and crusting snow. They were sitting tight, I walk a semi circle around one within 15-20 feet of it and it never ran. It wasn't until the dog got close that it final moved and I noticed it. It only ran a few feet. I got three rabbits and the last one was the best. The two dads were up on an edge and jumped the rabit out of a nasty thicket of briers. I saw it from the time it jump as in came down the hill across my vision and then started turning away s from me. It was moving fast enough and I had time enough to think about it that I had to give it a lead it about 4 feet . One shot and rolled it to a dead stop at probably nearly 35 yards. This all took place in a pretty dense stand of mature pine trees so I had to time my shot between rows of trees. I was please with the shot (yes, I am patting myself on the back and no I won't hurt myself, it think). We ended up only get four rabbit total but had a great day.
There were oodles of turkey and deer tracks all over the place. A suprizing number of coyote tracks. My co-worker jumped a nice size buck with doe. My Uncle said that Ohio Division of Wildlife will be coming in next week to use their rocket net to capture another group of turkey for transplant to other parts of the state. I would love to see that rocket net.
Before we left I got the new 1100 out and ran some shells through it to make sure is still worked after all the mods. It ran like a champ. It even cycled the real light 7.8oz load I had been hunting rabbit with in my Citori. Shot slugs pretty good too except the slugs really badly leaded up the modified choke I had in the gun (I forgot the rest of the chokes tube at home). Next time I will use a skeet tube with the slugs and hope it doesn't get leaded up as bad. I had to scrub like crazy with bronze brush to get the lead out of the choke.
All and all a good day
There were oodles of turkey and deer tracks all over the place. A suprizing number of coyote tracks. My co-worker jumped a nice size buck with doe. My Uncle said that Ohio Division of Wildlife will be coming in next week to use their rocket net to capture another group of turkey for transplant to other parts of the state. I would love to see that rocket net.
Before we left I got the new 1100 out and ran some shells through it to make sure is still worked after all the mods. It ran like a champ. It even cycled the real light 7.8oz load I had been hunting rabbit with in my Citori. Shot slugs pretty good too except the slugs really badly leaded up the modified choke I had in the gun (I forgot the rest of the chokes tube at home). Next time I will use a skeet tube with the slugs and hope it doesn't get leaded up as bad. I had to scrub like crazy with bronze brush to get the lead out of the choke.
All and all a good day