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Wednesday, January 19, 2022

The Lost Art of Rabbit Hunting

 Charles Rodney’s relationship with his hunting dogs, passion for field-to-table living and connection to the land make his love for chasing rabbits contagious while the heritage of Winchester’s small game ammunition makes this beloved pastime accessible for generations to come. 

VIDEO HERE  (9:11 minutes)

14 comments:

  1. I had the privilege of hunting with Charles several years back, it was Great!! I believe we took 14 rabbits that day with only four of us. This was on the Eastern Shore

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  2. a good headlight and a .410 is my go to.

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  3. y'know, I'm also 69 years old, in pretty good shape, have hunted wild boar in northern Maine, but we're talkin, 20 years ago...I'd love to do it again, just not sure my stamina would hold out, and we gets lotsa wild boar down in the Georgia/South Carolina line where we live, damn I miss that...

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  4. I had a friend that owned a .410 shotgun from Sears. The magazine held two shells, so with one in the chamber, there were three shots. It usually only took one, and two was only for the fastest rabbit. I don't remember ever having to take three shots.

    I never really examined the shotgun, but it probably had a full choke. The range was what caught my attention. That gun could reach out distances most people wouldn't try, and was accurate. With the small caliber, good balance, and low weight, swinging it was a breeze, and enjoyable to hunt with.

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    1. Jess,if someone is in the market for a old beat around shotgun or rifle don't pass up on the old sears, jcpenney or western auto's. most were made by savage, stevens and winchester.
      great old guns, just re branded for the retail markets. i would rather have just one made before 1960 than a truckload of what they try to pass off as a firearm today.

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    2. I have a Western Field magazine fed bolt action 12 gauge that was purchased new by my wife's father. He was killed in a car wreck in the fog on Highway 99 in the central valley of California in the late 50s. The shotgun isn't fancy but it's sound and functions perfectly.

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  5. Elmer Fudd was unavailable for comment because they took his evil shotgun away from him.
    It was for the greater good.

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  6. I really regret that one thing I have never done in my life is have a dog that I hunted with. That would have been truly special, and I missed out. I've had pets and walking buddies but a hunting companion would have been something else entirely.

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  7. one of my first guns I ever bought new was a savage 24 in 22lr and 410. I shot a lot of small game with that gun over the years. I think I paid like 80 some bucks for it a long time ago.
    have a grandson who likes as well. he might get it after I can't use it anymore.
    hard part is finding 410 shells these days ? love 4 shot for rabbits myself and like # 6 shot for squirrels when I can't get a clear shot with the 22lr. best hunting dog I ever had passed on in 2004 and I still miss the old guy. he was a good old 20 dollar pound hound who liked to hunt. you had to share the rabbit with him though. even when he got too old to really hunt, he still chased them up, made 2 high priced hunting dogs look bad on day when he was over 13.
    didn't even load the gun as I figured the field was gone over already by the other dogs.
    but he jumped a few of them up in the hedge row and gave chase across the field until his legs gave out. I should have loaded the gun and trusted him. he always got game when he hunted, JACK was a good dog.

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    1. I was just thinking how JACK would do the happy dance when he saw the shotgun come out.
      he sit still in the truck until we got there, and jump out and run around the truck a few times until I was ready to go, then he was all about the hunt, didn't bark much at all, just a little yip sound when he had something in his sights. he was a very good dog. I still keep a picture of him with a rabbit on the fridge.

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  8. Damn! This brings back good memories!

    My stepfather raised champion beagles for rabbit hunting and always had a dozen or so dogs. He kept an old buck rabbit in a hutch near the dog pen to train the puppies. The old rabbit would only run far enough to make the puppy chase it, then stop and wait for the puppy to catch up.

    His favourite dog was called "Roho" and had only one eye. One home visit on leave, he took me and Roho out to a big grassy addock with a dirt road down the middle. He put me at one end with a shotgun and said "Don't shoot the dog!" He and Roho disappeared into the long grass.

    Roho never stopped baying. I could hear him coming toward the road then a rabbit would appear at the edge, stop for only a second or two, then dart across! If I missed, ten seconds later Roho would come across the road and then go turn the rabbit back for another chance. Good times!

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  9. I've been blessed to have the opportunity to hunt many types of big game around the US, but one of my favorite hunts is for rabbit. You're always moving, not just sitting around waiting for something to wander by. And the meat is delicious -- something that the beef/pork/chicken crowd never gets to appreciate. A buddy of mine and I are going after a some wabbits later this month, and I can't wait. Every hunter should try it at least once.

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  10. There's a few guys I know that still love hunting with dogs. My uncle Jessie, dad's youngest sister's husband, kept Beagles till the day he died, noisy little fuckers, lol
    JD

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