Shhh... We're hunting wabbits

In the time honored tradition of Elmer Fudd we went wabbit hunting. I went on my first rabbit hunt with my dad when I was about 3 years old. I have hunted for almost 60 years now. Blake and I have gone rabbit hunting at least once a year since he was just a little guy. Originally the Harris guys (my dad, sometimes Dave and Brandon, usually Blake and I) would do a rabbit hunt on Thanksgiving Day. In recent years Blake and I would go on a rabbit hunt with a fellow from Blake’s work that had a pack of beagles. Since we hunt rabbits on a farm that we also deer hunt we usually wait until January well after deer season. Last Saturday, January 30, it was cold and bright with fresh snow.

This year two guys from Blake’s work went along with Blake, Skyler and me. We had four beagles and Blake’s black lab, Toby. Toby was really excited to be on the hunt, perhaps a bit too excited.

Skyler, is hot on the trail

Not 20 minutes into the hunt we noticed that Toby had gotten hooked up on some kind of sharp object and had a nasty gash in this leg. The rest of us headed on while Blake took Toby home for some first aid.

By this time the beagles were into the heavy cover, so we just waited for Blake’s return while the four dogs ran around in circles in the cattail marsh.

Some of the cover was really too heavy, there were tracks, but we didn’t actually see any rabbits.

Rabbit hunting with Beagles can be a bit boring while you wait, sometimes as much as an hour, for them to chase rabbits out of heavy cover.

After a couple of hours we decided to head to the other end of the farm into an area that was a bit more open so when the rabbits started running we could actually see them.

This worked much better. In about 30 minutes we had rabbits and decided to call it a day.

It was a good time in the field and an appropriate extension of the rabbit hunting tradition.

Rabbit Stew

One rabbit
One onion
Two carrots
Two celery stocks

Some mushrooms
Two potatoes
½ cup each beef and chicken broth
Cut everything into bit sized chunks
Roll rabbit chunks in flour, salt and pepper and brown with olive oil in hot pan .

Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar.
Throw everything else in with a bit more salt, pepper and a bay leaf in a crock pot or Dutch oven
cook on low for three to four hours

Tastes pretty good