Solo Cottontail Hunting Tips. Part II
Once you have spotted the right place, identified cottontail signs and found feeding veggies for this small game as described on Solo Cottontail Hunting Tips Part I; it's time to focus on technique, after all sooner or later a rabbit will jump out from a thick cover and you must be ready for a killing shoot because usually there's not a second chance.
On this point, the most important is to focus on technique, after all you are alone and it's mandatory to make rabbits jump and shoot them almost simultaneously, so everything is about technique.
So, follow the next tips to increase your success rates:
1. Look on proper cover at the appropriate hour
Rabbits love the thickest cover, especially near their burrows, then the thicker the cover bigger the chances to find a rabbit, particularly on areas with lack of cover.
When scouting, look for rabbits signs and if they are near deep cover, that's your best spot, however wait until the right hour to start hunting.
On this regard, rabbits tend to be more active at sunrise and sunset, when deeps
provide additional cover to their movements, so wake up early or wait until sunset to begin your hunting, that way your odds will increase dramatically.
2. The pattern is all about
Walking on a straight line is what most of hunters do, so rabbits learn to stay still until danger goes away; but predators don't walk straight; since they use smell instead of sight, they tend to move from one side to another following the trace.
Then if you walk on a zig-zag pattern or even weaving, rabbits will get nervous, in fact, the closer you are, more nervous they will be until being forced to jump out from that deep cover and run away from you.
At this moment they don't realize you are not a predator but a hunter, so be ready to shoot!
3. Stop time to time
Usually predators sop for a few seconds before hitting their prey, so if you walk on zig-zag and suddenly stop near a promising point, rabbits nearby will get nervous thinking they have been spotted and will jump away.
It's not necessary to stop too long, just among 15 and 30 seconds will be enough to make rabbit's adrenaline rush and force the animal to walk away from its hiding place.
All the above will increase your success ratio and once you have practiced it enough, it will become a natural behaviour which will convert you a master solo rabbits hunter.
