Fence Rows and Rabbits

Rabbits are not usually at the top of my hunt list in the fall, but come February and they are the perfect ending to a great hunting season. I grew up hunting rabbits in my youth years and learned how to swing a shotgun. Back then, I didn’t have a bird dog, so rabbits were the only predictable quarry we could find. Hunting rabbits in the snow on a sunny day, might give you some of the best hunting action all season long.

The wife and kids were out for the day and I knew the farm across the road the I hunt all year for doves, deer, and turkey had rabbits all over it. Lots of old fence rows and brush piles made this farm a perfect rabbit hunt. I just never spent the time to do this solo in the past few years. Hunting small game is always more fun with the company of friends. So, we beat the brush and were rewarded with lots of jumps and constant action. After chasing elk in high altitude country and sitting through long frozen hours in the deer stand, chasing a few rabbits seemed like the perfect way to end the 2018-2019 season.

PA Pheasant Honey Hole...Part II

Well, I jinxed it. As soon as I wrote about the honey hole, the birds disappeared.  Or it could have something to do with the fact its December and most holdover birds were coyote appetizers.

But the story of this trip wasn't the pheasants, it was these fresh rubs.  Reminder, this is SW PA, not Ohio.  Yikes.

PA Pheasant Honey Hole

Honey holes are typically reserved to fishing spots that are known for their abundance to produce AND must be, to some magnitude, under the radar.  Of course in the hunting realm, there are hot spots and money spots that will, year after year, produce dominant gobblers and mature bucks.  But, for whatever reason, I just don't call those honey holes.  

Pheasant hunting in Pennsylvania is what it is.  The birds are not wild and its clearly not South Dakota.  But, my dog doesn't know and I like to hunt with my dog.  Plus the commute is a little closer than Aberdeen, SD.  The problem with PA pheasant hunting though is that there are typically droves of hunters around where the birds are stocked.  I loathe crowds, especially ones with guns, so I usually hike far away sacrificing # of birds for less # of hunters.  

I followed my same logic this season and hiked away from the orange army, but randomly came upon a semi-remote area that had tons of ringnecks. I'm not sure how so many bird ended up here, but I never saw another hunter all season long.  On a couple hunts, I was intentionally passing on flushed birds, because I wanted to run the dog a bit longer before limiting out.  A sort of catch and release hunt.  

Each season is different, but for now, I officially have found a nice little honey hole.

December Pheasants

Pheasant hunting on public land with a few friends, a German Shorthair and some cool December weather.