Author: David Robertson

It was cold.  Twenty degrees, maybe.  The light, dry snow certainly hadn’t made things easy for Copper.  My face was a wind-burnt red.  Yet as the sun set on Sunday evening, 

my heart was full, and my body was rejuvenated.  It didn’t matter that a long afternoon of hunting only yielded two cottontails, because for three friends on a late winter Sunday, relief from Cabin Fever came in the form of small game hunting.

Living well north of the Mason-Dixon line brings the blessing of winter that often extends for a month or two longer than expected.  While there are many aspects of winter that I find enjoyable, once the calendar turns over to February, I’m ready to start thinking about spring.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature often has other ideas.  So like many who live where winter can extend to 4, or 5, or even 6 months, I often suffer from the debilitating illness known as Cabin Fever.

 Cabin Fever (n):irritability, restlessness, or just general bad moodiness caused by extend amounts of time inside during cold winter months.  Especially prone to cabin fever are those who are energized in the outdoors.

Fortunately I’ve found a remedy to this alment; small game hunting! Like many who call themselves hunters, my first memories of hunting are of small game hunting.  It’s a great way to get into the sport.  It’s social, fairly easy to access, and even though game numbers might not be huge, at the end of the day, one is guaranteed a nice walk in the woods.

Small game hunting as evolved to mean more to me than what it once was.  While my fall and early winter are filled with chasing whitetail deer, ducks, and upland birds, small game hunting has become my fix for a long-winter-induced bout of Cabin Fever.

This was never truer than a recent Sunday afternoon in February. Fortunately, where I live, cottontail rabbit season is open until March 1st.  Since I don’t fish hard water, rabbit hunting has become my late winter pastime.  I have a group of two friends and a beagle hound, and when the days are short and cold, we try to get out for rabbits as much as possible. 

We arrived at a private piece of property we have permission to hunt at about 2:30 in the afternoon,  After spending a few minutes catching up with the gentleman that owns the property, we got the collar on my beagle, Copper, and started stomping for bunnies.  It was cold, and somewhat windy, but we had sunlight for the first time in several weeks. We felt that with the sun, the likelihood that rabbits would be out soaking in the warmth would be high.  Unfortunately, a recent snow made scenting conditions difficult for Copper.  The snow was very light and dry, and with a stiff breeze, tracking a cottontail scent was not easy. 

Tough hunting didn’t matter to us!   Just being outside, getting our blood pumping, and spending time in the outdoors made the time worth it.  Our first cottontail of the day came when we approached a brushpile. A plethora of rabbit tracks around the pile ushered excitement into our hearts!   I sent Copper in as we human hunters  set up a perimeter around the pile.  After a few minutes sniffing through the pile, Copper moved on.  I moved into the pile and began stomping, hoping to scare any tight-holding bunnies loose.  Sure enough, a bunny lept out.  I love the rush of a bunny jump!  My first shot missed behind the fleeing rabbit, but with the second shot, I connected. One rabbit in the bag.

About an hour later, Copper got on a line and opened up on a cottontail.  We’ve learned over the years that when the beagle is chasing a bunny, it’s best to spread out, stay quiet, and keep our eyes open.  After a few minutes, Copper seemed to have lost the scent and we began to regroup.  Suddenly, the rabbit jumped out of the brush about 40 yards behind me and ran away from me. I was able to take a snap-shot that I didn’t think had a chance.  The rabbit kept running out of sight. 

About five minutes later, Copper got on the trail where the rabbit had ran and wouldn’t come off.  We were trying to move to a new area, yet Copper would not leave the spot where we saw the rabbit.  I went over the put the dog on his lead and when I did, I noticed the rabbit laying by him. Apparently I had connected on the shot! Two rabbits in the bag.

Another hour of hunting had produced some sightings, but we hadn’t managed to bag additional rabbits.  As the sun was setting, we were struck by the beauty of the afternoon.  The winter sky was ablaze with orange and yellow light. The dog was worn out, and we were ready to warm up by the fire.  Although the day didn’t produce a limit of rabbits, it had done what we needed, alleviated cabin fever.  Three friends, a good dog, and beautiful scenery….just what the doctor ordered!