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My grandsons, Trevor and Zane, wanted to go rabbit hunting Saturday. They had their guns, their dog, and even a place to hunt. The only problem they seemed to have was neither of them had much experience at rabbit hunting, and their dog had no experience at all. It was one of those "how hard could it be?" moments. Wolfgang is a Jaguar terrier. He is a small wire-haired black and tan dog with more courage than sense. Jags are bred to hunt and he does enjoy hunting more than anything. He does not always know what he is hunting, nor does he care, as long as somebody will take him.

Damon and the boys started at our place. The boys walked the ditch trying to kick out a rabbit while Damon and Wolfgang walked down the driveway. With a bit of explanation about the finer points of rabbit hunting, the boys finally were convinced to walk on the edge and let the dog hunt the bottom. That system worked much better. A rabbit broke from cover and ran up the ditch in front of the boys with Wolfgang in hot pursuit. Both boys shot, which hurried the rabbit on his way and encouraged the dog. He now a least knew what they were after. The rabbit ran to the ditch on the opposite side of the driveway and hid in a small brush pile. The hunters got re-organized and started another drive. Before long, Wolfgang started yelping as though he was being murdered, and the chase was on again. He makes a terrible racket when he is hot on a trail, but his yipping does serve well to get the hunter's attention to get ready to shoot. The rabbit again made a clean getaway.

A short break for some hot chocolate was all the boys could spare. There were rabbits out there, or a least one, and we needed rabbit for supper. Damon suggested rather than continue to chase the same rabbit from one side of the driveway to the other, they might try another location that might have two or three rabbits. This was a great idea. Several rabbits that had never been hunted had to be easier to get than continuing to chase this one that by now had to be getting wise.

An abandoned rail road right of way was their next stop. The boys spread out and Damon showed them how to work the dog. Before long, a rabbit popped out and Trevor dropped it. He and the dog were both excited about their success. Zane got the next one. By the time they ran out of rabbit cover, all three guys were almost out of shells. The score stood at four for Trevor, three for Zane, and Damon even had the opportunity to get two while supervising. There were many more misses than hits, but the hunt was definitely a success. After each shot, whether it was a hit or a miss, the three guys had to discuss it. I think that is a natural inborn trait of hunters. The standing around talking about the shot is almost as much fun as the shooting.

By the end of the day, two boys, one dad, and a dog were getting tired. Wolfgang knew how to hunt rabbits and enjoyed every minute. The boys were much more knowledgeable about how to hunt successfully, and the bonding experience is something that will always be cherished. They cleaned the rabbits and gave them to a friend that needed them more than they did and talked into the night about the experience of the day. I would call their day a great rabbit hunt.[[In-content Ad]]

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