While big game hunting gets much of the attention with hunters, I look back to my roots. Long before the deer population exploded and before turkeys could be found in my neck of the woods, small game, primarily squirrel, rabbit and groundhog were king. Squirrel season lasted for nearly five months while rabbit season came in on the first Saturday in November and stayed in until February. Groundhogs could be taken anytime they weren’t hibernating.
Much of the time we hunted as a family. My dad and I hunted squirrels while grandpa preferred to hunt rabbit with us. After my sister got married my brother-in-law found himself in a hunting circle that would never be broken. A rabbit hunt with my grown nephews is now one of my most treasured memories.
After I moved to Missouri it took a while to find other small game hunters as TV shows had everyone eaten up with deer, so I hunted by myself mostly. While I deer and turkey hunt, I still find myself gravitating more to small game hunting. They are crafty, abundant with very generous bag limits and great table fare.
Small Game Firearms
Contrary to big game hunting, small game hunting does not require any specialized equipment. Which suits me just fine. An accurate rimfire rifle or shotgun and a knife is usually all I take with me. Okay, so sometimes I will wear a game vest with a squirrel call in the pocket, but no backpack busting at the seams with gear I will never use.
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For firearms I prefer a .22 rimfire. More recently, I have taken to carrying a RWS .22 caliber air rifle with good results in the squirrel woods. In the later part of season, I often tote a shotgun when squirrels are on the ground looking for nuts that they had buried earlier in the season.
Out Comes The Shotgun
For rabbits I use a shotgun most of the time. However, when snow is on the ground and rabbits are in the open sunning themselves, a 22 rimfire is just as effective. When hunting with beagles many prefer a .22 as rabbits will often be far in front of the dogs and stop. A good rabbit hunter will know where the rabbits will go and wait for them to “come around” taking an easy shot with a rimfire.
For shotguns I have become quite fond of sub gauges with modern loads and chokes you can get near 12 gauge performance from a 20 gauge.
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For groundhogs I use the same firearms, however a groundhog can soak up a lot of lead and still make to his burrow. I prefer a headshot with a high-velocity .22 rimfire or a load of #4s from a shotgun after a stealthy stalk well within the shotgun’s range.
I prefer #4 shot for all small game as my grandpa used to advise me with his wisdom, “You can knock down the weeds and still get the rabbit.”
Methods of Hunting
Squirrel
For early squirrel season I prefer to hunt them in the mulberry trees. The squirrel will gorge themselves on the ripe berries. As the nut trees begin bearing mast, I target the hickory species first as the pig hickory are often the first to attract the attention of squirrels. By late October the squirrels have switched over to the red oak species and walnuts.
Rabbit
Each summer I am amazed how fast the rabbits’ habits change from sitting out in the field edges to hiding in brush piles in a period of just a few weeks.
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While we bucked brush and still do, kicking or throwing rocks into a brush pile to get the rabbit to jump out, my favorite way to hunt rabbits is behind dogs. I’ve hunted behind a single dog and a pack. While the exciting barks of the pack is fun, a single dog is much easier to handle.
Groundhog
Groundhogs are busy putting on stores of fat to sustain them through their long winters nap so you will find them in pastures especially where new growth is taking place. In many locales the groundhog is hibernating by the time rabbit season comes in.
The Comeback
Will small game hunting make a resurgence? I do not know. Although shooting a nice buck or a long-bearded gobbler is thrilling, the seasons are rather short, and I enjoy spending as much time as I can in the woods. For me, small game hunting fits the bill.
