Rabbit and Snowshoe Hare Hunting

[Topwater Scott]

We, my sons and I, are looking for public land with rabbits or snowshoes and any other small game to hunt. We are in the south east metro. We have hunted Vermilion hills area and a couple other pieces of public land but have not come across many bunnies. We are willing to go just about anywhere in the state for a day of hunting. Any help would be appreciated.

[WalleyMN17]

Gotta head up North, further the better usually. Pick a state forest. I would say with all the snow and cold stay somewhat south, like Nemadji or Chengwatana for the rest of this season.

[Tom7227]

Might need your own snowshoes if you go very far north.

[brittman]

Amazing how few rabbits I see deer or grouse or pheasant hunting. Hares even fewer. Dogs love 'em around the house, but they ignore them bird hunting or just not many around.

Squirrels are hunted relatively hard within an hour or so of the Twin Cities.

I would think your best bet might be up the I-94 corridor ... look for woodlots near cornfields.

[leech~~]

I did my best on Snowshoes in thick low new growth pines. Try and find some tight pine areas. It's a ways up north but Badoura State Forest is just about all state planted pines and we use to do well up there. Look for the smaller new pine areas.

[Gordie]

We typically head to the Minnesota/Iowa boarder for cottontails and this year we did ok, it was slow and slim pickings as most of the farmers cleaned up their groves when the scrap steel prices sky rocketed ,along with trying to get every inch of available ground for crops by getting rid of all the brush plies.

Cottontails still to be had though all you have to do is finds a farm with a good grove on it the thicker the better and stop and ask for permission. I have only had a few farmers say no.

Snowshoes are a up north thing and there is some good tracks of puplic land around Hackensack that hold a few yet.

Good luck

[erikwells]

I plunked a cottontail this weekend and will be going out this weekend to try to get more. We traditionally marinate and crockpot a batch of rabbit and squirrel super bowl Sunday so I had better get going. There is not much better eating than marinated and crock potted rabbit in my opinion. I hunt the groves around the farms and most farmers are happy to let you as long as you stay away from their live stock. I used to hunt rabbit with the good old .22 but in recent years I've started to hunt them with birdshot behing my shotgun as all the rabbits I've shot in the last few years are running at mach 7 and I've got zero chance with the rifle. I think its because of the increase in coyote numbers in west central minnesota, I might be wrong. At any rate a sitting still rabbit is something I don't see where I hunt anymore. Rabbit in the crock pot not too many things are better for sure.

[Musky Buck]

I'm with Brittman kinda, snowshoe hares ? We used to have them and we haven't seen any since the late 80's the same time the ruffed grouse vanished in the same place. 0 rabbit tracks, we did notice like thick warts on the ears of the last few snowshoe hares we ever got, then haven't seen one since then and we still have this same land so idk kinda sad, no wonder the grouse,ducks,turkeys,pheasants are a bit more wanted by our hawks,owls,coyotes,fox,etc.We used to call hares food for the fox etc. You know what, have hardly seen a red fox since the hares died off or whatever happened, actually not seeing much for Jack Rabbits either. Hmmm. idk.

[delcecchi]

Both snowshoes and grouse have big cycles in their population. They fluctuate for reasons somewhat unknown, although of course there are theories...