Snowshoe hunting

[Woodrow]

In the spirit of trying something new, I have been thinking of going on a hunt for snowshoe rabbits.  I grew up hunting cottontails but I have never even seen a snowshoe.  I currently live in the Northern part of Illinois.  Where is a good place to hunt them and how would one go about hunting them?  Thanks for the information.

Woodrow

[Daveinthebush]

Don't know much about Ill.  Up here I just walk around and look for them.  The black eye is pretty easy to spot once you get used to it.  On sunny days they usually sit on something high like a small 2-3 foot hump and relax in the sun.  A .22 with a good scope is a lot of fun and usually enough for the job.  The new .17 mag should be great for head shots.  Binoculars are a real good aid.

Back in NY we used to run them with beagles.  Then any shotgun loaded with high base #6's worked well.  Brush piles around swampy areas are always fun to jump on to see if one is sleeping inside the pile.  Tracks are a good indication of bunnies in the area.  Remember though that one bunny can make a lot of tracks.

[Woodrow]

Thanks for the reply Dave.  I was actually thinking of heading to Wisconsin or another nearby state.  I have not heard the locals talking as if there are any here.  I just need to find an area with a good population of rabbits and available hunting land.

[myronman3]

check out the hawkins area.  a little east of ladysmith.  lots of public land and plenty of snowshoes.  DO take a gps with you and mark your vehicle.   if you follow any of this advice, follow ALL of it.  good hunting.