Story time. I haven't gotten out in the field much this year. Just busy and getting old and lazy I guess. Its the last week or so for rabbits in Ohio so I got out some the last couple of weekends. Id hate fir season to be over and think that I was so lazy I barely went out. The last three times it was 10 degrees so not ideal conditions but it felt good to get out and it didn’t feel too bad out on the warm side of the woods olin out of the wind. Well today it warmed up so after old man farmer breakfast at bob evans and after I cleaned out my drive I figured Id take a walk. If i had to guess it was probably about a three mile walk. The ground was showing through the snow on the side side of the fence rows and I bobbed and weaved my way around. Some snow was well over my ankles still in spots that drifted. Anyway I started out. Hit the fence rows in the back 40 that had prime habitat and saw not. I skirted the fields and hit the fences in between the field. Made my way over to the woods probably about 45 min in. Got to the far corner of it and found some rolled up fence. Man don rabbits like some rolled up fence about twenty yards inside a woods. Now Im no rookie when it comes to rabbit hunting. About 40 years ago I started this venture trialing my dad with a daisy bb gun in white tennis shoes froze stiff and cold. Mom used to chew him pretty good for starving and freezing me out. Anyway today I pulled a fancy engraved franchi 20ga out and went stomping through the back forty to these rolls of fence. I jump a rabbit and it went from two or three rolls into a thicker area of piled up rolls. I thought ok i will go standing that gap there in the middle of that pile and give it a kick and he should jump. Everything went as I figured just to plan. I pulled up and the first shot was hurried. I should have hunkered down, got a good bead, and dropped him with the second shot however I think my second shot may have been more hurried than the first. I was looking down at the barrel and not down the barrel. Just scatter gun shooting in the general direction I guess. Terrible form. So disgusted I didn't even crack off the third and final shot. He banged a right and ai eased up where I could see and figured I sneak up on him. I could see pretty good through the woods and was on a hill and figured he’s trying to circle around and sneak by. Never saw boo. Hit all the brush thru there and and circled around several times. Nothing. Didn't see many rabbit tracks if any really. Mostly squirrels, deer, and k9. So I'm back at the house eating soup now and don't have a pic of a dead rabbit nor am I making the stew that comes with a day like today. Itvwas good to get out. Anyway I was humbled by a rabbit today and thought you might enjoy the story.
