Stand Hunting Rabbits and Hares

Tips and techniques for hunting lagomorphs in highly populated areas with impenetrable cover.

Of all the ways to hunt rabbits and hares, stand hunting wasn’t a technique on my radar for a long time. It turned out to be a very practical method for putting some longears in the vest. 

When I say stand hunting, I’m not referring to sitting in a deer stand and waiting for rabbits to show up. (Unless you always see rabbits from your deer stand, in which case, do that!) Instead, I’m talking about setting up within gun range of excellent rabbit cover that is impossible to flush rabbits from and waiting for them to emerge. Ambush hunting is another way to put it. Dilapidated farmhouses, piles of irreparable farm equipment, unwalkable brushy cover, and the like are perfect places for ambush hunting rabbits. The key element here is that, once you’re set up, hold very, very still.

Stand hunting rabbits is best reserved for specific situations, which I break down below. Personally, I don’t recommend this method as a general purpose means to target cottontails and snowshoe hares. But, that said, here are some best practices for stand hunting lagomorphs.

When To Stand Hunt Rabbits and Hares

Stand hunting is a method that I keep in mind for very specific situations. Knowing when and when not to stand hunt takes the guess work out of it. 

Typically, I ambush hunt in places where I know cottontails or snowshoe hare hide in nearly impenetrable cover. In these places, reaching them and successfully getting a shot off is next to impossible unless you are stand hunting.

Cottontails

I frequently hunt cottontails on properties with dilapidated utility sheds, abandoned barns, forgotten farm equipment, desolate hedgerows full of buckthorn or hawthorn, scrap vehicles, and unkempt field edges. Sure, these places look a bit rough, but they’re cottontail paradise. However, flushing rabbits out of these hiding places is often impossible. The bunnies know they’re safe—they aren’t about to leave that safety to make a run for it. 

What those cottontails don’t expect is a crafty hunter willing to stand hunt them as they emerge in the last hour of daylight to begin their nocturnal feeding. I’ve found that this works particularly well around junk piles; they often hold more than one cottontail. Finding places like this isn’t all that difficult, either. You can use a trail camera or two to see who is coming and going. Better yet, simply go for an evening walk and see where cottontails are consistently emerging. 

Hares

The same goes for other lagomorphs like snowshoe hares. Hares, depending on the terrain or the season, will sometimes put themselves into places where a normal push just isn’t possible. When that happens, and you’re well aware of their presence, stand hunting shines.

A few years ago, during a backcountry deer hunt near Lake Superior, a good friend and I took note of the plentiful numbers of snowshoe hares. However, they were way up in these steep scree fields. If we tried to approach them, the hares vanished into the alcoves, never to be seen again. That was okay, though, because we planned for this; my hunting partner brought a packable .22 rifle. When combined with patience, his rifle proved to be the hares’ undoing more than once while stand hunting.

When To Use Other Hunting Techniques

For every time that stand hunting is the best means to put some rabbits or hares in the vest, there are plenty of times when it’s not. For example, I’ve found that trying to wait out a flushed cottontail or hare until it circles back to the location it was flushed from is a waste of time. This is especially true if you are hunting on your own and there’s no one else to pressure the animal. 

Hares are notorious for circling back. But just because you flushed one from cover doesn’t mean it’s coming back to that specific piece of cover. More than once have I flushed a snowshoe hare, sat quietly in anticipation of it returning, only to have waited for nothing. When there’s nothing to keep them running, snowshoe hares are just as likely to go fifty yards and hunker against a tree trunk as they are to complete the full circle.

Remember that stand hunting hares and cottontails is very much an ambush game. You are waiting for the animal to break from impenetrable cover, which generally occurs in early morning or late evening. That said, use that knowledge as a guide for what time of day you shouldn’t stand hunt. As much as I wish eastern cottontails were active in the middle of the afternoon, they simply aren’t that naïve. If they were, then there wouldn’t be very many of them. 

The Right Tools for The Job

There’s a good chance that you already have everything you need to comfortably stand hunt, especially if you hunt deer. By human standards, rabbits are somewhat color blind. They can see blue and green fairly well, but most other colours appear in shades of greys. Camouflage isn’t necessarily of the highest importance. However, being very still is. 

.22 Rifles

I typically run a sharp-shooting .22 for cottontails. If there’s the possibility that my stand hunting area has multiple rabbits hanging around, then I’ll be loading that .22 with subsonic suppressor rounds to decrease the chances of scaring other bunnies to the point where they won’t leave their cover. 

In winter, it’s easy to see where rabbits and hares are leaving cover based on their trails in the snow. This might mean I have to lay on my belly. Depending on the temperature, I may bring a foam mat with me for added comfort and insulation. 

20-gauge Shotguns

Snowshoe hares are a different story. I find more success if I hunt them as though they’re wild turkeys; I almost always hunt snowshoes with a shotgun. A good 20-gauge with 3-inch shells loaded with #4 shot will be more than enough to punch through brush at a reasonable distance. 

To give those rounds an added punch, more often than not, I will run a modified choke. Sometimes, I might be 25 to 30 yards away from where the snowshoe hare emerges; having a modified choke in my barrel will seal the deal. 

That’s not to say that you couldn’t run a .22 rifle and bag a couple sneaky snowshoes emerging from what my hunting partners and I refer to as “the nasties.” But, more often than not, you won’t find snowshoe hares in the same sort of rural landscapes that you find cottontails. Snowshoes prefer brush-choked conifers in low-lying areas far away from agriculturally significant lands with minimal development, if any at all. In places such as this, a shotgun will reign supreme. 

Hunt Rabbits Like Big Game

You’ve probably heard that hunting small game will make you a better big game hunter before. To me, stand hunting cottontails and snowshoe hares has proven this to be true. 

I have far more success with this style of hunting if I scout ahead of time. I make note of where I consistently see sneaky cottontails or snowshoe hares disappear. The effort it takes to document the time, location, and how often critters are seen goes a long way. 

Don’t for one second think that deploying a trail camera or two would be considered taking things too far. I’ve used cameras many times. They give me an accurate understanding of how many critters are around and when they leave their cover. This works well for both species. When in snowshoe hare country, using cameras cuts down on the amount of time spent monitoring their movements. 

When setting up, slip into an area facing an exit point for cottontails or snowshoe hares. Arrive about a half hour before legal light slips away. Then, get comfy. Sometimes it takes awhile for the cottontails or hares to start moving. Still, more often than not, I don’t need to hunt for very long. 

Having said that, I like to hunt this way in the evening, prior to when rabbits leave their cover to begin their night activities. You may find that you scare more if you get up early in the morning and try to set up in the dark, which may cause them to leave the area entirely. 

In the end, this method is meant to be a fun and outside-the-box method to put more small game in the freezer. When the right scenario presents itself, trust me when I say that it is exactly as described—fun!