Rabbit hunting

Clarks Hill WMA is open for small game from now till February!

If you want to see DNRs priorities go over to the deer hunting forum and look at the thread of DNR asking deer hunters what they want in harvest data software development.

All that takes resources and is self perpetuating.

I started out hunting small game and loved it. I love to deer hunt, and probably hunt more than most people on this forum, but by the time mid December rolls around I'm ready to move on to something else. I enjoy chasing hogs and coyotes just as much and maybe more so than deer and I can't go after them on hunting properties when deer season lasts what seems like 8 months out of the year. It wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit to see the December break like it used to be. Or close the season on December 15, or maybe Christmas Day. Believe it or not, deer are not the be all and end all of everything people can enjoy to hunt in this state and some of us like chasing other critters too. I do feel bad for the rabbit hunters. It's really ridiculous.

kmckinnie said:

Your upset about this aren't you. Why don't several of y'all get a lease and hunt it.
I do understand.

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ok say us rabbit hunters lease 1000 acres. At $10.00 an acre that is $10,000. so we would need 10 memebers at $1000 each. So that's 10 members who all rabbit hunt and I don't know if you know it or not but rabbits will be concentrated to certain types of habitat.
Of the 1000 acres maybe 400 acres will be suitable to hold rabbits. So now we have 10 members hunting 400 acres. So common sense tells me that the rabbit population will be diminished very quickly.
And if you know anything about rabbit hunting then you should understand this but I don't think you know anything about it kmckinnie.

Dad started me rabbit hunting when i was 7. I've had beagles and been at it since then. Things have certainly changed since the 70's. South GA was the place to be back then.Rabbits running everywhere and nobody cared about deer hunting. Several years later the coyote come along and since then has lowered the rabbit population #'s. Deer hunting has sky rocketed to the #1 hunting recreation leaving very little land to hunt anymore. Lots of deer hunters just don't want dogs on their property because of the misconception that dogs run the deer off. Far from true.

Well it's December 1st tomorrow and I've harvested all the deer I need for the next year so it's on to getting the dogs out and getting after them fur critters. Certainly sad we can't get the small game season to end the weekend before turkey season. If they can extend deer why not just extend small game?

I don't have beagles anymore nor the time needed to care for them properly. But if one of y'all want to come hunt on my meriwether property or run (no kill allowed by landowner rules) on my coweta land before the end of deer season just send me a PM. Two tracts in meriwether. One 110 one 155 both with good population. Coweta making a comeback in population and is 150 acres. Just prefer no large packs of dogs or hunters.

Bubbafowler just shoot me a PM after deer season when you want to hunt Meriwether. I'm just next door in Harris. Be more than happy to bring the dogs and enjoy some fellowship with ya!

Big lazer is open until feb28th with limited to no access to most areas,and my hunting buddies are in there 70s,this makes it tough to cast a dog from the main road running through,it's very evident when they close the gates after deer season and say they will be re opened when turkey season comes around

watermedic said:

clarks hill wma is open for small game from now till february!

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have you ever been rabbit hunting on clarks hill wma? I have and there is 5 or 6 packs of beagles hunting rabbits every saturday. Between the over hunting and coyotes there not many rabbits on the wma.

Ruger#3 said:

If you want to see DNRs priorities go over to the deer hunting forum and look at the thread of DNR asking deer hunters what they want in harvest data software development.

All that takes resources and is self perpetuating.

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excellent post.....

I am the primary lease holder on 566 acres in Wilkes County. I tried making it a rabbit and beagles first club. Not enough rabbit beaglers willing to pay the dues required to keep that going. Now have four rabbit runners and five deer hunters from NC. I give the deer hunters exclusive use of the property Saturday and Sunday once bow season starts. Then, they get Friday - Sunday once firearms deer season starts. They can deer hunt during weekdays but it is with the understanding there may be beagle running on the property. Working well right now for all of us. Hoping for five Beaglers and five deer hunters next year. Dues will be $600 each if we can do that.