Hi all,
Looking for some spots for rabbit and squirrel. I live in Norther CO (Firestone) and spent the day out/off HWY 14 near arrowhead and northpark(east of Walden) -- nothing to be seen. I will try Pawnee grasslands close to dusk time and see what turns up. The sad thing is there are more rabbits in my backyard then out in areas where me and my kids are allowed to hunt.
Tried Pawnee, there are two sections. The area around Pawnee Buttes (eastern) was desolate. No life to be seen. The area close to HW14 and CR69 had some Pronghorn and we spotted a Yote, the problem was it was already sunset. Oh well will have to get out there with more light.
Good luck finding spots for rabbit and squirrel, I have a good rabbit spot myself. The only problem is they're a bitch to find because of all the brush they hide in. They usually only come out right at sunset too.
Hi Pyro,
I have found that as well. I was raised in MI and my small game hunts included a 10 minute drive and tree rats galore, and I rarely came home empty handed for rabbit as well. This is the first year I am taking my daughters out to hunt and they are getting frustrated.
Tell em to walk really slow around corners and keep their eyes peeled for bunnies. If you have one of the 22/410 combo guns, they are wonderful because if you spot one a ways off, you can pop em in the head, but if you're much closer, the shotgun does a wonderful job. I use #6 or #7 steel shot for rabbits, they take care of them nicely. I don't have a combo gun myself, but if I did, that'd be all I'd use for rabbit and squirrel hunting. Last year I only got one rabbit all season, so it just takes a little getting used to stalking bunnies. You need to know where some of the food sources and paths they walk along, and then if you listen real carefully, sometimes you'll hear them hopping in the underbrush. Lastly, the best time for me to find rabbits is early in the morning when the sun is coming up, and then in the last few minutes of daylight. The rabbits in my area really come out 5 minutes after sunset, and usually I'll get 1-3 rabbits within minutes of each other. I can't wait till this December, I plan on getting a beagle puppy or two and training them to scent rabbits.
We returned to North park and hunted Elk Mountain. It is a state trust land at the end of 12e east of Walden. A google search will provide good instructions to the location. We got there at the break of dawn and went up the trail. We were able to harvest the first squirrel within 30 minutes, we hiked up about 3/4 mi and harvested the 2nd squirrel. About the time we hiked back there were tree rats everywhere. So 9-10am was a good time for them to be out. The trails there are awesome and marked well. No rabbits to be seen but we will try other parts of Northpark at dusk. Pyro, good to hear about the puppy. DO you get pick of the litter, or is it a puppy breeder.
