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rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 2:04 pm
by natel24
Wanted to extend our hunting season a little bit before more snow came, and i am real tired of the hunting preserves so i took my two gsps rabbit hunting. Kinda hard with them ranging out so far but we did manage to score one and saw two others. Also ran into a real nice buck i was trying to get this year, glad i will have another shot at him. And i got to take this pretty cool pic.

Re: rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 2:06 pm
by natel24
Sorry about the red rocket, just noticed it. Ha

Re: rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 8:57 am
by diplomat019
nice job. i took my gsp out a few times targeting rabbits. havent seen a thing. i ran into some spots yesterday where i know the rabbits were. i could see some dropping and prints. dog def got the smell. he was burying his face in the snow where they must have been sitting. it seems like he doesnt care about rabbits. as if he knows there is an animal there but just doesnt care cause its not a bird.

Re: rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 6:05 pm
by CDN_Cocker
Mine finds em, I just can't hit them.

Re: rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 7:49 pm
by luvthemud
Is there a rule of thumb when it comes to how old a dog should be before introducing it to rabbits? I always worry that it will effect a dogs bird drive if he is introduced too rabbit hunting at too young of an age?

rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 6:24 am
by scsims
My Brittany will point rabbits but just doesn't care about them as much as birds. You can tell by looking at him on point. He is not as excited.

Re: rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 9:35 am
by 41magsnub
scsims wrote:My Brittany will point rabbits but just doesn't care about them as much as birds. You can tell by looking at him on point. He is not as excited.
My GWP ignores them. If she bumps one, she starts, looks at it for a sec, then gets back to looking for birds. I bet if I shot a rabbit for her I could turn her onto them. Not going to find out though.

Re: rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 10:35 am
by aulrich
luvthemud wrote:Is there a rule of thumb when it comes to how old a dog should be before introducing it to rabbits? I always worry that it will effect a dogs bird drive if he is introduced too rabbit hunting at too young of an age?
I not sure there would be an age rule of thumb but a training rule of thumb (at least for me) and that is steadiness since you are ground shooting your dog can't be breaking on flush.

Mine is about 3 now and this is the first year I am trying we have dug a couple up but no shots yet.

Re: rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 4:04 pm
by bigoak
I remember back in the early 1990's, late season grouse hunting with a friend of mine. After hunting for about an hour, my friend asks if I mined if he shot a rabbit. I said no so he shot the next one he saw. My female GSP picked up the rabbit and retrieved it to hand. We shot five rabbits that afternoon and the she retrieved everyone of them . My dog at that time was 1987 NAFC Bigoaks Irish Mist. What a dog!

Re: rabbit hunting with a couple of gsps.

Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:44 pm
by 3gsps
I have a 8 year old female GSP that will point rabbits, never really trained her for it she just done it 1 day & I shot it (I like fried rabbit & gravey) she went out got it just like any bird.. I cant tell now when she points a rabbit her tail/nub is wagging :wink: I don't tell my hunting buddies this when she points the first 1 so I get to shoot it...