by Dave Workman | Senior Editor
Author found a used ammo carrier that had suffered through years of service on a rifle stock, ran it through the washer and dryer, and gave it new life.
Bunny hunting is something of a “must” for many people, and for my money, February may be the best month for hunting them, whether cottontail rabbit or snowshoe hare.
This time of year, aside from coyotes, they’re about the only game in town for devoted hunters, at least along the northern tier states. A fat rabbit makes a tasty meal for two, and one can find an abundance of recipes for them in any outdoor cookbook.
The advantage snowshoe hares have is that they turn white in the winter. And the little buggers can really move in the snow. I once fired a .45 ACP at a half-white hare, and darned if I didn’t miss him. Had I been armed with a shotgun (I didn’t even have one nearby), that plump critter would have been the guest of honor at dinner that night in hunting camp. Instead, he merely waved goodbye, probably laughing his rump off as he faded from view into some brush.
The shell carrier holds nine .410-bore shotshells, which is plenty for stalking through the woods looking for rabbits.
A lot of people hunt rabbits with only a .22 rifle or pistol, which are fine choices. But when one wants to tilt the odds in his favor, he uses a scattergun, and my first choice for this endeavor would be the venerable .410 bore.
However, where outdoor clothing people make shotshell vests that work quite well for anything above 28-gauge, the .410 just seems to get no respect. For some time, now we .410 fanciers have been stuck with carrying loose shells around in our pockets. Instead of “.410 bore,” they ought to call it the “.410 Dangerfield.”
I solved that little dilemma recently by digging out an old, and rather used, elastic rifle cartridge carrier that slides up over the stock of a hunting rifle. These usually have 9 or 10 elastic loops, and this one had seen action on a couple of different rifles during more than a few seasons. It was beat up, had frayed in a couple of spots, but it still seemed game.
Author and his .410 bore on the hunt for some hasenpfeffer.
Having run it through the washer and dryer, the elastic loops regained some of their tightness, and I slid that thing over the stock of my little double-trigger Stoeger side-by-side .410 shotgun.
These elastic things are relatively inexpensive. I picked up a couple at a recent gun show for $10 apiece, and they stand up to all kinds of rotten conditions.
Now, here are a couple of things worth noting.
If you hunt bunnies on a national wildlife refuge or some other federal or state land designated for steel shot only, you need to make darned certain every shotshell in that carrier is loaded with steel. I just happened to have a box of steel No. 7 shotshells for my .410, which has fixed full chokes in both barrels.
Workman’s dandy .410 double gun from Stoeger has fixed full chokes on both barrels, and double triggers.
Rabbits and hares are thin-skinned. Translation: They don’t require a lot of horsepower to put them down for the count. Admittedly, I’ve shot at them with a variety of guns in different calibers ranging upwards from .22 Long Rifle. I know of people who have taken them with .38 Special snubbies because that was the only gun they had at the time, and as I confessed above, I tried to clobber one with a .45 Springfield M1911 once years ago.
Had I actually beaned that particular bunny with a 230-grain FMJ, it would have been a rather messy situation, but on the plus side, I would not have been worried about digging shot pellets out of the meat. That’s always the downside with shooting rabbits with a shotgun.
Pick up your empties. Nobody should leave spent shotshell hulls lying around, either on public land or on private property if you happen to be fortunate enough to score access. Spent .410 shells are nearly weightless, so there is no excuse for not picking them up.
Nine or ten spare shells on a bunny hunt should be all one needs to cruise through a woodlot.
One of these days I plan to enter some semblance of retirement. That event may just coincide with the opening day of grouse season (funny how those things happen, isn’t it?) and by the time late winter rolls around, I expect my little .410 will have gotten a workout.
The .410 bore is a marvelous little round capable of more than many people might imagine. By adding a spare shell carrier, one needn’t worry about filling up a coat pocket with spare ammunition. It’s right there on the gun. Just grab it and head for the hinterlands.
