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January 28th Rabbit Extravaganza

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
58,856
288
North Carolina
Well, we decided to get together and do a rabbit hunt on a little larger scale than Sam and CJ and I did and worked the logistics too make it happen with Mike (Cotty) Huck, Jesse, Jamie, Fred, Mikes Dad (Oldhunter) and another friend of his Dave ( who signed up for a day lol)..... Well the night before I decided I'd go to bed early enough to get a good nights sleep too make it through the long day we had planned..... That didn't work out like planed, tossed and turned like I do before opening day of deer season :smiley_clap: Anyways, Mike had sent me the directions and I figured it'd be about a little over an hour too make it down too his place.... So I left 2 hours early rotflmao so I landed at Mikes driveway a little earlier then everyone else.... By about an hour :smiley_clap: Oh well gave Mike and I time too talk and get ready for the hunt.... Although Mike and I have talked many times we never had actually met.... And that would go for the remainder of the group all except for Huck who I had met once before.....

Well Jesse and Jamie showed up around 9:30-9:45 and we had the hey finally get too meet you moment, again Jesse and I have talked but never met and Jamie this is the first time talking and meeting :smiley_coolpeace: Fred showed up at 10:00 and pulled up with his truck, I had my two (Katie and Penney) Fred had his two (For the life of me I can't remember their names now lol senior moment) Fred you'll have too chime in and remind me lol..... Mikes Dad and buddy Dave showed up and last but certainly not least Huck showed up :smiley_crocodile: I think Mike had talked him too this location cause it seemed like he and Huck were on the phone a lot :smiley_coolpeace:

Well we got all the introductions out of the way and formulated the plans and off too the woods we went.... Now too preface it Mike hadn't actually rabbit hunted this place but had deer hunted it and thought it looked good for bunnies..... We arrived too the area, and Mike correct me if I'm wrong but it was part of Fernwood WA in Jefferson county.... Jesse has a very good analogy of this place and I won't try too copy it lol..... But we unloaded guns dogs and personnel and off too the woods we went.....

We had a few short runs at first and I think it was more of the dogs feeling each other out more than anything, we had 8 dogs together that haven't seen each other for the most part and now expect them too group up and hunt together and in hindsight WTH were we thinking rotflmao Well if I remember right it took about a half hour before we had the first decent run and I walked over too a highwall that over looked a drained lake and waited for something too come by, the dogs started my way and about half way back too me I heard a lot of crashing and something large coming my way and yup it was a big doe heading right at me up the hill which was almost vertical and half way up she stopped and snorted at me like WTH are you doing here get out of the way Well I start laughing and I think Jesse may had yelled something that I didn't hear but it finally said screw this and took back off down the high wall and out towards the road.... Some of the dogs in tow.... well after a regroup of that scenario we got them started on the right track and off too the bunny trails we went, I lost track of the number of rabbits that they had tracked but had seen three differant rabbits but no shots offered due to the thickness of the cover and the speed of the quarry lol.....

We had a lot of good conversations between us and It was a pleasure too meet Mike, Jesse, Jamie, Fred,Old Hunter and last but not least Dave..... Huck I didn't leave you out either.... It's always a pleasure with Huck around lol.... We had some long runs with the dogs and some were a lot longer than others lol.... The last run of the day I didn't know what too think that dang rabbit went 200 yards too the road crossed the road and went another couple hundred yards into that woods and by that time I'm thinking oh no another deer but too my amazement they brought it around and accross the raod again lol.... That was one of the longest runs I think I have ever seen distance wise lol.....

I'm sure I left some stuff out and may remember something a little differantly but I'll let the rest of the guys add their perspective too it as well.... All I know is Jamie has the biggest arms I've seen in person to date hahahaha.....

Mike a big thankyou to you and your lovely wife for opening up you home too us and you're one lucky dude too have such a nice wife... Kendra I hope you're reading this lol... Make Mike take you out for dinner after the day he put you through rotflmao Sorry Mike I had too do it lol.....
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,797
215
NE Ohio
Sounds like a great day of brotherhood!

Thanks for the story J. It was a nice read since I am working and really enjoy the bunny hunting. :smiley_clap:
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,797
215
NE Ohio
8-10 days away at this point.
Should have about a week off.

will keep in touch.
:smiley_cowboy:
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,797
215
NE Ohio
10 4
Just watch the weather. the colder it gets, the closer I'll be to heading home. lol
 

cotty16

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
Just a few corrections buddy! Lol

My dad is OldScout on here. He doesn't post a whole lot though. Also, it was fernwood State Forest, but we'll let ya slide. LMAO!

Here's my side of the story:
Well, what we hope to become the annual TOO east side rabbit hunt is in the books. Things started off with Jay rolling in around 9:30 with Jesse and Jamie next. We hung around in the driveway BS'ing while Steve tried to find his way. Fred rolled in around 10:00 and, after a few "I'm lost" phone calls, Steve rolled in. My dad and another friend of mine, Dave and his dog Chloe, arrived and we were on our way.

The roster for the day read like this:
Me
My son, Kody
My dad, OldScout
Huck
Jesse
Jay
Jamie (Bucknut)
Fred
Dave (I forget his brief username on here, but he vows to get back on if he can remeber his info).

The place I chose for us to hunt looked like rabbit heaven. It was thick, hilly, had drainage ditches, a small drained lake, etc... I'd only hunted a small amount of this Fernwood State Forest property in the past so It was almost as new to me as it was to those who travelled in. It wasn't long before the dogs opened up. Jay had his two dogs, Fred his two (I only remember Sherry), My two, Molly and Daisy, (although Ol' Daisy would be sent home early as she was struggling), and Dave's dog, Chloe. It was tough to tell exactly who's dogs were barking and I think multiple times we had multiple rabbits going.
All was going well until a doe busted out of the thicket and right behind her were a couple of dogs. After a quick zap of the collar they returned, and order was restored. Damn deer...

Meanwhile, the running was going well but the hillsides were so thick that only by following a narrow deer path could you get through and the shooting vision was non existent. Only a few of us actually saw the rabbits that were running. I caught a glimpse twice, but not one shot would be fired by anyone. I feel bad that we never got to shoot. I knew there would be rabbits there, but I never dreamt that the terrain would be so thick!

Jay's dogs are cute little things and they are just perfect for busting under all the brush. They mind very well and have a great ability of teamwork. If one of his dogs opened up the other was quickly right there to help with the trail. Pretty much the whole day, eventhough no one shot, we had rabbits going. They will probably die of old age in the thick stuff they were in.

Fred's dogs are the quintessential looking beagles. They, like Jay's, work very well together and I believe they are a mother-daughter team.

Dave's dog held her own as well. She's a very slow, portly worker (LMAO!) but she has a nose on her. She jumped the last bunny and kept straightening it out, but the road had us all nervous.

Between Jay's, Fred's, and Dave's dogs we had some serious barking and bawling going on. I'm shocked if they weren't hoarse the next day sounding like that dog in the movie Grown Ups.

My dogs, well... Daisy just doesn't have it in her anymore. She has the will and the heart, but she can't hear and she lags behind. I felt awful, but I had to send her home with my dad early. He ran her home and came back. Molly, meanwhile, is still just a pup and it shows. Most of the time I'm tripping over her or she is galloping back and forth between the hunters. She needs first blood!



So, with the hunt pretty much unsuccesful in regard to killing things (although Jesse did alomost get to fill a goose tag and he found the Crypt Keeper... maybe he can post a pic), we migrated back to the house for the food and festivities. When we arrived, Kendra had the deer chili all ready to go and Jesse, Jamie, and I got the grill and deep fryer rolling. Jay's wife supplied us with a caserole that is till forget the name, but it was damn good and Fred brought us an awesome chip dip that was perfect! On the grill and fryer menu was marinated deer chops, walleye and fresh cut taters. We had backstraps and deer keilbasa to cook as well, but we all ate so much we never got to them. Jay and Fred headed home to put their dogs to bed about 8:00.

As the beer flowed Steve and I kicked jamie and Jesse's asses in Foosball. They returned the favor in beer pong. I proved that I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn in beer pong. Steve tried to carry me, but the pros got the best of us. We continued drinking the beer and having good conversation until about midnight and we all started to tucker out. After a long day in the field putting some serious miles on our legs and eating and drinking since about 5:30, we were whipped!

We didn't get to kill anything, but we represented what the TOO brotherhood is all about. I truly enjoyed the good time. It was great finally meeting Jay. Although it's the first time we met, through this board it's like we've known each other for years. I look forward to the river fishing trip this summer!

Fred is a great guy as well. I know he has a wealth of knowledge in guns and just about everything hunting related. And man... does he drive a beast of a truck!

So, with the first annual TOO rabbit hunt in the books we decided to do it again next year, but on the following weekend. Mark your calendars for the weekend of Feb 4. That will give the waterfowlers their final weekend on the water and in the marshlands. The location next year will be a friend's farm that is much more user friendly and has a good amount of rabbits.

I want to thank Jesse, Jamie, Steve, Jay, and Fred for coming in and I hope you guys had a good time. I enjoyed having you!
Hopefully we can cross a few more guys off the "to meet" list next year.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
49,391
288
Appalachia
I had a great time for sure! It's always good to meet old and "new" TOOzer friends! Meeting "J" has been years in the making now. It was a pleasure to meet Fred as well. I had a blast despite not seeing a rabbit! LOL!!!

I'm still convinced it was the Crypt Keepers fault!!! lmao
 

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Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,830
205
Springboro
I wuz all set for this thread, giddy with anticipation, to find one piddly little picture?!?!? WTF???



(sounds like a good time was had)
 

rgecko23

*Supporting Member*
7,466
0
Massillon, Ohio
I had a great time for sure! It's always good to meet old and "new" TOOzer friends! Meeting "J" has been years in the making now. It was a pleasure to meet Fred as well. I had a blast despite not seeing a rabbit! LOL!!!

I'm still convinced it was the Crypt Keepers fault!!! lmao



Reminds me of jeepers creepers
 

bluedog

Junior Member
:smiley_clap: :smiley_clap: :smiley_clap: :smiley_clap: :smiley_clap:

Great read guys! J, your comment about having 8 dogs that just met together made me smile because we did the same thing at our big Christmas rabbit hunt (7 dogs). The first half hour to hour was sheer chaos with pairs of dogs all doing their own thing, but they worked it out. It was a total riot! So much fun!