Rabbit Harvesting in Newfoundland HOW YOUNG PEOPLE WERE INTRODUCED TO THE OUTDOORS Being born and raised in Newfoundland was a blessing, as soon as I could walk, I instantly took an interest in the great outdoors. Being less than 10 years old, you’re restricted to what you can do, versus what you dream & want to do. Every outdoorsman I know in Newfoundland, all started at the same thing , at a very young age. That “ thing “ , is Setting & Checking Rabbit Snares with an elder ! Rabbit snaring was a great way to get young people introduced into the outdoors without getting too extreme . It’s an easy concept, but can sometimes be extremely challenging and frustrating ! Snaring rabbits is just as it sounds, in the winter time rabbits make paths which are referred to as leads. Once a rabbit has beaten down a lead enough, multiple rabbits will begin to use it over and over and over. There can be hundreds of rabbit leads, in just one little neck of the woods. This is where you pick your lead, and ultimately pick the best spot where the rabbit is guaranteed to run into your snare that you’ve tied on a stick !
Being young, this taught us a lot about tracking, having patience , and how to think like an animal in order to catch it. Some of the best memories I have in my childhood were waking up in the morning, & setting out on a cold frosty winter day to go see how many rabbits I managed to trick ! Often times starting out, the rabbits would definitely get the best of you. But overtime, you learn skills, different techniques, and you’re just purely determined to catch those rabbits! It becomes a hobby that you’re just addicted to, and I firmly believe, this is what ignites that spark in most young outdoorsman here In Newfoundland. HOW IT DEVELOPS THE OUTDOORSMAN Years later, you’ve learned many tricks and skills, and even life lessons within this one activity. I remember finally setting out to set my own rabbit snares alone. It was definitely a lot harder without the guidance of my grandfather or father, but I would manage to get them set up to which I thought was perfect! It took a little while, but finally getting your first few rabbits made you feel on top of the world!
Coming home with a nice pair of rabbits to throw in the pot for supper is one of the best feelings in the world, that I’ll never forget. Eventually, I got into other types of hunting, and branched off of the rabbit snaring, and started targeting them with guns. I can remember the day I shot my first rabbit, a snowy December morning, waking up in the cabin and begging grandfather to get out of bed so we can go for a walk up a trail to possibly harvest something for supper ! I proudly took my new .22 rifle that my father had bought me the year before for my birthday as my first ever firearm. We walked for about a half hour, until I had spotted my first ever rabbit that I was hunting. I told my grandfather not to move, there’s a rabbit under the bush… took aim, pulled the trigger, and BOOM … I had successfully harvested my first rabbit with a firearm !
This was so rewarding, as rabbit hunting in the winter is extremely hard because of their snow white coat that they change into when the temperature start to drop and the snow comes down. That evening, we cooked my rabbit along with some vegetables and had a delicious meal. That’s a memory I’ll never forget! DIFFERENT APPROACHES ON HARVESTING RABBITS The most popular type of rabbit harvesting in Newfoundland is by far setting snares, however my favourite type of rabbit hunting to do, is driving old Woods roads, and taking walks in the thick Newfoundland forest and trying to spot these quick, camouflaged rabbits before they spot you! Rabbits are extremely fast, you just have to hope your aim is faster. Nothing quite gets the adrenaline going, like stomping on brush piles, hoping to spook up a rabbit in hiding, and when they finally do make a run for safety, you have a split second to take that shot!
There’s a few different techniques you can use to target rabbits with firearms. Besides the one just mentioned, here’s two techniques that work very, very well. This is commonly known as a “rabbit drive “ You can either use dogs, or a group of people for this. With well trained dogs, they can get on the scent of rabbits and run them right to you, but don’t forget, it’s still up to you to make that shot count! Myself, however, not owning a rabbit dog, would always get together with a few friends, throw on some blaze, orange and start our walk through the forest, hoping to bump rabbits back-and-forth to each other. THE BEST WAY TO TARGET RABBITS WITH A FIREARM in my opinion, by far the best way to target rabbits with a firearm, is to catch them at the right time of year. What does that mean you may ask? As mentioned before, rabbits fur changes from brown in the summer and fall, to snow White when the temperature start to drop for winter. More often than not, with inconsistent temperature changes, or delayed snowfall when the ground is usually white, but is now still bare, the rabbit’s fur starts to change colour even though there is no snow yet. This leaves the rabbit at a major disadvantage. Any of the above techniques work extremely well during this time of year, primarily around November and December, when the rabbits are white, and majority of the ground is still brown or green! There’s been days where we’ve picked up a dozen rabbits just by driving old logging roads and spotting the bright white coat of a rabbit, trying to stay still and not be seen off in the bush. This, is when you can be most successful, and stock up on some of that delicious rabbit meat.
In my opinion , the harvesting & chase of the Snowshoe Hare in Newfoundland , is what gets every outdoorsman the base skills , education , & experience they need , to be successful in the future.
About author:
I’m Brayden Coish, Newfoundland born & raised, with a burning passion for the Outdoor World! Follow along as l educate, share techniques and skills, all while promoting conservation, & sharing my amazing Self Filmed adventures of the Great Outdoors. Action Packed Fishing, Epic Small & Big Game Hunting, Exciting Waterfowl Hunting, & Adventurous Off Grid Camping & living off Newfoundlands Abundant Island of Life Are just a few of the Awesome things we do ! If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you’re welcomed to come along on all our journeys!