(Note: with luck, I mastered Photobucket and these pictures are oriented right for others. Nope. I don't get it - they're right in PB, but come over here rotated. I'm liking PB less and less all the time... Might be a cache issue, but I'm tired of messing with it tonight.)
Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was able to relive my youth vicariously through my two older kids as they hunted cottontail rabbits with their grandfather (my dad). I fondly recall spending winter afternoons bouncing around with Gramps in his old Ford pickup with a single shot .22 looking for bunnies hiding in the sage. Well, Gramps is long gone, but his hunting legacy lives on in his grandson (me) and great-grandkids (my kids).
In order to fit everyone's busy schedule, we planned our family's Thanksgiving festivities for Friday afternoon. That left us some free time on Thursday, so my dad and I decided to take my three kids out for a quick bunny hunt. With their trusty Savage Rascals, they were each able to kill two nice fat cottontails before it got dark. My 11-year old daughter was up first and got this little guy.
Then my nine-year old son had his turn and got this one, making a perfect head shot at 27 yards with his peep-sighted rifle.
Then we switched back to my girl and she got another.
Then my little buddy rounded out the evening with another great shot on this little furball.
My youngest daughter, who's just five, wanted to get in on the action, but since she hasn't done hunter safety or mentored youth, she had to be content with shooting some cans and posing with her brother, sister, and Papa, who she was hamming it up with (note the goofy grins).
That evening, their cousin (my middle brother's son) was a little put out that we'd gone bunny blasting without him, so we just had to commit to another rabbit later in the weekend.
That chance came Saturday morning. We sat for a while in the duck blind, but there was little action, so we swapped the waders for the hiking boots and headed out into the sage and rabbit brush to see if we could find some more cottontails.
The kids rotated through shot opportunities, and each got at least one bunny that morning.
My daughter got these two.
My son got this one.
This picture of him proudly carrying it to the truck to show Papa really reminded me of the times I did the same with my grandpa.
Their cousin used his little T/C to make a great shot on this fuzzy little guy.
By the time we called it quits, five more bunnies had been added to the larder. Here they are, along with the happy hunters.
And of course, we had to get Papa in a picture!
All in all, some great memories were made chasing these little critters through the brush. Makes one really appreciate the simple hunts, and time spent with family simply enjoying the great outdoors and all its majesty.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was able to relive my youth vicariously through my two older kids as they hunted cottontail rabbits with their grandfather (my dad). I fondly recall spending winter afternoons bouncing around with Gramps in his old Ford pickup with a single shot .22 looking for bunnies hiding in the sage. Well, Gramps is long gone, but his hunting legacy lives on in his grandson (me) and great-grandkids (my kids).
In order to fit everyone's busy schedule, we planned our family's Thanksgiving festivities for Friday afternoon. That left us some free time on Thursday, so my dad and I decided to take my three kids out for a quick bunny hunt. With their trusty Savage Rascals, they were each able to kill two nice fat cottontails before it got dark. My 11-year old daughter was up first and got this little guy.
Then my nine-year old son had his turn and got this one, making a perfect head shot at 27 yards with his peep-sighted rifle.
Then we switched back to my girl and she got another.
Then my little buddy rounded out the evening with another great shot on this little furball.
My youngest daughter, who's just five, wanted to get in on the action, but since she hasn't done hunter safety or mentored youth, she had to be content with shooting some cans and posing with her brother, sister, and Papa, who she was hamming it up with (note the goofy grins).
That evening, their cousin (my middle brother's son) was a little put out that we'd gone bunny blasting without him, so we just had to commit to another rabbit later in the weekend.
The kids rotated through shot opportunities, and each got at least one bunny that morning.
My daughter got these two.
My son got this one.
This picture of him proudly carrying it to the truck to show Papa really reminded me of the times I did the same with my grandpa.
Their cousin used his little T/C to make a great shot on this fuzzy little guy.
By the time we called it quits, five more bunnies had been added to the larder. Here they are, along with the happy hunters.
And of course, we had to get Papa in a picture!
All in all, some great memories were made chasing these little critters through the brush. Makes one really appreciate the simple hunts, and time spent with family simply enjoying the great outdoors and all its majesty.
Last edited:
