Page 93 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2022

Charles Koger watches his beagles to see if they pick up a rabbit scent.
“Rabbits are very shy because so many things in the woods want to eat them,” advises James Sealy, Jr., a rabbit hunter. “A rabbit is hunted day and night from all kinds of predators on land and from the air. They are constantly trying to avoid predators that are much better hunters than humans.”
When I met James and the rest of
the party that morning, I envisioned easy kills. The dogs would do all the work rooting out rabbits from cover. All I had to do was wait for the dogs to chase rabbits past me for easy shots. WRONG!
On this frosty morning, I never fired
a shot, although others did bag some bunnies. I made a serious mistake trying to get in front of the rabbits. With dogs in hot pursuit, it’s next to impossible
for a human smashing through thick underbrush and briars to get ahead of fleet-footed critters that know every trail, hole and vine in their home
territory.
“When I first started hunting rabbits,
I underestimated them,” James recalls. “It’s not as simple as one might think. Rabbits can see a person and disappear without the person knowing it. It’s the chase that makes it so much fun.”
Once the most popular game animal in the South before deer populations rebounded, rabbits still attract a smaller, but fervent following of people who love the camaraderie and enjoy listening to the dogs. Many people began hunting rabbits by following their fathers, grandfathers or other relatives at a very young age. As they grew older, they passed the tradition to new generations.
It remains a sport for people of all ages and an excellent way to introduce children, spouses, friends or entire families to the outdoors. Hunters can move around, make noise, talk, joke and laugh rather than sit still and quietly all day. Rabbit hunters love listening to the
dogs and bantering back and forth with their companions.
“Rabbit hunting is a very social sport,” Sealy says. “The camaraderie is what
I enjoy most – and hearing my dogs! Most rabbit hunters enjoy taking a person out and showing that person a good time. We get in competition with the other hunters and tease each other when someone messes up, but it’s all in good fun when hunting with some good buddies.”
One of six national forests in Mississippi covering 1.2 million acres, DeSoto National Forest covers 518,587 acres of mostly longleaf pine forests, savanna and small creeks between Hattiesburg and Gulfport. It spreads across parts of 10 counties including Jackson and Harrison.
The Mississippi rabbit season runs through February 28 with a limit of eight per person per day. For more information see www.mdwfp.com.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
February 2022 | 93
Two sportsmen look for a rabbit in thick cover.