California rabbit seaon is next week, any pointers on where to go by sacramento?

Q-Ball,

How are you? Where are you located exactly, in relation to Sacramento? To get up here where I live, take the I-5 North, then West on Hwy. 20 just past Clearlake. I live between Clearlake and Ukiah in a teeny tiny little farming/ranching community called Potter Valley.

We have rabbits all over up here because we're so rural. The Jack rabbits are everywhere in the vineyards and the more arid parts of Mendocino National forest but I don't eat Jack rabbits, I think they're nasty and can't eat them after cleaning some in the summer months with boils! The cotton tails, hares and brush bunnies are also all over the place in my area, usually near blackberry patches or the thick bushes near the river's edge, both of which we have a lot of here in Potter Valley too.

I asked where you are exactly because there are quite a few rivers over there near Sacramento(Sacramento, American, Feather, Putah Creek, Bear Creek, Cache Creek, etc.) that have the riverside bushes that hold lots of hares and cottontails.

I've been super busy lately since the Covid-19 got out of control but I am going to be on vacation from July 17th-31st. Maybe if you're interested we can meet up and go look for some rabbits. Or, if you just wanted to meet, we could do that too. Or, we could do a little of both. My boys and I have a nice range with a great shooting bench, target stands at 50, 75 and 100yds, ABC 4 sided metal targets at 65 and 90yds. We also have 3, 4, 5 and 6 inch metal gongs at 120, 130, 150 and 165 yards and at 75yds we have 5 little KYL type spinners ranging in size from 3/4" to 2". We even have a spot to place stinky bait with a nice little landing zone for fly hunting! My oldest son and I repaired some target stands, moved things around and added a bunch of Lego men, army men, cars, dinosaurs, little metal animal targets, clay pigeons, cotton swabs, toothpicks, paint balls, exploding golf balls, etc... It's a lot of fun. We could always hunt in the morning, shoot at the range in the afternoon after a nice lunch.

Just throwing some suggestions out there if you want to get together to hunt and shoot together if we can. My boys always meeting and shooting with new people too. They're only 10yrs and 12yrs but can usually hold their own shooting with adults. They'd definitely enjoy it too.

Have a good one! Stoti


 
There are patches of BLM lands all threw the foothills among the private .... maps are key.

These taken a few years ago in BLM lands adjacent to my home ... All shot from my front yard inside @ 3- 4 minuets at @ 40-60 yards.

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Tho do understand RABBITS have peaks and valleys in there reproductive cycles year to year .. and perhaps my lack of much sightings is also due too a dip these past few years.
 
I'm on the Central Coast-this year and last year have been peak population years (at least I hope so!) It won't really be hunting for the first few weeks-just go get some rabbits. They do get skittish when they're eating crops, it's like they know they're being bad! About five years back you almost couldn't get one unless you were very stealthy.

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Damn weird ... Not seen many rabbits at all this year. Yesterday July 2, young jack out @ 65 yards ... DEAD Today July 3, another young jack out at @ 80 yards ... DEAD

BOTH shot with a .177 cal High Power PCP using H&N Sniper Magnum 15 grain at @ 1060 fps !! Both head shots, both DRT ! ... No pics Sorry.

About the same age or a tad younger as Pics above, tho a lot skinnier obviously not eating as well.
 
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/deadly-virus-killing-wild-rabbits-north-america

Damn weird ... Not seen many rabbits at all this year. Yesterday July 2, young jack out @ 65 yards ... DEAD Today July 3, another young jack out at @ 80 yards ... DEAD

BOTH shot with a .177 cal High Power PCP using H&N Sniper Magnum 15 grain at @ 1060 fps !! Both head shots, both DRT ! ... No pics Sorry.

About the same age or a tad younger as Pics above, tho a lot skinnier obviously not eating as well



maybe this is why, you’re not seeing many rabbits

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/deadly-virus-killing-wild-rabbits-north-america







 
Tried again and got 2 cotton tails this time. Holy cow the 23 grain slugs packs a wallop even at only 840FPS. Literally picked up the smaller one off the ground 2-3 inches and completely destroyed the spine and the bones in its path. Looks like one of those fancy vermin center fire round hit it. WOW is an understatement! I’m completely sold on hunting with slugs, no comparison at all!

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I have noticed a big difference specially stopping power, since I tried slugs on my Veteran 25long the squirrels are DRT, no runners like I used to have using pellets, I have shot many squirrels in the head with pellets and the managed to get to their holes, unbelievable, fricking zombie squirrels!!!

Renz



I've also shot a squirrel in the face or just miss the brain and sucker ran off to a branch I can't do a follow up shot, still died but I felt bad because it took over an hour to die. When I finally retrieved it the exit wound is on the rib cage, so the pellet went in it's face, through it's neck and lung and it still went up a tree branch. Then with rabbits I've shot some right in the vital and ran into the blackberry bush and never to been seen again, they hardly moved an inch or two with slugs.



Only down side to slugs is also the power, I would not shoot slugs any where near people/houses.