Rabbit season ends with a bang

Cody Morales and Jake Noel take aim at a rabbit during a recent hunt.

We celebrated the end of rabbit season by going on our annual hunt with the famous A B C beagles owned by Pete Cassange.

Arriving at the Churchill Hunting Club around 8 a.m., we quickly set-up position in the area where the dogs were going to run. Within minutes, the first of the three dogs let out a long “ORUUUUUU” and the chase was on.

The three dogs chased the rabbits in a unison of barks around a small briar patch.  From the other side of a patch of woods a shot was fired and someone yelled out, "I got them!"

John Heine, Jake Noel, Cody Morales, Wesley Brown and myself had setup along a ditch bank waiting for any rabbits trying to escape. The dogs had jumped a rabbit and he ran straight towards my stand. One quick shot from the Remington 20 gauge 870 pump and the rabbit was down. 

Another rabbit jumped the ditch and ran toward John. He had to let the rabbit run past the parked trucks to get a shot.

We had killed three rabbits in less than 10 minutes. 

Again the dogs jumped more rabbits. Their barking ran a rabbit toward Jake and I.  In the blink of an eye, the rabbit jumped the ditch and ran between us. 

Jake let the rabbit pass before getting off a shot. Down the road I could hear Wesley laughing at Jake for missing the rabbit.

Jake reassured Wesley, "Your turn is coming!"

A couple of minutes passed and another rabbit jumped the ditch and ran between Jake and Wesley. Wesley took two quick shots from his 12 gauge and this time Jake was laughing at Wesley. 

The dogs continued to chase rabbits during the morning. 

It seemed everyone was getting off shots but missing.

"If that rabbit comes by me I"ll show ya'll haw to shoot ‘em," Cody said.

But the next chance he got, Cody took two quick shots, missing on both as the brown blur disapeared into the briars.