Shotgunning rabbits!!

[neomentat]

I'm going hunting on jack rabbits and cotton tail this saturday, but the place (San Jacinto) is shotgun only.

So i have 2 questions, what size shot do I need for effective rabbit taking on 100 yards?

The second question is that the area has waterfowl and wetland, so do I need steel shots to hunt the rabbits or am I good with lead?

oh 1 more question, do I need a choke tube to shoot rabbits? if so what size?

[M. Sage]

So i have 2 questions, what size shot do I need for effective rabbit taking on 100 yards?

Wow. Drop 3/4 of that range off.. 100 yards? 25 is more reasonable, probably less....

[timmyb21]

I doubt you'll be able to shoot rabbit at 100 yards with a shotgun, but any 6 heavy game load is best. Bird shot will work, but I've seen some big jackrabbits!

[82A1CAL]

Are you a good shot? You might have a chance using a slug at those 100 yards shots!. Oh, don't forget to find a good rest. If you are really lucky, #6 shots is probably good to about 60 yards otherwise 40 yards max.

[mike100]

I once peppered a jack rabbit with an ounce-and-an-1/8 of 7.5 shot at 35 yards once. I think I heard it laughing as it hopped into cover.

[BaronW]

Don't listen to these guys, use slugs at 100 yards.


Or did you want there to be something left?

[pullnshoot25]

100 yds? Holy ****, there will be nothing left if you use what is necessary to make a 100yd shot.

My farthest rabbit kill with my air rifle was 40yds. I highly doubt that you will be taking any kill shots with a shotgun outside of 50yds. If you want to go 100yds, throw down a ton of carrots and use a small bore rifle or a badass air rifle.

[m24armorer]

Jacks at 100....

Raise you 2 bucks at 500....

Bet you miss.

[metalhead357]

Jacks at 100....

Raise you 2 bucks at 500....

Bet you miss.

ROTFLMAO!

If ya' wanna shoot 'em at 100 then ya' better go elsewhere and shoot 'em with a .22 or other small caliber. Otherwise as the previous guys said-- better 1/3 that distance down to 30 yards.....maybe 40 with #6 shot.

[joel1316]

As stated above, a 100 yard shotgun shoot is going to be tough if not impossible. I've hunted Jacks with bird/skeet shells and #4 shot. Skeet/bird shot won't kill them right away, still need to finish the job with a second shot, but #4 shot dropped them pretty good. I've used everything from skeet all the way down to turkey chokes and all have worked pretty well. Guess it just depends on how well of a shot your are?
You'll have to check the regs for the area regardind steel/led shells...

[awheelman357]

if you are near any kind of watert lake stream you will need to use steel shot or other non lead equel.

[Hunter]

if you are near any kind of watert lake stream you will need to use steel shot or other non lead equel.

This is not true.

Non toxic shot for waterfowl all the time and anywhere...even in the middle of the desert. Other than that, non -toxic shot is generally required on Fed/State wildlife areas and refuges for any type of hunting, but this is not a 100% given....as it typically will not apply if waterfowl season has not started yet on those areas.

[E. Fudd]

zombie rabbits from hell?

Fwiw, when I was a young Fudd and knew nothing about nothing, I bought my first shotgun at a chain sporting goods store and asked the clerk for some shells for rabbits hunting. He sold me some skeet loads that were on the counter on sale and when I asked him if they'd be enough for rabbits, he insisted that they'd do fine.

Well... the first jackrabbit I took a shot at, flipped over, and continued running away on three legs. Second shot, took him down, but he was crawling away on two legs... Third shot stopped him, but when I got up to him, he was still alive and giving me a menacing glare.... I reloaded, took a few steps back and gave him a coup de grace shot...

As I was skinning him out, another hunter came by as asked if I was actually going to eat him... Noticed most of the pellets where stopped by the layer of fat under the hide... Tough bugger...

After that, I did more research on my own (pre-Internet days of yore), going back out with hi-base #6's or 4's and usually bagged 'em with one-shot stops...

Oh, and forget about 100 yd. shotgunning w/ birdshot, even multiple 3 in. magnums shots. You might put out an eye or something, but that'd be more luck than anything else. And then you'd have an enraged one-eyed killer rabbit stalking YOU! "Runaway! Runaway!" As a backup, be sure to bring the Holy Handgrenade of Antioch...

[BaronW]

As a backup, be sure to bring the Holy Handgrenade of Antioch...

But that's a DD!