| | | Rabbit Hunting | Rabbits are small mammals found in most parts of the
world There are several animals that are classified in
the rabbit family, they include: the european rabbit,
the cottontail rabbit, the amami rabbit, and several
others. They are not rodents, as they may appear, but
are actually members of the order lagomorpha. A
healthy rabbit can live upwards of fifteen years.
Rabbits, unlike dogs or cats, do not go into heat
seasonally, and the female rabbit is ready to breed at
any time.
Rabbits have been used for food and also hunted for
sport in Western counties for thousands of years. The
first chronicled by the Phoenicians before 1000 B.C.
They are both hunted in the wild, and also raised in
captivity on rabbit farms for meat. Rabbit meat is an
excellent source of protein, and can be used much in
the same way that chicken is used. The meat is lower
in fat content than chicken, beef, or pork. In
England, the meat can be obtained readily at local
butcher shops, where it is hung out unskinned to dry
and age, much the same way a pheasant is.
THe hunting of rabbits is usually accomplished by
spreading nets wide over the area where their burrows
are, called a warren, and sending dogs down the rabbit
holes to flush then out. Only certain breeds of dogs
are qualified to accomplish this task. The dog must be
small enough to go down the hole, yet ferocious enough
to kill cornered rabbit if needed. For the purposes of
rabbit hunting, a terrier is best. Terriers are adept
at finding the den of rabbits, and also the capture,
chasing down, or killing of the rabbit.
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