Growing up on a Thumb area farm, I have a long association with the cottontail rabbit, a wild, carefree critter which I much admire, and it was the first game animal I ever harvested. This occurred when I was a kid and had just finished my morning chores at the barn and was returning to our farmhouse. When I walked past the corncrib, a cottontail flushed from near it and headed lickety-split to our orchard nearby. I went to the house and grabbed up my single-shot .410 shotgun, and a couple shells. A fresh, fluffy … Read More
Michigan offers excellent opportunities to enjoy “beagling” in the wintertime outdoors.
By: Tom Lounsbury. The barks and howls of beagles in hot pursuit were soon punctuated by a series of gunshots, and as the chase continued, more shots erupted from various locations. I had placed several kids and their adult mentors at certain key spots in the “rabbitat” on my farm for a good old fashioned rabbit hunt. This was part of the Pheasants Forever (PF) Outreach Program which introduces youths to various shooting pastimes in the outdoors (the hunt was sponsored by the Saginaw County PF Chapter). None of the kids had ever been rabbit … Read More
The true beauty of versatile Hunting Dogs opens the doors to many outdoor opportunities and adventures
By: Tom Lounsbury. The first dogs in my memory were the farm dogs we used for herding our dairy cows. This was back in the 1950’s when the Thumb had countless small farms, usually entailing milk cows in the mix. A common dog in the scene was a collie-type that had been brought into the Thumb by settlers, many from Canada (my great grandfather Townsend Lounsbury came to the Thumb directly from Canada). The dogs were what we in my local neighborhood called “coallies” due to the fact most were a longhaired dark brindle-colored affair, … Read More
Christmastime rabbit hunting – an annual family tradition
By: Tom Lounsbury. The cottontail rabbits have it easy on our farm, that is until Christmastime. Prior to that, my focus during the fall has been on waterfowl, squirrels, grouse, woodcock, pheasants, wild turkeys, and deer. Thanks to all wildlife diversity which is found in Michigan, my hunting schedule is rather full without adding cottontails to the mix. When fall transcends into winter however, my focus takes an abrupt change with rabbit hunting stepping up to the forefront. The long, cold winters are made much shorter thanks to an abundance of local cottontails and a … Read More