Hello bowyers!
In Finland the rabbit season just ends. About two weeks in the end of the season there were very cold weather and hunting with primitive bow was quite challenging. It was -25 dgrees of Celsius almost all the time and few nights it was even colder.
There were some nice situations but the weather really was so hard while the moon was shining and the total silence made rabbits very alert.
After a many evenings and nights I spend in the bushes the price was payed!
First I saw how one rabbit came closer and I saw that if it will move just a little bit more, I can shoot it. The place was not very good but I decided to shoot anyway. And miss it!!! Jus few sentimeters! But the rabbit did not move! It did not see or hear anything. I slowly took another arrow and got it on the string. Now the position was better and rabbit was also closer. About 15 meters. It stands right towards me while I shot. Arrow penetrates the chest and came out from the back. Beautiful shot!
Rabbit tooks a few jums and lyes down.
I went to get the rabbit and when I took it from the snow, I saw another rabbit was coming closer! It was in about 50 meters from me and all the time coming little by little towards. I went on my knees and tried to hide as down as I could. My place was now quite wide open and I hoped that the rabbit will go to the bushes about 20 meters from me, so the bushes will give me even a little hide. And it went there. It was impossible to shoot but I saw the rabbit very clearly. I moved very quietly so that Iīll get a good shooting position. I went to lie on my back and push my upper body a little bit so that I can shoot.
Suddenly the rabbit too couple jums and was now in about 17 meters. My position was quite good, but it was very hard to keep this position, so I just needed to trust my skills and shoot. And I shot. Very clear hit on the lungs!
"Holy shit!! Two rabbits in very little time!" I was thinking.
Rabbit runs about 50 meters and the blood track was very clear. It was easy to find the rabbit.
I decided to took those rabbits to my car and skin them immediately. Rabbits skin gets out very easily when the body is still warm. You dont need even a knife.
I watched how the moon was creating light and I got a bit warmer because I had walked a while and I decided to try one more!
I found a good place from the bushes near one rabbit track and I stayed there.
After about one hour I saw how rabbit was coming this track. It was far away, about 100 meters, but it was clearly using this track which goes very close from me. I waited quietly and tried to stay absolutely still.
There it comes, I thought while the rabbit was in about 30 meters.
Finally it was in 20 meters and I rised my bow. I waited it to move a bit more, and I think the distance was about 11 meters, while I shot. Arrow went through the lungs and rabbit did not move more than couple of meters.
Three rabbits with primitive bow! I was happy and very thankfull!!
These brown hares (European rabbits) in these areas are very alert all the time. This area is very quiet and there lives barely no people. These same rabbits are totally different in cities and places where are a lot of people. They can come to the yard and does not afraid of people almost at all.
Here these brown hares keeps usually at least 200 meters distance to people and are actually quite hard to shot with bow.
This was amazing end for the rabbit season! I got one rabbit earlier in this season, so all together there were four.
Usually I got 4-8 rabbits /season with bow, so this was not very good season for me, but this ending really make it unforgettable!
I had a bow making course for wilderness guides just about week before and I made one bow as an example. It felt so nice that I decided to go hutn with it. So this is quite nice firs catch for this bow. Bow is redoak and even itīs quite heavy, itīs very smooth and easy to handle. There is 70 pounds on it and in this kind of very cold weather it gets always few extra pounds.
