First Rabbit Hunt of the Season

Today, we went out with 3 other guys for a late December Rabbit hunt. I haven't been rabbit hunting since I was a youngster, so it was quite the experience for me, and as for Little Mike, he has never been before. I managed to get 3 rabbits and we took 5 total. My youngest brother in law, who is a new hunter, got his first rabbit ever, and my other brother in law got one also. Little Mike got some shooting in but didn't manage to take one, although he did hit one, it got away. My father in law was our bloodhound dog today. He flushed and tracked rabbit for us throughout the afternoon. He actually tracked the one my brother in law shot for about 100 yards or so. After following the blood trail, he spotted it and we put him in the field bag. What I thought was really cool was, that, I took my great grandfather's old double barrel 16 gauge shotgun out to hunt with. He took alot of deer and turkey with it down in Alabama, and I wound up with it. I hadn't used it since I first took it turkey hunting about 7 or 8 years ago. It made me feel really good to take my first 3 rabbits with it on my first rabbit hunt in years. I know he would be proud to know that his gun is still taking game 4 generations later. When we got back home, my brother in law cooked up 3 other rabbits we had in the freezer along with a squirrel from my youngest brother in law. Not a bad way to spend a late December afternoon. In the picture above is my youngest brother in law Jim, and Little Mike. The picture below is me with my new hunting hat I got for Christmas. My wife thinks I look like Eddy Griswold from Christmas Vacation.