SE VA swamp rabbit hunt - PICS!

[coolbrze]

We hunted the swamps of SE VA last week and had a real fine day of running. We ran 4 swampers and bagged all 4 although it wasn't as easy as it sounds. Them swampers are a sight to see and I was shocked at how smart they were. We usually go down once or twice a year late in the season and this was our 1st time down this year.

The 1st rabbit was jumped shortly after we dropped the tailgate at 0830 and the dogs STROKED him for an hour and 15 min. w/ 3 checks. Absolutely ran the snot out of him, no question about it. Turned out to be a BIG buck rabbit, the biggest I've see this year, they grow 'em big down in the swamps apparently!

The 2nd bunny they ran for about an hour and a half and ran him well but not as well as the 1st.

We broke for lunch, feeding the dogs a little and letting them relax for a bit. After lunch, we drove to another part of the farm and turned 'em loose again.

The 3rd rabbit was a clever old doe that took the dogs for loop after loop w/ many a shot being fired at her. The running was steady but not like the 1st one they locked on that a.m.

As for the 4th swamper, we'll in all my years, I've never ran a rabbit as smart as this one. It started in a huge blowdown about 200 yds. up the hill from the swamp and went ALL over. He ran huge, way way out. A buddy of mine saw him flying up towards him but the buck swamper turned before coming w/in range and as he was zig-zagging while bounding 8' to the left, then 8' to the right, then back to the left, then back again to the right, etc. etc. etc.. I have never seen or heard of them doing that before! After a while, I noticed the dogs would go into a 5 to 10 to even 1 15 min. check. I was wondering WTF was going on so I walked down to the swamp. Apparently Mr. Swamper was swimming across the swamp and the real long checks I heard were the dogs trying to figure out where he went then swimming across, then back across again following him!

Seeing this, I snuck about 40 yds. into the swamp and got situated on an "island" (my leather hiking boots were in 3-4" of mud & water) but it was terra firma compared to the surrounding area. Finally I heard the dogs coming back and they had turned on the afterburners. They were coming on fast and strong and I knew that I was only going to have one chance at this guy before he disappeared into the swamp for who knows how long until the dogs brought him around again. A buddy to the right of me shot twice and although I couldn't see which way he was facing, I could hear the dogs rolling through the pines and I heard where his shots had hit the trees. I heard the swamper splash into the water then nothing for what seemed liked 5 min. but was more like 10 seconds. As soon as he jumped on the "island" I heard him running and I had my sons 20 ga. ready and waiting. The dogs ran this sucker for 2 hrs. 15 min. and a total of 8 shots were taken at him. It turned out to be my personal record in terms of the longest race in which I harvested a rabbit. Some of the running that day wasn't pretty, but the dogs circled the tricky swampers time and time again and we accounted for 100% of the rabbits ran.

Here's a couple pics I snapped at the end of the day, they definitely don't do the swampers justice, but pics are pics, although I'm not sure what happened to the quality. If you look closely at a couple of them you can see the black feet they develop after spending their lives in the swamp.

[Briarhoppers]

Great story - - enjoyed reading it, sounds like y'all had a great time and the dogs did a good job. Although, I must say, having hunted swampers in the deep south. I don't think I'd call them rabbits swampers. They look like cottontails to me that happen to live in the swamp. Maybe its just the pics. but if you've seen swampers from GA, AL or MS they are at least twice that size, much darker (especially their heads) and their white on their tail and belly is yellow, if not darker.

[BJK]

Cool Breeze,

Your swamp rabbits are cottontails. The swampers in southeast Va and eastern NC have very dark, almost black tails, short front legs, long back legs, short ears, eyes set close together and they have webbing between the toes. They would rather swim than run. In VA some guys call them blue tails. In NC they're called marsh rabbits or branch rabbits. I ran 3 last week in NC and lost 3. Each were huge and all made a half circle with the dogs looking at them. They went straight to the big, black water swamps. The dogs shut down and all that you could hear was 8 dogs swimming. The rabbits never came back.

[Larry G]

We have run and killed some big ol' cottontails down in SC in the marshes that we thought were swamp rabbits from the way they ran. Took some of those long jumps and hit the water a lot. We burnt a lot of powder too so don't feel like the Lone Ranger cause you missed a few.

[Briarhoppers]

BJK,
I'm originally from NC and we called the rabbit you described Bluetails or Marsh Rabbits also....man are they fun to run! And yes they look much different from the cottontail....much darker, and not quite as big as the Swamper. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think there are any true Swampers (Caincutters) in NC or VA.

I included a pic of a Bluetail (Marsh Rabbit) and description for those not familiar w/ them.
-Pete


Marsh Rabbit
Description
One of the coastal area’s common residents, the marsh rabbit belongs to the family Leporidae. It is one of four species of rabbits in the genus Sylvilagus that are native to the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. The marsh rabbit has dark chestnut-colored fur, a bluish-gray tail, and conspicuous claws on its hind feet. It differs in appearance from the cottontail rabbit in that it does not have a white tail and its ears are shorter, measuring approximately 7.6 cm (3 in). Marsh rabbits are approximately 40 cm (16 in) long and weigh 1-2 kilograms (2-5 lbs). Like other rabbits, the marsh rabbit has two pairs of upper incisor teeth. The first pair has a chiseled edge, and the second is peg-like and is located directly behind the first. The function of this second pair of teeth is not clear.


Swamper

[Drop_tine]

How far south you got to go to find them? I hunted a farm on the Pamunkey river this year and saw a rabbit that looked dark blueish gray and had shorter ears. Size seemed about the normal size maybe a little smaller but I didn't get to look at him but a few seconds. I thought I was seeing things because I didn't think we had them here?

That was in a little strip of woods between a field and marsh, I think we had two or three rabbits going at once and the dogs never came on that one so never did get a good look at him.

My dogs have a hard enough time running a cottontail, those swampers probably would really let'um have it

[kgsc68]

I agree with everyone. Those look like cottontails to me. I've noticed alot of people on these boards posting pictures of cottontails that they think are swampers. Regardless, it looks like you guys had a good hunt. Here in South Carolina Swampers are darker in color and do not have a white tail. In my area they are about the same size as a cottontail but I have seen some that were huge.

[MasonKennels]

Here are a couple of pics of swampers from Western Ky area....compliments of the Rabbit Slayers LOL

[arkyhunter]

Rabbit slayers huh?........that's obvious! Looks like they were plentiful then, probably won't be much longer, huh? No offense, just doesn't look like you would wanna kill that many as hard as they're getting to find. Just my .02.

[MasonKennels]

Rabbit slayers huh?........that's obvious! Looks like they were plentiful then, probably won't be much longer, huh? No offense, just doesn't look like you would wanna kill that many as hard as they're getting to find. Just my .02.

No offense taken, let me explain...these rabbits are taken from private land that is virtually safe from most natural predators...the swampers are thriving in this area. This was not all of the rabbits that were jumped that day and the state bag limit was observed; so no harm, no foul...

[bbk11]

Rabbits breed like amish .. you'd be amazed how many little bunnies 1 buck and 1 doe can make..

[arkyhunter]

Yeah, and coyotes, foxes, bobcats, hawks, owls, and eagles eat them like crazy, too.

[coolbrze]

Well whatever kind of rabbit they were, they sure ran great! That's the important thing We're going back down soon for some more, can't wait!

[Shady Grove Beagles]

I also would suspect that those rabbits in the pics. are actually cottontails that happen to live in a swampy area. I have been going out to west Tn. for the past 12 years once or twice a season to get after swampers and last winter went down to the Mississippi Delta to hunt them.The rabbits we killed in those areas were considerably bigger than any cottontails I've ever taken.
I wish I had a digital camera and knew how to post pics. on here as I've got some regular photos. of some swampers that are a fair amount bigger than most hare I've taken in New Hampshire and northern Maine.