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unners run. That’s whatthey do. Whether duringa patch of Louisianahumidity that wouldmake most Nebraskansmelt, or during a Nebraskawinter that would makemost Cajuns shiver.

When longtime runner DustinFavinger purchased his sneakers-on-the-road pal Beru (Bay for short), abasset/beagle mix, he found out hiscompanion could not only run, shecould hunt. “That was the first time Iever heard the dog bark,” Favinger said, describing one of his initial neighborhood runs through Cozad withhis new partner, “and we had ownedher for six months. I had no idea.” Bayhad left Favinger’s side on a dead runtoward a rabbit, and incandescentsflickered in her owner’s head.

“I started taking her out soon afterthat day, just letting her run where Ithought rabbits might be.” Favingeradmitted, however, that it took her

awhile to get what she was supposedto do. “She was a little gun-shy at thebeginning, but after a half dozen tripswith a .22, I was able to get her pastthat. Then, all of a sudden, it just clicked.”

Instinct takes over for many huntingdogs – while formal training is oftenrecommended, there are many finehunting dogs that have never been professionally trained. When he firststarted taking her hunting, Favingertried not to get his hopes up too muchabout the possibility of having a goodrabbit dog just because Bay’s dad washalf beagle/half basset and her momwas entirely beagle. While registeredbreeds are recommended by most,Favinger’s $100 dog slowly proved tobe very worthy in the field.

Last year, during his first full seasonhunting behind Bay, Favinger shot 100 rabbits on public and private landsnear Cozad. When fishing with hiswife during the summer months on theInterstate 80 lake system before thefall hunting season, Favinger would

also take Bay along. “As soon as wegot out of the boat onto land from theleash,” he said, “she’d start howling atrabbits. I quickly learned those WMAswere an untapped resource.”

In a 10-mile stretch stretch both eastand west of Cozad, there are ninewildlife management areas(WMAs) that provide more than1,200 acres of public land to rabbithunt. Many of these spots have a greatpopulation of bunnies.

Unlike many rabbit hunters, whohunt with multiple dogs and a multitudeof other hunters, Favinger and Bayoften hunt alone or with just one otherperson. Working heavily covered areas,including overgrown fencerows, brushpiles, weed patches and plum thickets,Bay relies almost exclusively on hernose to find prey (see “A Dog’s Nose”on page 19). “If that’s not working,” hesaid, “I’ll look for spots where rabbitshave eaten the bark off of littlesaplings during the fall and winter.Finding rabbits is as simple as findingthese saplings.”

When jumped, rabbits usually fleeusing a zig-zagging running pattern.They can reach speeds up to 18 milesan hour using back legs twice thelength of their front legs. Because theyusually make their way back to wherethey started, most rabbit hunters,including Favinger, wait for the dog torun the bunny back in their direction.Favinger is able to keep track of Baybecause she barks constantly once shescents a rabbit. This system usuallyworks well unless there happens to beso many rabbits that the dog repeatedlyjumps a new one before running backthe first, which can often happen onmany of Nebraska’s WMAs. It’s agood problem to have.

With so many rabbits, Favinger positions himself in a location wherethe rabbit can get a considerable leadon his dog so he can take safe shots.Aside from this point, Favinger justturns her loose and lets her hunt. “It’staken longer for me to learn how tohunt her than for her to learn to hunt,”he said.

In the end, Favinger said, instincthas taken over on most of Bay’s hunts.Because runners run, whether afterrabbits in the neighborhood or in aWMA plum thicket. That’s just whatthey do. ■

BAY, FAVINGER’S BASSET/BEAGLE MIX, barks after smelling a rabbit at aWMA near Cozad.

Shooting a bunch of rabbits requires the hunter to eat a lot ofrabbits. Here are a couple of Favinger’s favorite recipes.

1) After removing both the hind and front legs, separate themeat from the bone and cut into stew meat-sized pieces. In asauce pot add meat, one can of chunked pineapple with juice,pepper, one cup of water, and little bit of Italian dressing. Let simmeruntil the meat is cooked thoroughly (the meat ends up white likechicken). In another sauce pan, prepare white rice, then add therice to the rabbit/pineapple mixture along with one can of sweettender peas and one can of sweet corn or hominy. Add salt and alittle more pepper to taste, and serve.

2) Separate the meat into chunks. Place the pieces in a saucepan and cover with one cup of teriyaki sauce, one can of orangejuice concentrate, one cup of water and a pinch of ginger. Simmeruntil meat is thoroughly cooked. Remove meat, wrap in maple orpepper bacon, then fry until bacon is cooked thoroughly. Servewith your favorite sides.

Nebraska’s rabbit season lasts fromSeptember 1 through February 28. Thedaily bag limit for this liberal six-monthperiod is seven and the possession limitis 28. Rabbits are usually taken, as inFavinger’s case, with a .22-caliber rifleor a small bore shotgun such as a .410or 20-gauge loaded with 6- or 7½-sizeshot.

BAY SEARCHES FORrabbits through underbrushon public land in centralNebraska. As she runs,Favinger positions himselfnear the rabbit’s originallocation in an attempt toget a shot.

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To gain proper respect for a dog’s olfactory ability, dog-book authorStanley Coren writes: “Inside the nose of humans and dogs are bonyscroll-shaped plates, called turbinates, over which air passes. A microscopic view of this organ reveals a thick, spongy membrane thatcontains most of the scent-detecting cells, as well as the nerves thattransport information to the brain.” In humans, this membrane is aboutone square inch and has approximately 5 million scent receptors, whilethe membranes on a dog’s nose can be as large as 60 square inches,and a beagle can have 225 million receptors.

“The cottontail is the most important singlegame animal in the United States,” wroteWilford L. Miller in Wildlife of the Prairie,1975. Researchers have found that onefemale cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) cangive birth to at least 35 offspring per year,and can theoretically produce a family of350,000 rabbits in five years. During thebreeding season, which can last from earlyspring to early fall in Nebraska, a female canhave seven litters. A cottontail’s gestationalperiod lasts 26 to 28 days, and breeding canoccur immediately following birth.

However, life doesn’t necessarily last longfor rabbits. Studies show that 75 to 85 percentwill die within their first year. They are killedby rain, starvation, disease and predators,including foxes, coyotes and badgers.

Cottontails are born in shallow groundnests made from plants and fur. They areborn hairless, with closed eyes and ears,and are nursed for two to three weeks by thefemale, during which time they also begin tohop from the nest. They are self-sufficientafter one month, and multiple studies haveshown that between 35 and 54 percent ofcottontail females breed their first year.

The eastern cottontail is the world’s mostcommon cottontail and can be found fromthe east coast to the Great Plains and fromCanada to South America. Fossilized rabbitremains date back 50 million years in bothAsia and North America. In the United

States, cottontails were an important food andclothing source for Indians, but populationsflourished during post-settlement, whenforests were cleared and large predators,including wolves and cougars, were eliminated.

Ranging from reddish brown to graythroughout the entire year, rabbits are veryadaptive, and they seek out heavy covernear open spaces – fencerows, plum thickets,brush piles and tangled thickets. They feedon a variety of foods at night, including bark,twigs, flower buds and garden fare. They arealso known for re-digesting their own feces,a behavior known as coprophagy.

In Nebraska, while there was an absenceof other rabbit hunters while I was withFavinger, there are a few people still huntingthem. According to Commission uplandgame program manager Jeff Lusk, last yearapproximately 8,000 rabbit hunters harvested56,000 rabbits, a harvest larger than bothsquirrels and prairie grouse.

However, this is pheasant country, and it ismuch more common to see orange vestsand pointers than truckbeds full of beagleboxes, like many pick-up trucks down South.Considering this point, the 2006 NationalSurvey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation noted that amongsmall game hunters, rabbits were pursuedmore nationwide than all other small game,including ducks, geese, pheasants, squirrelsand dove, with nearly two million people

hunting on 21 million daysand killing between 30 and 50 million rabbits.

Despite their abundance,rabbit populations fluctuateon local levels. Re-forestation,fencerow farming and herbicide use contribute tosome local populationdeclines. However, becauseof their prolific reproduction,numbers are stable throughoutNebraska and NorthAmerica, a fact that willremain as long as rabbitshave the necessary habitatto support them. FAVINGER SPENDS MOST of his rabbit hunts on public land, like Darr Strip WMA

east of Cozad. When hunting these spots as well as other private land, Favinger wearshunter’s orange in case other hunters are using the area. Most of the time, however, he hasthese spots entirely to himself. For more photographs from Favinger’s rabbit hunt last winter near Cozad and tips on howto skin a rabbit, go to NebraskalandMagazine.com.

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