It was my good fortune to grow up in the North Carolina high country in the 1950s, a place and time in which rabbits were, to use the local parlance, "common as pig tracks."

My father raised beagles, as did his best hunting buddy, so we always had staunch canine companions to assist us in our cottontail capers. From the traditional season opener on Thanksgiving Day until the end of February, I hunted rabbits with unbridled enthusiasm.

Later, while I was a student in graduate school with a budget that made rabbit on the table mighty welcome, those frequent ventures afield continued. Such has been the case right down to the present, although the meat-hunting part of the equation has been reduced to a certain degree. Mind you, fried rabbit with gravy and biscuits can still bring tears of pure joy to this country boy's eye -- but let's not get started on that.

That goes a fair bit toward what pointy-headed lawyers refer to as "certifying the witness," but perhaps a bit more background might be helpful. Over my 50-odd years as a rabbit hunter, I've done it a whole bunch of ways, and had the opportunity to observe a bunch of skilled rabbit hunters, both human and canine, in action.

Anyone who's spent time trudging overgrown fields, walking fence rows, or listening to a hallelujah chorus of beagles hot on a trail understands the basics: Jump 'em, get the dogs on the trail, wait for 'em to circle, and shoot 'em. But there can be a great deal more to the sport than that. What follows is a rapid-fire look at some tactics you might want to consider as ways to broaden your cottontail hunting horizons.

THE WONDERS OF WOODSMANSHIP
We tend to associate skilled woodscraft with turkey hunting or the whitetail quest, but it should be a part of the complete rabbit hunter's "possibles" bag as well. In particular, the ability to read and interpret sign can save you hours of wasted time in areas where rabbits are scarce as hen's teeth, while recognizing the telltale indicators of goodly numbers of rabbits can ring a loud bell saying, "Hunt here and hunt hard." Topping the list of the things you want to look for are droppings (or, as most folks describe them, "rabbit pills"). Be sure you can distinguish them from deer feces, and also note whether the droppings are fresh.

Similarly, look for what are variously called "beds," "hides" or "sits" -- places where rabbits spend the day resting before venturing out at night to feed. Doing so over time will tell you a lot about the kinds of places that rabbits prefer to hunker down in during the day, and it'll also help you cultivate a keen eye for spotting actual quarry. No doubt about it: There's an art to finding rabbits in the bed, and one that you want to cultivate.

The key is to look for their bright, shiny eyes glistening like polished chinquapins. You won't see the rest of the rabbit, for their fur blends into wintertime surroundings better than the finest of camouflage attire.