Estimates put the 2006 harvest of rabbits in the Peach State at more than 177,000. Photo by Polly Dean.

Georgia is loaded with hunting opportunities. Although deer and turkey receive a lion's share of the attention from Peach State hunters, the state's small-game hunting is excellent and for the most part, underutilized.

Like most hunters of my generation and older, I cut my teeth on hunting small game, especially rabbits and squirrels. Most hunters kept a few beagles or bird dogs. Many winter afternoons were spent with friends and families, stomping through the brush listening for the bawl of a beagle striking a hot trail and then hearing the pack join the chorus.

In those simpler times, many people could hunt right out their back door. Even the few hours of weak winter daylight after the school day offered the opportunity for a quick hunt before supper and homework.

As times and attitudes have changed over the years, those opportunities have become more limited. However, there's no better way to introduce youngsters to the sport of hunting than by pursuing small game.

Unlike big-game hunting, a large investment of time isn't required to ensure success. Also, shooting opportunities abound. And the woodsmanship skills learned pursuing small game can be utilized throughout a lifetime spent in the outdoors.

Let's take a look at how some small-game species are doing in Georgia and some of the best places to hunt them this season. Good small-game hunting can be found nearly anywhere, but to keep things simple, we'll focus on Georgia's public-land hunting opportunities.

RABBITS
One of the most popular small-game species, rabbits offer great hunting opportunities. Serious hunters head afield with a pack of beagles to help flush rabbits from the thick cover and bring them around for a shot. On the other hand, success can be had just walking them up yourself -- if you're willing to plow through the thickest briar patch you can find, with a stop-and-go gait that tests the nerves of even the most well-hidden rabbit. Quick reflexes are a must to get off a shot at a rabbit suddenly exploding from cover on afterburner and looking for a safer hidey-hole.

Four species of rabbits are found in Georgia. The eastern cottontail is the most common species. It has dense brown to gray fur on its back, a white underside and a white or "cotton" tail.

There's usually a white spot on its forehead. The nape of the neck is rusty in color, and the feet are whitish. From head to tail, adults measure 14 to 17 inches and weigh 2 to 4 pounds.

A cottontail's home base will range over four to 13 acres. Preferred habitat is cropland, fallow fields, pastures, briar patches and shrub thickets. Thickets provide important cover from predators, since any rabbit on open ground is an easy dinner for hawks and foxes. Research has shown annual mortality rates for cottontails to be as high as 80 percent per year.

The swamp rabbit, or "cane cutter," is the largest rabbit in Georgia and occurs mostly in the Piedmont region. It has coarse black to rusty-brown fur on its back, and a white underside. The nape of the neck is small and indistinct, while the feet are rusty. From head to tail, adults measure 14 to 17 inches and weigh 3 to 6 pounds.

Swamp rabbits are found usually near water, such as beaver ponds, swamps, marshes, flood plains, canebrakes and wet bottomlands. Cane cutters are good swimmers and don't mind taking a dip, often taking to the water when pursued. Their range can cover five to 19 acres.

The marsh rabbit is the smallest rabbit in Georgia and occurs from the Upper Coastal Plain to the Atlantic shores. It has coarse blackish to reddish-brown back with a brownish-gray underside.

Its ears, feet and tail are smaller than the other species'. From head to tail, adults measure 14 to 16 inches and weigh 2 to 3 pounds. As their name one might suggest, marsh rabbits are typically associated with marsh-type habitat, such as wet bottomlands, swamps and hammocks.

The Appalachian cottontail is the scarcest rabbit in Georgia and the only member of the family included on the state's Protected Wildlife list. The species makes its calls home at high elevations of more than 3,000 feet in mountain laurel and blueberry thickets in the mountain counties of Fannin, Rabun, Towns, and Union.