It was the last rabbit on the first day that beat us so bad. We had our excuses. By the time Sugar Ray jumped the bunny, we’d been chasing swamp rabbits through the Alabama wilds for eight long hours.

From the first yelp of the hounds to heading home with game that will soon be hasenpfeffer (rabbit stew), cottontail rabbit hunts provide a relaxed kind of enjoyment each winter season. Fall hunting ...