I can't think of a better way to "heat up" a cold winters day than listening to a pack of well-trained beagles pursuing a rabbit on his escape path in hopes of evading his loud mouthed invaders.  Each year I look forward to spending several days afield from mid-December through February stomping brush along with a pack of beagles throughout West Central Missouri in search of this quick moving and excellent tasting game.

Hearing a good jump dog's response as it springs a rabbit from a grassy hiding spot, and then noticing each dog's personal bark, yelp or howl in response to the "hot" rabbit trail echoing through the crisp cold air, is awesome.  After jumping a rabbit, it's time to decide where to be posted for a shot, while listening to the "race" as the dogs trail the rabbit.  Of course you are just making an attempt to guess his most likely path in relation to the cover and terrain.  A majority of the times the rabbit will eventually come right back to the spot he was hiding, but that may be after running a loop for several hundred yards or maybe just 50 yards.  Usually the rabbits in flatland areas that have at least moderate hunting pressure will make the larger loops.  

Many times we have found rabbits that are long distance sprinters and take a straight path out of the local area for several hundred yards to a hole in the ground or will turn around and come right back.  Sometimes they will Zigzag back and forth along fence/hedge rows or ditch lines for short or long distances.  

My excitement level starts increasing again as I hear that the dogs have turned and are heading back our direction. Then it's time to constantly scan the landscape, because depending on the weather conditions and ground moisture the dogs may be right on the rabbits "tail" or he may be hopping along 50-75 yards in front of the dogs.  And you also want to be watching for other rabbits that could be making an escape from the area and this pack of dogs.  

Not only is this a great animal to hunt but also excellent table fare. I know several families who have a range of methods they prefer for fixing rabbits; I'll just mention a few of my favorites.  Frying them up on the stove and then making gravy and biscuits to go along is hard to beat.  I also like to cut the meat off the backs and back legs, then roll in a chicken breading and deep fry just like fish.  Then for those of you like me who love to grill everything, I will quarter up some rabbits, let them marinate in my favorite BBQ sauce all day and then throw on the grill that evening, just remember slow and low heat to keep from drying out the meat.  
 
The dog breeder/trainer that I hunt with has found that rabbits are abundant on most every conservation and corps of engineers' wildlife areas in Missouri that are along or North of Highway 50.  Also we have found that many landowners will allow you to rabbit hunt in January and February since the deer seasons have all ended. With the good populations of rabbits that we have found all over central and northern Missouri, I think it's an experience that every outdoorsman or woman would enjoy.