“We killed six this morning and we had races going all morning,” said Montgomery when reached by cell phone as he and his fellow hunters were winding up a day of chasing cottontails near Blacksburg.

“We had a good morning of rabbit hunting. We were hearing the dogs holler the whole morning and I walked about 27 miles, which should put me in good physical shape to fish this next year. Rabbit hunting is good exercise, especially when you are in the briars and you have to pick your feet up to walk,” he said.

After finishing third in the Ryan Newman Foundation Annual Charity Fishing Tournament on North Carolina’s Lake Norman Saturday, Montgomery has been on an outdoorsman’s holiday this week – fishing and hunting.

“We were striper fishing yesterday on Lake Murray and I’ve been doing some deer hunting”, Montgomery said. “I used to do a little crappie fishing this time of year, but have not got to do any this year. I’ve also had to appear at a couple of grand openings which takes up a lot of time.”

Montgomery grew up in upper South Carolina where small game hunting, like rabbit hunting, was the traditional pursuit of youngsters for many years before whitetail deer repopulated their historic habitat and big game hunting became the primary fall and winter pursuit.

But, Montgomery did not start rabbit hunting as a youngster. He began hunting cottontails when he was about 20 years old and already a civil engineering student at Clemson University.

“My South Carolina history teacher in high school, George Wilkins, invited me to go hunting with him and his son, Mark, who was also at Clemson,” Montgomery said. So, for the last decade or so, when he has a chance he hits the woods with the Wilkins and their pack of beagles during rabbit season.

But, unlike another well-known old-time pro angler who has his own pack of beagles – 2000 Bassmaster Classic Champion Woo Daves of Spring Grove, Va., – Montgomery doesn’t own any rabbit dogs.

“No way, as much as I travel,’” he said. “but George knows all his dogs by name – he feeds them every day.”

Wilkins hunts rabbits about twice a week during the season, Montgomery said, and he joins the group when his schedule allows.

“The actual killing of the rabbits is not a big deal. I like to shoot at one, but for me the hunt is all about the dogs and the fellowship.”

But, he added, he does like to eat them.

“Probably my favorite way to cook them is slow in a crockpot with onions, potatoes and carrots,” he said.

Montgomery said he is enjoying his time off as much as possible because he has a hard year ahead of him.

“I’ll be fishing both the FLW Tour and the BASS Tour. It’s gong to be a grueling schedule, but it’s something I need to do,” he said. “I think one stretch I’ve got six tournaments in a row, so I need to be in good physical shape.”

Tromping through the briars in pursuit of cottontails should help with that.