Jackalope Doe

Most of the deer seasons are over around here (did get a nice buck with centerfire) so now it's Jack's. Shot a dozen or so last weekend. Still looking for one with horns! Fun Stuff.

Nice! Looks like fun. Most of them have probably shed there antlers by now. LOL

Boomerang said:

Most of them have probably shed there antlers by now. LOL

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:rotf: :thumbsup:

Nice, ....What caliber? 45?...50?...54? :grin:

It's a 50 Cal., loaded down to 60gr of Pyrodex (somewhere in the last 20 years real black powder has got very difficult to find), plenty for rabbits.....Would like to find a nice little 32 or 36 but they are scarce as hen's teeth and cost as much as a used car.......so the 50 it is. At least for now.

"Jackalope doe"

I was skeptical - but darned if it isn't!

Good shooting.

Nice lope, Dan.

Don't see many jackrabbits on display here, thanks.

Do you eat them?

Spence

Center_shot said:

It's a 50 Cal., loaded down to 60gr of Pyrodex (somewhere in the last 20 years real black powder has got very difficult to find), plenty for rabbits.....Would like to find a nice little 32 or 36 but they are scarce as hen's teeth and cost as much as a used car.......so the 50 it is. At least for now.

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Stick with the 50 cal...I use 45 and 50 call all the time for small game.... :thumbsup:

George said:

Don't see many jackrabbits on display here, thanks.

Do you eat them?

Spence

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Maybe it's the way its laying or something....But that sure looks like a big cottontail to me....

George said:

Don't see many jackrabbits on display here, thanks.

Do you eat them?

Spence

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I don't eat them they are considered 'predators' (strange I know). They have been known to carry several nasty diseases that are enough to keep me from trying them. I just leave them lay and let the Golden Eagles and Coyotes have at them. The numbers can get out of hand if they are not kept in check. Back in the 50's and 60's they would have rabbit drives. Numbers are not like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBrKxdWH6Fk anymore but you get the idea - there are enough to do serious damage to farm crops if numbers are not managed......and I sure have a lot of fun doing my part!

Colorado Clyde said:

George said:

Don't see many jackrabbits on display here, thanks.

Do you eat them?

Spence

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Maybe it's the way its laying or something....But that sure looks like a big cottontail to me....

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When you see them, there is no mistaking Jacks and Cottontails. The Jacks are 2-3 times bigger, have really long ears and legs and are typically wild and hard to get close to. They will sit upright more so than a hunched up stance that Cottontails tend to sit in. Shooting a dozen with a muzzleloader will take all morning (and some 'sneakin') even with good numbers of rabbits.....with a .22 you can triple the number of rabbits taken but it's not nearly as much fun!

I cut my hunting teeth on those guys, shooting them from the age of 7, eventually with everything in the gun cabinet, including, but not limited to muzzleloaders. They were considered a pest on the ranch where I grew up, and it was said 7 jackrabbits could eat as much as 1 cow.

They are excellent eating if you get a young one, about 1/2-3/4 grown. Older ones can get pretty tough, but can still be cooked until tender enough to eat. The taste reminds me of venison more than cottontail, I guess it is because of their diet, which is closer to that of deer.

As far as nasty diseases, their no different than cottontail or squirrel. Fleas and ticks are the main vectors, although they can also have internal parasites. Wear gloves when handling them if you are worried about the fleas and cook them thoroughly. I've left plenty of old ones on the ground for the buzzards, but would not leave a young one. Try it sometime.

Do you eat them? Spence[/quote]

Spence, I have eaten them, when I was on a field problem in the Mojave Desert on the Arizona-California border, near Needles Cal. They are a little chewy but they taste a lot like cottontails. I remember them having a slight sage flavor.....robin :hmm:

I cube em, boil em and the dogs HAPPILY eat em. Tried one once, not good as I recall

I made some hunts in far southern Arizona with a friend who lived there back in the 1990s. We camped and hunted javelina, and several jackrabbits were killed, too. My friend cooked the jacks in a dutch oven in a pit, setting it up to cook all day while we were out hunting, had supper ready when we dragged in. It was very good, tasty and tender. I believe he parboiled the older ones the night before so they would be tender. I thought the taste wasn't all that different than the cottontails I was used to.

Spence

Center_shot said:

They have been known to carry several nasty diseases that are enough to keep me from trying them.

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You don't eat them raw.... :grin:
Thorough cooking kills pretty much anything - wear gloves when cleaning/processing.

Don't know where in southern Idaho you are but if you get over towards Ogden Ut. or have someone travel that way , there is an outfit on the interstate called Smith & Edwards and you can get real black there if you can't find it local

Bentchile said:

Don't know where in southern Idaho you are but if you get over towards Ogden Ut. or have someone travel that way , there is an outfit on the interstate called Smith & Edwards and you can get real black there if you can't find it local

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Ugh, was there last month and did not think to ask. I got a pound of H4350 (for centerfires) and thought I'd hit the lotto. (That stuff is almost as hard to find as real black). I do make a trip or two that way each year so I'll have to stock up. Thanks for the tip.

I usually take at least the backstraps as they are pretty good size. Dice it up and mix it up with fried potatoes and onions, throw it on a tortilla with green chili and cheese!! Yeah Boy!!

If I have time to do some cooking I slow cook them and shred the meat and add BBQ sauce. Yum!!

I only eat them fresh. As with all small furry critters, I wear rubber gloves when cleaning them and if I see anything odd I discard.

I am in Northern Nevada and love shooting jacks too! Whitetailed Jacks when in season are a lot like snowshoe. Not as tough as blacktails and meatier!

Not to mention they are willey critters and a whole lot of fun to hunt especially if you are trying to save the meat.

Thanks For Sharing!! We love pictures!!