Southern Idaho Jackrabbit population?

[Hardcast416taylor]

I have a nice 6 pt. (Eastern count) Jackalope head hanging on my trophies wall that I got in Gillette, Wy back in `72 during an antelope/mule deer hunt. The place where I bought `Jack` at had a wall covered with them to pick from, $25 as I recall. They must have come onto an entire population of them to have bagged so many!Robert

[richhodg66]

Ineastern SD the jacks were plentiful until '80 or 81 and then just about disappeared, along with the flickertails. During my high school years spotlighting jacks was about a nightly event, and we killed hundreds a year. Now the Jackalopes were a rarity, only ones I've ever seen were shot to extinction and displayed in Wall Drug, also a few flying Jackalopes have occurred over the years, some kind of genetic throwback. Maybe someone can post a picture of one.

Talking to older folks, they used to have a lot of them around here (north central, Kansas). I only ever saw one up in Washington County close to the Nebraska border.

I spent a great deal of time over three years or so in the field while stationed at Fort Bliss. There was sure no shortage of them there, at least not then. Seems like the only animals that could thrive there were jack rabbits, coyotes and rattle snakes.

[blackthorn]

I grew up in mid-south Manitoba. We had lots of Jack rabbits. My Mother cooked the ones I shot and they were good eating. Maybe the old-timers knew some tricks on cooking them that made them good?

[quilbilly]

The populations around here are cyclical, kinda like the cicadas. I think much of it may be dictated by weather though, boom populations in good moisture years. There is a mountain range just to the north of Flagstaff called the San Francisco Peaks. The biggest jacks I have ever seen in my life are up there. Must be genetics or something. Some really big ones up there.

They must be snowshoe hares. I see them in our Olympic Mtns. and the do look a lot like jackrabbits to me. The snowshoe hares are almost as big here but quite a bit fatter as you might expect.

[rockshooter]

I've seen maybe one per year in the hills south of Boise- not much going on for rabbits here
Loren

[eric123]

Echoing what others in the area are saying, I only see a couple a year...

[Gray Fox]

In the early '60s when I was in HS in northern AZ an older friend's wife would parboil young ones in salt and vinegar water, then slow cook them with fresh green chilies for a looong time. This made some of the best burrito filler I ever ate in a freshly made tortilla. We used to hunt them from the irrigation ditches around alfalfa fields with a .22 rifle. A rancher friend swore 5 jack rabbits could eat as much as a Hereford steer. I've often wondered if coyotes can prosper east of the Mississippi River, why the jack rabbits can't. I bet they would get fat on kudzu. GF

[Ateam]

They must be snowshoe hares. I see them in our Olympic Mtns. and the do look a lot like jackrabbits to me. The snowshoe hares are almost as big here but quite a bit fatter as you might expect.

The snow shoe hares were very plentiful on my annual bird hunting trip to the upper peninsula, more than I have ever seen. My wife makes a wonderful rabbit cacciatore.

[quilbilly]

In the early '60s when I was in HS in northern AZ an older friend's wife would parboil young ones in salt and vinegar water, then slow cook them with fresh green chilies for a looong time. This made some of the best burrito filler I ever ate in a freshly made tortilla. We used to hunt them from the irrigation ditches around alfalfa fields with a .22 rifle. A rancher friend swore 5 jack rabbits could eat as much as a Hereford steer. I've often wondered if coyotes can prosper east of the Mississippi River, why the jack rabbits can't. I bet they would get fat on kudzu. GF

Jacks need lots of open country unlike cottontails. If you put them on the "prairies' around the Atlanta airport, they would do OK.