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Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? #6816236 07/08/17 03:54 PM
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They eat lots of grass, and crops?

Think someone posted here, while back, 30 jackrabbits equals one cow grazing.

I didn't used to see any around my place, now I'm seeing them. My neighbor to the north has cotton out, right now. I'm cleared hot, on hogs, and coyotes. Should I start whacking jackrabbits?


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816240 07/08/17 03:56 PM
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A rancher told me 3 jackrabbits can eat as much as 1 goat. I don't know if there's any science behind that or not. They are heavy and always eating.

Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816274 07/08/17 04:51 PM
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As a kid my family and I would travel to Idaho every year - summer and winter. I remember they had two 'round-ups' about 20 years apart. Seems the jackrabbits would have a couple of good years then a drought would hit and the rabbits would descend on the hay fields and just about ruin them if given the chance. Local farmers would set up woven-wire fences about a mile long, shaped in a triangle narrowing down to a catch pen. Then, every man, woman and child of age would herd them into the pens. Supposedly, the open end of the pen was about a mile wide.
Once that 'quarter' was done, they'd move a fence and repeat until they'd driven every rabbit they could into the pens.
They'd kill all of the rabbits in the pens, freeze the carcass' and ship them off to mink farmers (ranchers?) in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

From what my uncles told me, about every 20 years this perfect storm of growth and reproduction would hit and the hay farmers would repeat that scenario.

scalebuster - I'd heard that 3 could eat as much as a full grown cow in one day. Don't know the truth but have seen where they all but mow down a hay field.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: Bbear] #6816294 07/08/17 05:21 PM
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Was a mink farm just down road were grew up... Didnt know bout jacks being shipped... We had plenty of jacks,...
cheers they good target practice, used ta go to dmps, shoot rats, gophers, jacks, land owners apriceatef it... We did things different, ni leases wasnt bout the big bucks, rather helpen out.. flag



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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816299 07/08/17 05:29 PM
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Quit shooting the predators and the jackrabbits will magically disappear.

But keep pounding the pigs.

Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816302 07/08/17 05:31 PM
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I thin them out from time to time, haven't shot a one this year but probably killed a couple hundred last year, 3 to 4 more years and I'll probably have to do it again.


Yes! A Weatherby does kill them deader.
Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816307 07/08/17 05:36 PM
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When I was little there used to be rabbit drives in Runnels county, not done as previously described, but in the drought of the 50's a blade of grass was precious, and the jacks were slaughtered.

The high and low population of the jacks will run in about a 7 year cycle, the population will be high and then decline to almost nothing but in about 7 years the population will explode again. It's been a longtime since I heard of any "community" wide rabbit drives. But I still hear about some of the locals getting together and raiding the wheat fields with spotlights. I think it is more sport now than a necessity.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: jeffbird] #6816328 07/08/17 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: jeffbird
Quit shooting the predators and the jackrabbits will magically disappear.

But keep pounding the pigs.


Those predators are contributing to my low deer numbers. And I've personally seen a coyote with a day old calf's leg in his mouth. Then I put a 155 gr .308 bullet through his lungs. I'll never let off the throttle on the coyotes, never. They are a far bigger problem than the jackrabbits ever will be.

Only crop I personally produce is grass for hay. But my neighbors rotate wheat, corn, soybeans, and now cotton. If me killing Jack Rabbbits will help them, I will do it. They are great people.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: dogcatcher] #6816331 07/08/17 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted By: dogcatcher
I think it is more sport now than a necessity.


That what i was wondering. If they don't really hurt anything, they aren't bothering me. They're just another type of wildlife to watch. But if they are making life harder on farmers ill do my part.

May have another job for the .22-250 beside panhandle prairie dogs.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: dogcatcher] #6816333 07/08/17 06:05 PM
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Seems logical that the more rabbits you have available the less pressure on the fawn crop so I don't get too bent about large numbers of jacks. However, in big lake, you can have a LOT of fun on a high rack.

There is usually a guy that drives a truck in during the cold months and pays a buck for a carcass (sells them to alligator farms). Seen some of the local kids with truck beds full. My problem is he wants them gutted, and I ain't gutting a jack for a buck.

Buzzards gotta eat.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816337 07/08/17 06:10 PM
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Our #'s have went down account of all the fire ants

Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: jeffbird] #6816349 07/08/17 06:25 PM
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Originally Posted By: jeffbird
Quit shooting the predators and the jackrabbits will magically disappear.

But keep pounding the pigs.


Coyotes and your bigger hawks are about the only real predator the Jackrabbit has and a single coyote has a tough time catching a Jackrabbit.


Yes! A Weatherby does kill them deader.
Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816353 07/08/17 06:31 PM
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I would pay to go on a jackrabbit hunt. There are plenty

Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: Brother in-law] #6816364 07/08/17 06:46 PM
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Originally Posted By: Brother in-law
I would pay to go on a jackrabbit hunt. There are plenty


They don't take long to rebound after a bad year, they reach maturity at 7 to 8 months and and can have two litters a year with as many as 8 but average around 3 to 4 young.


Yes! A Weatherby does kill them deader.
Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816368 07/08/17 06:49 PM
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I live about halfway between Bastrop and Lockhart.
Years ago, we had lots of jackrabbits AND quail.
Very rarely see a jackrabbit and haven't seen a quail in over 10 years.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: Vern1] #6816375 07/08/17 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted By: Vern1
I live about halfway between Bastrop and Lockhart.
Years ago, we had lots of jackrabbits AND quail.
Very rarely see a jackrabbit and haven't seen a quail in over 10 years.


I'm seeing 40 to 50 a day.


Yes! A Weatherby does kill them deader.
Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816401 07/08/17 07:21 PM
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The rabbits hit our corn as hard as the coons do. After seeing 10 rabbits in a game camera pic, they now get shot. That many less mouths at the feeders. Good fun hunting for kiddos.

Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816405 07/08/17 07:24 PM
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I've heard they can put the hurt on a water source if In numbers

Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816407 07/08/17 07:28 PM
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Back in 1980 and -81, we would go out walking in the desert surrounding the hay fields and literally shoot a 500 round carton of 22LR apiece, every day.

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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816420 07/08/17 07:41 PM
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I do some thinning from time to time, had 30+ in my yard...MY YARD, yesterday afternoon. There'll be 21 less this afternoon. Notice some had fleas and ticks, don't want them in my yard digging it up anymore.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: Vern1] #6816425 07/08/17 07:48 PM
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Originally Posted By: Vern1
I live about halfway between Bastrop and Lockhart.
Years ago, we had lots of jackrabbits AND quail.
Very rarely see a jackrabbit and haven't seen a quail in over 10 years.

That's kind of the same way here in Grayson county. But the jacks were only in the western part of the county for some reason. And now you don't see ANY. Or I don't, because I lost the hunting land I had. But I still don't think any are around there. You don't see them run over on the side of the road, like cottontails. And I can't tell you the last time I even HEARD a bobwhite.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: Brother in-law] #6816450 07/08/17 08:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: Brother in-law
I've heard they can put the hurt on a water source if In numbers



cheers were now know as the land of 9,000 lakes... flag



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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816462 07/08/17 08:35 PM
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I never knew that some people had such problems with too many jack rabbits.
I drove by a guys place near Lubbock a while back. He had a nice big front yards (maybe and acre) and there where lumps all over his yard. As I got closer I realized that the lumps were jack rabbits. There must have been 30-40 in the yard.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: Simple Searcher] #6816574 07/08/17 10:40 PM
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Originally Posted By: Simple Searcher
I never knew that some people had such problems with too many jack rabbits.
I drove by a guys place near Lubbock a while back. He had a nice big front yards (maybe and acre) and there where lumps all over his yard. As I got closer I realized that the lumps were jack rabbits. There must have been 30-40 in the yard.


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Re: Why relentlessly kill jackrabbits? [Re: J.G.] #6816606 07/08/17 11:17 PM
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Same boat as a couple others on here in that I rarely see jackrabbits around here. The quail left at least 10 yrs ago & I haven't seen a horny toad in at least 30 yrs. Some of my fondest memories of my teen years involved chasing the jacks around while spotlighting & riding in the bed of a truck. In hindsight, it's a minor miracle that neither myself or my buddies were ever hurt or killed the way we drove those fields

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