I heard that 12 will eat as much as one cow. No idea whether that is even close to true. I do know their population pretty much has a seven year cycle. Population will rise, they will eat themselves out of house and home, as it rises, so will your coyote and other predator populations. Population will crash to where the fittest survive and then the cycle repeats.

They are almost as flea infested as javelinas.

Used to try to shoot their ears with .38 Special wadcutters so there would be a hole in them that let the light through so I wouldn't shoot the same one again.

I've heard they can put the hurt on a water source if In numbers

Interesting that you brought that up! It just dawned on me that I've never seen a wild rabbit Jack or cottontail drinking water at any of the ponds. I know they will drink when available from puddles in the road and pretty sure they get the majority of fluids from the vegetation they consume.

If you have large numbers, I could see the impact on the range. I can't imagine a handfull having much impact.

As for helping or hurting predator populations, it seems like a double-edged sword, to me. More rabbits gives them something to eat besides deer and livestock, but increases their numbers. Fewer rabbits can decrease numbers, but could turn their focus to deer and livestock.

Should I start whacking jackrabbits?

Jack rabbits eat as much and drink as much as a full grown cow!!! And here I thought it was the drought the reason I had no grass or water.

Jackrabbits do not live in burrows nor birth their young in burrows nor do they dig burrows.

An endurance runner in good condition can outrun and catch a jackrabbit in good condition if the man can keep the same rabbit in sight, just as a man can outrun a deer if he can keep the deer in sight.

Jackrabbits do not live in burrows nor birth their young in burrows nor do they dig burrows.

Seems like coyotes would have no trouble with them then. Nothing in Texas can play that game better than a coyote.

Seems like coyotes would have no trouble with them then. Nothing in Texas can play that game better than a coyote.

Cows can graze up to 130 lbs/day (from an oregon forages website)
Cotton tail rabbits can eat up to 42% body weight in grass daily in summer or about 1-1.5 lb (pennsylvania dnr web site)... not really a fair comparison because they graze differently BUT it looks like a 100 rabbits eat about as much as 1 cow

sheep graze 2-5% body weight daily , 150 lb ewe -> 3-8 lbs/day or the equivalent 3-5 rabbits
goats graze 3-5 % body weight (midwestgrass.com)

cows, sheep, rabbits do not graze on exactly the same plants or in the same manner (eg height of plant )

Jacks can hit around 45 mph with the advantage of getting lost quick, Yotes damn near as fast but not sure it has the acceleration a Jack does. Plus it's harder to keep something in sight the closer you are to the ground. I've only witness a yote chasing a Jack Rabbit one time and they both started out about the same distance from the fence but the Jack got there quicker and shot right through the 4 inch wire. The Yote went down the fence and found a way under but the Jack was long gone by then. I was amazed just how much air time a Jack can get, they launch! I've never seen a Coyote jump a fence but I've seen 2 Red Fox do it, both times it was sheep wire.

Yotes are pretty darn good adaptive predators/scavengers.