Jackrabbit hunting

John Wesley · September 25, 2016, 07:59:00 AM

Hello everyone. I'm in the military and I'm stationed in Twentynine palms CA. I'm deployed right now but working on getting my bow out to CA when I get home. I've never hunted in CA and I'm looking at going for some jackrabbits in the desert. Sheep hole wilderness area if I can. I'm from AR and never hunted jackrabbits or in the desert. Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks in advance

Pine · September 25, 2016, 10:05:00 AM

Welcome to the gang .
Hopefully someone will chime in with some advice , I've never been to the desert .
Sounds like a good time .

Mitch Edwards · September 25, 2016, 11:20:00 AM

First of all thank you for your service! I've never hunted jacks but I always wanted to. If you get any I wanna see them

centaur · September 25, 2016, 11:30:00 AM

My limited experience with jackrabbits is that they are much more skittish than the cottontails that you might be familiar with. Instead of sitting tight, they are more likely to be seen bounding away with that kangaroo like gait of theirs. They should be a good challenge with a bow.

myshootinstinks · September 25, 2016, 11:40:00 AM

Jack numbers are way down from their heyday back in the 60-70s but in those years I shot a bunch of 'em.
What Centaur says is true but if they haven't been harassed a lot they tend to zip out 40-50 yards and stop. A full grown jack standing looks like an enormous target and make a challenging target. He's further away than you think. Have fun.

M60gunner · September 25, 2016, 11:41:00 AM

They can take a lot of killing. some guys use old broad heads they have blunted. Yes, they are skittish. The ones I have encountered may sit for a second or two but then they are off.
Their gait will amaze you the first time you see it. Rabbit looks like their 3 feet long.

twitchstick · September 25, 2016, 12:04:00 PM

I love hunting rabbits and hare's. I like to still hunt slowly through bushy areas glassing often. Ecspecially on the rims of washes where you can peek over edges. Thier big ears have a tendacy to give them away. If you patient sitting on water can be productive. Good luck and post some pic's of your adventures.

Alexander Traditional · September 25, 2016, 12:14:00 PM

I just shot a couple,check out the post,i think it's on page three now.

I find they hang out on fence lines,and under small bushes. Ice found if you jump them they run a short bit and stop. The last two I killed were longer shots. They are hard to kill and I always use broad heads

redfish · September 25, 2016, 08:55:00 PM

I used to have a blast hunting jacks, both at home in central Texas and in the desert around Las Cruces, NM.
If you are going after them with a bow, prepare for:
1. A lot of fun.
2. Losing some arrows.
3. Probably not hitting any.
4. Maybe scaring a few.
Don't even think about the cooking thing. They are nasty. I know. We tried to eat one once that took a ricochet shot to the throat with a broadhead.
BTW. Take a map and compass or one of them new fangled GPS things. It is amazing how everything in the desert looks the same when you haven't paid attention to where you have been going.

September 25, 2016, 09:01:00 PM

In Iowa we had,HAD, the bigger whitetail version. Farming practices have wiped them out. Back in the 60s we had quite a few. If cooked slowly in an oven after browning in a frying pan, they were better to eat than waterfowl. I hear the blacktail variety out west are not as good to eat.

Charlie Lamb · September 25, 2016, 09:08:00 PM

Jack's are fun. Look for them early and late in the day. A small broadhead is good medicine for them.

John Wesley · September 26, 2016, 05:26:00 AM

Thank you to everyone for the quick replies. Hopefully I can get into some this year. If I do I'll be sure to post pics. I've heard several People say that they are no good to eat but heard of a few that like them. I'm not one to knock it till I try it. Do any of you have any good recipes? Only ones I can find online is for a stew.

John Wesley · September 26, 2016, 05:28:00 AM

And thanks for the pics Charlie! Thats awesome. Looks like you've hunted them all over

Pete McMiller · September 26, 2016, 08:50:00 AM

Thanks for your service John.

I have limited experience chasing jack rabbits but can offer some tips. Hunted Antelope Jacks in southern Arizona a year ago last January. Got seven shots and actually nicked a couple but nothing fatal. I was hunting with blunts most often then and that is an issue. Since then I made up a dozen arrows with Bodkin broadheads just for rabbits. At that time of year the mornings were quite cold and the jacks would sit in the first of the sun's rays trying to warm up. When they do that a lot of blood goes to their ears and if you look close you will see them as red/orange blobs (or orange hats) up above the vegetation. I found that I could slowly walk up to 20-30 yards if I didn't walk directly at them. Even when they jumped, sometimes they wouldn't go far and you'd have another chance.

This past January I was hunting Arizona again but a bit further north and almost stepped on this Blacktailed Jack. He ran but hid under a mesquite tree 9 yards away. He took an Ace blunt in the chest and ran off with it (didn't have my bodkins with me that day). Had to blood trail him for 90 yards. Browned him and braised in chicken stock in the dutch oven on top of the wood stove for about 3 hours. It was fall-off-the-bone tender and very good.

You'll have a blast chasing them.

T Lail · September 26, 2016, 11:47:00 AM

Hunted them this year while in Texas.....loads of fun, lots of shots, a few hits......aim for the head and neck junction.....we were using judo points out of 50 to 55 pound bows and still lost a few (ran off with arrow and or just ran off)....jacks are tough and smart.....

redfish · September 26, 2016, 01:25:00 PM

I will have to remember that on the cooking. If I recall all we had was a campfire and skillet...it was bad. That was 42 years ago and I haven't tried it again since.

redfish · September 26, 2016, 01:28:00 PM

They accounted for many hours of fun when I was a kid.

Bill Sant · September 26, 2016, 02:16:00 PM

I hunted them a lot before moving to Alaska from Utah. One thing I do remember is that they are more active early and late in the day. Most desert creatures are, due to the heat. And on hot days you can always find them behind sage brush or cover in the shade. If you move slow and in a direction that allows good visuals of the shady sides of bushes you'll get some. once they find that cool spot on a hot day they don't want to leave it and it allows you to get fairly close.

Bill Sant · September 26, 2016, 02:21:00 PM

Oh and another trick we used was to whistle after they broke cover and ran. Often times they will sit and look back at you just log enough for a shot

rooni79 · September 26, 2016, 06:17:00 PM

We have hare's here in Australia. I've only ever shot one with a bow, and that was when I was calling for foxes with a rabbit in distress call. He came right in and I shot hime at 8 yards. I've had them come in to calls at night time when spotlighting foxes with a rifle also.
Might be worth a try!
We had an old greek fellah in town, and he used to tell us that it was a massive deal when someone shot a hare in his village in the old country. They would have it on the bonnet of the car and drive through town blasting the horn.