Any one eat

MCgunner · Aug 9, 2013

I beleve that jacks are hares, and not rabbits.

You are correct, sir.

788Ham · Aug 10, 2013

I wish it would get cold around here, and rabbit season would open, we're lousy with cottontails this year! Seriously, those suckers are everywhere this year. I've got them in my bkyd, front yard, neighbors yards, the streets have sailers every block ! Don't tell me you don't know what a sailer is !!

lloveless · Aug 11, 2013

I was in Del Rio, Tx for 6 months I saw one Jack rabbit, and numerous cottontails and pygmies. In fact that one Jack was the only one I've seen in close to a year and a half in Tx at different times. As for eating, I'd presume putting one in a slow cooker with veggies (onion,celery, tomato, potatoes, and a bay leaf) would do the trick. At least it did for our mature angora rabbits that we culled.
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sixgunner455 · Aug 11, 2013

A friend of mine prefers getting a jack to a cottontail. More meat, and since he uses a crock pot to cook them up either way, he doesn't worry about whether or not they are actually tough.

MCgunner · Aug 15, 2013

Back when I was living on that ranch I talked about in post #23, summer of 73, I didn't have a crock pot. I don't think they existed, yet, don't know. Crock pots are wonderful tools, though.

One can always use the old school crock pot, called a "dutch oven". I like playing with mine occasionally, but the crock pot is so much easier.

buck460XVR · Aug 15, 2013

lloveless said:
As for eating, I'd presume putting one in a slow cooker with veggies (onion,celery, tomato, potatoes, and a bay leaf) would do the trick. At least it did for our mature angora rabbits that we culled.

Raising domestic rabbits is what turned me off on even attempting to eat Snowshoes anymore. 'Ell, even cottontails are rank compared to a fat Californian or New Zealand White. Used to love hunting Snowshoes in deep snow late in the winter when everything else was closed, but the law says you must eat what you shoot.....so I no longer shoot 'em. IME, from hunting the Dakotas for Pheasants, is that Jacks are similar. Now that ain't sayin' if I was lost in the woods and starvin' I would pass on one. It's just there's a plenitude of other meat out there I prefer.

armoredman · Aug 15, 2013

From AZ Game and Fish website, http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/research_Tularemia.shtml

Tularemia

Tularemia is found in mammals and caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. The disease has been found in over 200 vertebrate species but most often infects rabbits and rodents. The major means of transmission is by blood-feeding arthropods (e.g., ticks, fleas).

Signs of the disease in infected cottontail rabbits are often variable or go unnoticed but may include lethargy, lack of coordination, and stupor.

Tularemia can produce severe, but localized, sporadic mortality in cottontail rabbits. Deaths have most often been found to occur in wild rabbits within enclosures. Mortality as a result of tularemia frequently occurs in jackrabbits as well. Beaver and muskrat die-offs have also be reported.

Tularemia is a life-threatening human disease characterized by fever, infected sores at point of entry, swollen lymph nodes, and general flu-like symptoms that progress rapidly. Anyone who has these signs of illness after known or potential exposure to disease should consult a physician. With prompt antibiotic treatments, few cases are fatal.

If tularemia is suspected, field necropsy is not recommended due to potential human risks. If the animal must be handled, appropriate precautions should be taken which include the use of rubber gloves followed by thorough washing with soap and water. Care should also be taken to prevent exposure to fleas and ticks that may be associated with the animal.

From an article in Arizona Wildlife News several years ago, excerpt below,
http://www.azgfd.gov/i_e/pubs/CottontailHunting.shtml

The cottontail season in Arizona is year-round. However, few cottontails are taken during the summer months due to hunter concerns regarding disease and parasites. Many myths exist among hunters (especially hunters from back East) concerning the “edibility” of summer rabbits. Cottontails (and the larger jackrabbits) are host to internal and external parasites (all year long, by the way). Hunters who improperly handle sick rabbits can be exposed to tularemia and the plague. This causes many hunters to look to other species as potential prey, particularly during the warmer months.

Since cottontails are abundant and very tasty, I don’t let these concerns stop me from hunting summer rabbits. My strategy is this: Wear rubber gloves when dressing the beast; let the rabbit cool (to help reduce external parasites) before carrying it on your person; wash your hands following handling and cleaning; and cook the rabbit thoroughly. You can also skin and dress the cottontail immediately during the hunt, reducing the chance an external parasite will switch hosts.

If you hunt rabbits below 3,500 feet in elevation during any portion of the year, you’ll greatly reduce your potential exposure to both plague and tularemia. Never harvest or handle a cottontail that appears to be ill.

This is the jackrabbit a buddy of mine got in June, stewed up for his dogs, and they loved every bite. That was one BIG rabbit!

Any one eat

MCgunner

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788Ham

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lloveless

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sixgunner455

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MCgunner

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buck460XVR

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armoredman

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