Jacks are out in central Alberta

I was about 30ft away from a few in Calgary today.
Def snowshoe hare. Shorter ears etc.
Thanks for the distinction between the two Track.
One was freaking big. It looked like med sized dog
 
fingers284 said:
In other words..."pretty much take the taste of Rabbit from the equation"
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Not really, It may take out the "gaminess" a bit. But foremost the red wine will tenderize the meat.

Whatever you call em' wild rabbits, jacks, hares... can be quite tough and lean especially when harvested during the winter. Also, I don't really like too eat snarred rabbits as I prefer to bleed them right away. It makes for a better taste, IMO.

I was raising domesticated rabbits 45 years ago as a kid and sold them to my school teachers (dead or alive, lol). Continental Giant rabbit ("Deutsche Riesen") for meat rabbits. They weighed fully dressed between 6-10 lbs. and the taste is milder than wild rabbits. I fed em' grain and sugar beets 2 weeks prior to butchering. That gave em' nice kidney fat and meat flavour.

The recipe "Hasenpfeffer" is just a variation of "Coq au Vin" and is traditionally done with wild rabbit meat.
 
I raised one once, when the 'nest' got run over by an earthmover. Used a doll bottle to raise it. It would run around the house, those huge back feet made quite a thumping sound. Couldn't bring myself to shoot one now, as with most wildlife. I haven't seen one in 40 years here in eastern Ontario.
 
Hush07 said:
I raised one once, when the 'nest' got run over by an earthmover. Used a doll bottle to raise it. It would run around the house, those huge back feet made quite a thumping sound. Couldn't bring myself to shoot one now, as with most wildlife. I haven't seen one in 40 years here in eastern Ontario.
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That would be called a "Rammler", which means a non-castrated male.

When two of those bucks get at it for breeding dominance, hair will fly and you can hear the thump...
 
scotteboy said:
I was about 30ft away from a few in Calgary today.
Def snowshoe hare. Shorter ears etc.
Thanks for the distinction between the two Track.
One was freaking big. It looked like med sized dog
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I've hunted in southern Alberta hence, 1978 and witnessed seeing "big" jack rabbits. Grand, high and long bounds they make with ease. I refused to kill any of them, since they have enough predators. It's only in the Great Plains that I saw them.
 
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Hunting them during mating season is a bit counterproductive IMHO. I'm not completely against it, but from what I hear from relatives, hare populations in Alberta have been on the decline for the past decade. Maybe that's an area specific issue?
 
bearhunter said:
Hunting them during mating season is a bit counterproductive IMHO. I'm not completely against it, but from what I hear from relatives, hare populations in Alberta have been on the decline for the past decade. Maybe that's an area specific issue?
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Do your hares or rabbits go up and down in numbers that corelate with the lynx and or bobcat populations like they do here in BC?......:)
 
Thunderhog said:
Do your hares or rabbits go up and down in numbers that corelate with the lynx and or bobcat populations like they do here in BC?......:)
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I got leary when there was two link having a snooze on the driveway. I think they had an impact on local hare & chicken (grouse) poplation.
 
Thunderhog said:
Do your hares or rabbits go up and down in numbers that corelate with the lynx and or bobcat populations like they do here in BC?......:)
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In my area, Region 8, wolves are more of a problem, along with the folks who like to shoot them with heavy centerfire bullets to watch them blow up.

The season is open for Rocky Mountain Snowshoe hares until April 30, but I haven't participated in the early season because of declining populations.

I'm not calling out anyone for participating in the early hunt, but it is counterproductive when you think about it.

Our region has been raped by logging, and it's starting to look apocalyptic in many areas. So much habitat has been destroyed, I'm not sure it will recover.

I know people have to make a living, and they work hard at it. Just don't like to see it.

Habitat destruction has more to do with declining Mule Deer, Rabbits, and upland game birds than any predation.

We've had huge bug kill areas that had to be harvested before the wood burned or rotted. All of this together has dried up huge areas, and nothing lives in them now.

No water, no game animals. That's the main reason they stick to private fields, lots of food, and often the only source of water within kilometers.

Those little mountain streams and ponds dry up when the trees are cut or die from bugs. The animals that can move out, but those that can't die or are easily spotted.

I likely won't live long enough to see it recover, but it is being replanted, which is another issue, as the deciduous vegetation is often eliminated.
 
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