Much to my chagrin another year is going to have to pass before there are enough Jack Rabbits to allow me to actually hunt them. I put in 40 miles last week with little to no Jacks to show for it. In early June there was a sudden influx of Jacks that seemed to indicate that they were back. I had 6 to 8 Jacks each evening, traveling across the open field below the house to get water from the creek. Then they disappeared! I blamed it on my new Pup scaring them off, but they are not any where to be seen. Tami was telling me that she was seeing 20-30 Jacks on the road from the ranch to Cow Camp, but they aren't there now either.
I had always assumed that the "Jack Rabbit cycle" was that it just took 7 years to rebuild through the survivors eventually building back the populations through breeding. I am not so sure anymore. For one thing the influx of Jacks was real. I had two Jacks that survived the winter and I would see their tracks in the snow throughout the winter. One of them died on my alternate runway this spring, and then all of a sudden they were everywhere, and just like that after about a month or so they were gone again. The Coyotes and my dog could not possibly be that effective in killing and running off so many overnight.
As a last resort I went to the area ( a 60 mile round trip ) that I had found so many Jacks in the past. Where the Lave flows were, was full of Brush Bunnies. Hope went nuts, and they wore her to a frazzle. However since they only live in volcanic areas they are never more than 20 yards from a hole. With a ferret they wouldn't have a chance, but on their own its almost impossible for a Harris Hawk to be fast enough to catch one of the little "pocket rockets. " I walked the entire area and finally saw one Jack.
I decided to give it one last shot. The field just West of the house has always held at least four Jacks. Hope and I, without the dog, traversed the entire thing and only saw 3 Bunnies I hate to say it, but its time to give it up.
