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Is anyone else noticing more and more jack rabbits around or is it just me. Through my travels and hunts in the past 3 years I've seen some in the kawartha lakes, Perth/huron County and grey/dufferin County. Never bagged any just happy to see them around and coming back.
I wonder if the milder winters are doing good for them?
The numbers seem to spike once every 10 years, this is just personal observation. Lots of cottontails in the South, I see them a lot in my yard and streets but the City has been keeping the yote numbers down. The yotes in the forested tracts I hunt seem to be just as active as always.
I haven't seen a rabbit or a track in years in the bush. I have seen lots of coyotes and their tracks in the bush.
I have only seen a road kill in Dufferin area recently. The snow will show Jack's tracks around where I hunt, hopefully
The last time I saw a jack was in 2021.
My prediction those who go for a walk the first calm sunny day after this lake effect snow ends will report positive findingsQuote:
Originally Posted by Frank16
WE have taken many walks after a fresh snow fall in the last 3 years with no tracks to be found. Pretty sad! It has gotten to the point that if we see no tracks crossing roads into the fields we keep driving.
Might seem like an outlandish proposition on my behalf but maybe we should all have though of some type of CONSERVATION program to help this species recover years ago when they were going rapidly downhill. Like the Moose population nobody seemed to take much notice of the declined until there were no more to hunt.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacobarchery7
Seems a terrible shame that with the OFAH, MNR, technology, and all the science we have at our disposal were are in this position.
Its really pretty amazing that from a healthy population back in the 1970,s where most of us could spot these hares just north of the GTA to today where they are almost all gone.
The solution would of been to prohibit private land owners (farmers) from maximizing their income by clearing fence rows and switching to large acreage farming. Wasn't and won't happen as nobody is going to take a financial loss for the environment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
They seem to be rebounding in Dufferin county
With the light snow we had last night seen a few tracks crossing the road this while walking the dogs
Seen lots in last couple of years but have yet to bag one
Probably one of the main causes, but I have heard everything from coyotes, pesticides, over hunting...Quote:
Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers
That is good news.Quote:
Originally Posted by Articcat
As with most problems its never just one aggravator. You could get rid of all the coyotes, pesticides, and hunting but if them rabbits don't have cover and a home there won't be any around.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
Pretty sure the farmers have not ripped out every hedgerow and piece of cover over the past 30 years after all that was why the land was cover in the first place it was unproductive?Quote:
Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers
If we got rid of all the coyotes, pesticides and had a moratorium on hunting I am very confident we would have a lot more Jackrabbits.:shades:
A moratorium on hunting Bobwhites went into effect yet no habitat improvement projects initiated net result still no birds out there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
I have seen more rabbits in my area than in the past, but I have yet to go where I usually hunt them probably hit there late Dec. My son is still deer hunting right now.
Because jacks are an invasive species, I believe the mnr would have no mandate to manage the population. Rather to simply provide ample hunting opportunities.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Bang on with that.Quote:
Originally Posted by outdoorlife
All is not lost https://oodmag.com/jack-rabbits-back/
This article is from 2005......not many Jacks around anymore.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
No SirQuote:
Originally Posted by huntervinni
That article is from the 16th June 2017.
In the comments below that article is one that reads "I really enjoy hunting jacks there are plenty in the chatham kent area" Dated 28th December 2021.
MNR don't care because the Jack rabbit is an invasive species. The focus is on the money makers, deer, turkey, moose, waterfowl.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
Hunting in southern Ontario is the absolute s and I blame the MNR and OFAH for not stepping in to do something to help preserve habitat for small game.
Your right Frank they probably do not care about the Jacks as they do a lot of damage to fruit trees and what have you. But over the years they have also provided thousands of hours of enjoyment, camaraderie for the hunting community, you would hope that would count for something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank16
The money makers might not last that well, many hunters are simply not buying moose licenses any more as they consider it a waste of money.
Assisting and enhancing wildlife for hunting went out the window years ago, no more Pheasant rearing, no more winder feeding for deer.
We would have to go back all the way to Conservative Premier John ROBARTS 1961 to 1971 to find an example of a hunter and a person who looked after our interests in this Province.
It clearly states at the end of the article that it was written May 9, 2005. Comments have always been open so that is why you have some current comments but even 2021 is 4 years old almost.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilroy
Regardless there are a few around but no where near the numbers of 2005 which was 20 years ago.