Late start to the season. Horrible conditions for the European hare. We went out twice and managed to get these magnificent animals
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Late start to the season. Horrible conditions for the European hare. We went out twice and managed to get these magnificent animals
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Beautiful animals. Congrats. I need to put them on my bucket list. My new Tikka T1X .17 HMR would be great for them. What caliber do you use.
nice pics, no beagles?
So they do exist lol nice job boys congrats
Hey Deer Hunter we use 22 Wmr and .17 Hmr
Beagles?!!! Lol. This majestic animal has enough problems with the coyotes chasing it every night let alone for some dog chasing it during the day. No need for beagles
Nice to see there’s still some pockets of them left.
Congrats!
Very nice, beautiful looking animals...
congrats on the success
happy hunting
Yes I have to agree the conditions have not been the best! Great job on some successful hunts!!
Tony
I hunt them in Orangeville. usually just need to walk along rock walls or slender chunks of timber and they take off!! funny enough I am from woodbridge. Good job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jackhunter
Before this degenerates into another one of those my hunting method is better/more ethical than yours lets all agree that everyone has their own preferred hunting method and as long as its legal so be it.Quote:
Originally Posted by swampsinger
For me the both of you are wrong as it should be walked up and shotgun only:silly:
Remember we should all be friends here :thumbup:
With this snow/rain mix should make for good conditions too walk one up tomorrow.Quote:
Originally Posted by marky.mark
I agree, I'm ready to edit.Quote:
Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers
Hey swampsinger have you ever tried shooting one that was crossing at 100 yards with a scoped 22 wmr? Because from my experience that European hare stands a way better chance then when a coyote is after it!
Hey finsfurfeathers I think you arent understanding how we hunt. The only way I have hunted the European hare was walking and trying to flush it. We don’t shoot them when they are sleeping and if you have hunted them
In the last few years you would know that it’s not as easy to see them sitting as it once used to be. My buddy and shoot them on the run and it is the hardest but most gratifying method. People mock it because it is too difficult for them so they stick to shotguns. I used to hunt them with shotguns years ago also but once you learn how to shoot a rifle it is a totally different game.
I have no issue with what you are doing, what I've read from European hare hunters on this board, they seem to have respect for game.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackhunter
Just can't abide Beagles portrayed in a negative light.
If your interested seeing what's involved in a Snowshoe hare hunt with Beagles give me a pm.
Yes I have the outmost respect for the European hare. Many years ago people considered them a pest. Not the case at all. That animal has a history. And I hunted for snowshoes with beagles for years and years. So I know exactly what it’s all about with beagles. I’ve hunted the European hare many times with people that have beagles.
Well done ! It has been a crappy few years for us. We haven’t seen one in two years. We chase tracks, but like I said before it’s like chasing ghosts. You guys must be hitting good pockets of them. Where we hunt if we find a track we go after it. If not move on to the next spot. Slim picking nowadays.
I don’t think it matters what you use to hunt jacks. Shotgun or rifle it’s an amazing hunt especially when when you can flush and put one down.
Can't speak for others but for me I choose to use a shotgun not because its easier or rifle is too difficult but the fact that hitting a moving target at close range shotgun is more efficient/effective. If it wasn't the trap range would be full of guys using a rifle. If I had to use a rifle approach would be different. A jack most often when flushed will run those 60-80 yards stop and look back to see if its still being pursed. That'll be the time I'd take the shot.Quote:
Originally Posted by jackhunter
Omg! It’s obvious that you haven’t had much experience with hunting the European hare my dear sir. I can count maybe on one hand the amount of times a jack rabbit would stop after 60 yards and stop to look back. 50 percent of the time they will flush at 50 yards and more. The problem is that you most likely hunted this animal in the times when they were far more numbers than now. See it’s these times now that dictate who can and cannot be successful at this animal. That being said you are pretty much saying that with the rim fire rifles that it’s easier because the jack rabbit will stop at 80 yards and look back. I would love for you to go out one day and take a 22 wmr and flush one and shoot him while he stops. Please do that. Try it!! I’ll say one more thing and this is actually the truth. I post pictures every year of the days we go out. If we get 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 there are more that we see most of the time. On those days if we used shotguns we would easily have doubled those numbers. EASILY. that being said it’s not about being effective to make sure you kill them. We respect the animal and we make sure we leave plenty of them behind.
Great thread and photos and some excellent replies,its great to see you are careful about how many hares you take and shows you as a good hunter.
Jackhunter from your posts I can tell you have done a lot of Jack hunting for a long time. So you have seen there number’s crash over the years. In your opinion what do you think is causing there population to drop in Ontario?
Around here, it’s the elimination of fence rows, and good cover that was along tree lines etc.. IMHO....
I think the change in farming practices also contributed to their decline. The huge coyote populations now certainly doesn’t help. We used to do jack drives every weekend back 40 yrs ago or so. There was tons of jacks, and very very few coyotes. If we got two yotes over the winter, that was a lot. There was also lots of fox back then. Now, very few fox and tons of coyotes !!! We see a fair bit of jack sign, but we don’t hunt them any more......just coyotes !
Hey Fishhawk in my honest opinion it is the coyotes. They are destroying soo much. Like Rick said 40 years ago when the numbers were high the coyotes were scarce. People always say the rabbits and hates have cycles but I notice that with the European hare it’s not the case because the coyote numbers are high and seem to be growing.
too funny!Quote:
Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers
Really does it matter which way someone decides to hunt any animal, all long as its ethical and legal who cares if its a rifle or shotgun. I cant believe this is even a issue.
Very nice pics of Jacks. Wish we had them close to Ottawa area
Depends what you deem close. The farthest east I've found them was Napanee mostly because that was as far we would like to drive and that was mostly for Hungarian partridge.Quote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
Out that way would be looking around Morrisburg-cornwall-chesterville as a start.
Congrats, nice haul
You guys are pros. We used to hunt them quite a bit but haven’t been out in a couple years due to lack of rabbits and overrun by yotes. Good job.
He is 🤣
Every night all night they getting spooked
New liscard Ontario is loaded
Good stuff boyz
Hey Jackdown I hear Algonquin Park is over run by them!!!!!
You guys don't know what your talking about.....everyone knows thunder bay has the highest population of them right now!
Nice!
Jack straps on the bbq cooked medium rare is excellent! :)
I have been out a few times and didn't see any. Actually seen more coyotes than than Jacks... lol
Now that we have safe ice on Lake St Clair and the perch fishing is amazing I doubt I will spend the time to jack hunt in 2022. :)
I haven't seen a jack track this winter. We do have a couple of cotton tails in the yard and under our porch. The fox numbers seem to be stable. We have coyotes in the yard almost every night. Jack hunting used to be good around here. No more. old243
If the MNR in Ontario gave a crap about small game they would close the season. There are small pockets of jacks and no real huntable populations. Areas that were once populated with jacks are done. New farming practices and yotes have sure impacted their survival. I saw one Jack all season, during a cottontail hunt, and didn't even bring the gun up to shoot. It was the only track in the entire area. Quite sad!
They are actually an invasive species so the government has no interest the same as Pheasants.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank16
Thats just a convienent excuse. I beleive upland hunters have become an insignificant voice so easily ignored. Otherwise how can the MNR still back salmon and trout stocking or the lack of any real action in the management of habitat for quail and grouse.Quote:
Originally Posted by greatwhite
Well said!Quote:
Originally Posted by finsfurfeathers
Awesome. I might take a drive and try to take one with the hawk this fall
All hope isn't lost. Had a suprise visit from an ol friend while sitting for a turkey today.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cass
https://youtu.be/bzTdDP7qOz0
Would love to see the hawk Cass
Can't see your old friend?
ya its got that big foot footage feel but you can just make out the jack hopping away through the foliage.Quote:
Originally Posted by waldo17
Nice to see!
[COLOR=#000000]"Thats just a convienent excuse. I beleive upland hunters have become an insignificant voice so easily ignored. Otherwise how can the MNR still back salmon and trout stocking or the lack of any real action in the management of habitat for quail and grouse."
that's because there's not enough hunters worth while listening to, because there's not enough places to hunt, and now they will be building in the green belt and expediting development anywhere they can making even less places to hunt and what's left is off limits so how can hunting flourish? its a dying crowd that doesn't carry any weight unfortunately. And they don't like groups that have guns lol.