Fall 2009 Jackrabbit Hawking

[wyodjm]

Here in southwest Wyoming, white-tailed jackrabbits crashed. Big time. I'm looking for spots to hawk jackrabbits, either whitetails or blacktails in Idaho, Colorado, Utah, or Nevada this coming fall and winter, 2009. I've got a new passage male golden eagle that I'm just itching to get going on jacks.

Since I would have to travel, and I'm quite willing to travel, it would be great to get with a group of people who were serious game hawkers to gather somewhere to hawk jacks in an area that has some. Right now, I don't know where to go. There aren't any here, I know that. There has to be pocketed areas throughout the west, somewhere, where there are good numbers of jacks. I'd like to start taking notes and finding out where to take a few short trips this fall and winter.

I would be willing to share an old ridge trapping area here in Wyoming with anyone interested in trapping a passage goshawk, or almost any shade of passage redtail your imagination can come up with. Wyoming is the classic, nonresident trapping state. You just have to buy a permit.

I will be paying attention to this thread. Please don't bury it. It's time to start planning.

In the hopes of good hawking.

[Dirthawking]

PM sent!

[dirthawker2004]

PM sent here too

[tony123abc]

What is causing the crash? Is it just the normal cylcle stuff or is there a known problem? Here in Elko, we have plenty of black tailed jacks, but unlike Rawlins and Baggs Wyoming, our sage is pretty heavy. I had some good jacks in Wendover, Nv. just out of town N/S of I 80. By the radio towrs. tony

[Shehawker]

The blacktails crashed here in North Eastern Utah (most of Utah had low numbers) last year, I'm hoping they will be back in hawkable numbers this next season, they have had a easy winter. If they start poping up again I'll let you know.

Melissa

[ikcus]

PM sent. Nothing better than slaughtering Jacks

[wyodjm]

What is causing the crash? Is it just the normal cylcle stuff or is there a known problem? Here in Elko, we have plenty of black tailed jacks, but unlike Rawlins and Baggs Wyoming, our sage is pretty heavy. I had some good jacks in Wendover, Nv. just out of town N/S of I 80. By the radio towrs. tony

Don't know. Probably just lagomorph population dynamics. But there might be other stuff going on. Here in southwest Wyoming, in the mid 1980's, whitetails crashed and took nearly 15 years to come back. I've seen cottontails crash here and almost vanish for 5-6 years. There are a ton of predators here. When I've gone out hawking jacks with my eagle it is not unusual to see two or three wild goldens every time I go out.

Jacks here get a ton of pressure. A friend and I while casually calling predators on weekends one winter, about 10 years ago, shot and killed 40 coyotes and about 30 fox.

When there are a few jacks to hawk and my eagle is loose you can almost step on a jack before it bumps. They seem to know when there's an eagle loose. When they do bump, I've seen them ferret through the sage brush almost like a pigmy rabbit and not explode in the open like you would expect. By winter, you can pretty much bet all the stupid jacks are gone with only the super jacks with triple digit IQ's left to hawk. Interesting dynamics indeed. I've covered 1000's of miles here in the red desert in fall and winter over the years and it has left me scratching my head a few times.

Whitetails peaked here about 4 years ago, but I wasn't flying an eagle then. Should have been I guess but wasn't. Right now, they're gone around here. No telling when they'll be back up.

Interestingly, southwest Wyoming has one of the densest wintering populations of golden eagles on the North American continent. One winter while trapping goldens, after traveling our routine trapping loop, which is about 140 miles, we spotted 68 golden eagles. Those are just the eagles we saw. I'm sure the broken landscape was hiding many more eagles that we never saw. I always wondered what all those eagles were eating.

Wendover Nevada is very doable for me. I'd like to stay in touch if that's ok. Thanks Tony. Want to go hawking this fall and winter?

Best,

Dan

[wyodjm]

I'd like to thank everyone who has PM'd me the last couple of days. I really appreciate it. The response has been overwhelming. I plan to keep in touch with all of you.

If you are looking to trap a passage goshawk, I know a great place. Wyoming is very nonresident trapping friendly.

Thanks again.

Dan