Eating Jackrabbits?

[bigtex]

Friend just moved to California and is always talking about these "giant jackrabbits" in his neck of the woods. He looked at the regs and found there is no season and no limit on them. This led us to think two things; one is that there are a ton of jackrabbits or that nobody shoots them because they don't taste well. Being in WA most my life I haven't spent all that time around jackrabbits or know anyone that has shot and eaten one. So for those that have, are they somewhat edible?

[Eli346]

It's usually a fairly warm climate down there so there's a tendency for worms. I used to live down there in the northern part and we'd eat cottontails but only in the coolers months. Used to be a saying that any month with an 'R' in it was good to go.

[washelkhunter]

They're inedible. There's not enough meat on them to make it worth the trouble and what there is cooks up like an old boot sole. Fun to hunt tho!

[AWS]

I used to live on the ND/MN border and I would shoot them in the winter out in my alfalfa field and they were good eating, much like a snowshoe or cotton tail.  They ate good there not living on sage.  We also filled the freezer with mushrat, beaver, raccoon, ducks, grouse, deer and snapping turtles and much preferred that fare over store bought meat.

[Bob33]

Friend just moved to California and is always talking about these "giant jackrabbits" in his neck of the woods. He looked at the regs and found there is no season and no limit on them. This led us to think two things; one is that there are a ton of jackrabbits or that nobody shoots them because they don't taste well. Being in WA most my life I haven't spent all that time around jackrabbits or know anyone that has shot and eaten one. So for those that have, are they somewhat edible?

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=232-28-342
8. jackrabbit:
Closed statewide

[RG]

:

Friend just moved to California and is always talking about these "giant jackrabbits" in his neck of the woods. He looked at the regs and found there is no season and no limit on them. This led us to think two things; one is that there are a ton of jackrabbits or that nobody shoots them because they don't taste well. Being in WA most my life I haven't spent all that time around jackrabbits or know anyone that has shot and eaten one. So for those that have, are they somewhat edible?

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=232-28-342
8. jackrabbit:
Closed statewide

He's talking about California..... 

[Bob33]

:

Friend just moved to California and is always talking about these "giant jackrabbits" in his neck of the woods. He looked at the regs and found there is no season and no limit on them. This led us to think two things; one is that there are a ton of jackrabbits or that nobody shoots them because they don't taste well. Being in WA most my life I haven't spent all that time around jackrabbits or know anyone that has shot and eaten one. So for those that have, are they somewhat edible?

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=232-28-342
8. jackrabbit:
Closed statewide

He's talking about California..... 

Got it. Thanks.

[Windwalker]

 Seems like everyone on this forum is talking about trying to eat weird stuff today.
You all been watching Meateater episodes or bracing for the apocalypse?

I like meat as much as the next guy but..nutria, porcupines and jack rabbits never made mainstream for a reason I recon...just say'n.

Now you have piqued my interest and I am going to have to try some of it.
Next I'll be eating fried grasshoppers..

And yea, I heard the same thing about Jackrabbits- cold months only when there are no fleas and look at the liver for spots.
But most of all they are a ball to turn into a red mist.
 

[lokidog]

They're inedible. There's not enough meat on them to make it worth the trouble and what there is cooks up like an old boot sole. Fun to hunt tho!

BS

Three times as much meat as a cottontail, tastes just as good, cook in a crockpot for tenderness, and I've never seen a "worm" in one.     

Some guys I knew went to So OR and shot about a hundred of them, left them to rot... friends no longer.

Windwalker, the only tough thing about porkies is skinning them, taste just like a cross between rabbit and turkey.

[Bean Counter]

It's usually a fairly warm climate down there so there's a tendency for worms. I used to live down there in the northern part and we'd eat cottontails but only in the coolers months. Used to be a saying that any month with an 'R' in it was good to go.

if its southern CA, AZ, NM, or TX, you need to do better than that. I will hunt cottontails the day or two after a freeze but there are plenty of 60-70 degree weeks on end in December and sure enough, I've opened them up to find the heebee geebee's inside. Good thing I always wear disposable gloves. Haven't sampled jackrabbit yet.

[Bean Counter]

They're inedible. There's not enough meat on them to make it worth the trouble and what there is cooks up like an old boot sole. Fun to hunt tho!

BS

Three times as much meat as a cottontail, tastes just as good, cook in a crockpot for tenderness, and I've never seen a "worm" in one.     

Some guys I knew went to So OR and shot about a hundred of them, left them to rot... friends no longer.

Windwalker, the only tough thing about porkies is skinning them, taste just like a cross between rabbit and turkey.

Do you soak them in milk?

[DOUBLELUNG]

I have eaten lots of jackrabbits, mostly whitetails and a couple of black-tailed, when I was a poor college student in Wyoming.  I rate the young of the year comparable to cottontails, used to just split them down the spine and barbeque like chicken.  Did not care for the adults, very strong dark meat (kind of like adult male sage grouse) - but a big white-tailed jack would weigh up to 10 lbs and yield 4 lbs of meat, and we would give them to my Arkansas friends wife and she made a great gumbo with them.  The young ones in early September were abundant, about 3 lbs, and the meat is mild and tender - good stuff.  I liked to head shoot them with my .30-06 out to 200 yards, when you can bust a quarter-sized brain consistently you are dialed in for the big game hunts!

[lokidog]

They're inedible. There's not enough meat on them to make it worth the trouble and what there is cooks up like an old boot sole. Fun to hunt tho!

BS

Three times as much meat as a cottontail, tastes just as good, cook in a crockpot for tenderness, and I've never seen a "worm" in one.     

Some guys I knew went to So OR and shot about a hundred of them, left them to rot... friends no longer.

Windwalker, the only tough thing about porkies is skinning them, taste just like a cross between rabbit and turkey.

Do you soak them in milk?

Nope. 

On a side note, I used to shoot jacks in SO CAL and never had problems with them.