Oregon rabbits

[Pdzoller]

Hello all,
For the past couple winters my wife and I head out to central and eastern Oregon in search of jackrabbits and cottontails for our freezer. We’ve had some marginal success at times and got nearly skunked on occasion as well.

My question is, how do you all find routine success? I have heard that people have good luck hunting the edges of alfalfa fields during certain times of the year but I don’t have access to the private land that is required. Mostly we find places to glass rock outcroppings and sagebrush for some spot and stalk action.

Obviously we would have better luck with spotlights but as that isn’t legal here, I’m not willing to risk it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BRTreedogs]

Well I can tell you this is a down deer for rabbits, I live in Central and have green grass, last yr I was covered in rabbits.
This yr not so much, I don't remember the last time I saw one.
Drive thru burns and what not alot. Looks down this year to.

I wouldn't spend the gas this year unless you are really committed.

 

[Pdzoller]

Appreciate the response. We’ll still be heading out there but for more target shooting and camping than anything. Hard to find safe places to shoot at extended range on the west side.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Appreciate the response. We’ll still be heading out there but for more target shooting and camping than anything. Hard to find safe places to shoot at extended range on the west side.

Call the Bio in Hines
It took him a few days to call me back, but he was a nice guy easy to talk to.

They always flock to headlights, I wonder if they think its the sun and want warmth?

 

[BRTreedogs]

Also its still pretty mild so beware of mud.
Generally I wouldn't go around any rain storms. Or unless its frozen solid

 

[Soj51hopeful]

You leery of a little mud?

 

[xsn10s]

You leery of a little mud?

We have some aquifers that turn into sink holes when the ground becomes saturated. If you aren't familiar with the area it's best to go slow in muddy conditions and be ready to back up if you feel yourself sinking fast.

 

[BRTreedogs]

You leery of a little mud?

Not specifically, but I do fear my truck sitting on the frame rails in the middle of nowhere, where someone mite not come along till spring calving.

But you do you boo.
If you want to walk 100 miles to town you go rite ahead.

 

[xsn10s]

Not specifically, but I do fear my truck sitting on the frame rails in the middle of nowhere, where someone mite not come along till spring calving.

But you do you boo.
If you want to walk 100 miles to town you go rite ahead.

Sink to the frame rails and then freeze for the winter. All that's left is a frame and bullet holes by spring lol.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

Was an inside joke. Guess it didn’t register.

 

[Rogue Bay]

Hello all,
For the past couple winters my wife and I head out to central and eastern Oregon in search of jackrabbits and cottontails for our freezer. We’ve had some marginal success at times and got nearly skunked on occasion as well.

My question is, how do you all find routine success? I have heard that people have good luck hunting the edges of alfalfa fields during certain times of the year but I don’t have access to the private land that is required. Mostly we find places to glass rock outcroppings and sagebrush for some spot and stalk action.

Obviously we would have better luck with spotlights but as that isn’t legal here, I’m not willing to risk it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

We used to do really well on cottontails hunting rimrocks in draws and small canyons. We just covered ground until we found an area with a decent population.

For the jacks we usually spent windshield time until we found an area that had good numbers then would spread out and hunt on foot. A lot of times that would be on flats with taller sage. That tactic can be really slow on down years though.

I agree calling and speaking with a local biologist about numbers in their respective areas is a great idea. It could certainly help narrow down your search.

I know that’s pretty vague and likely not helpful. I haven’t made it over for bunnies in several years so I’m kind out of the game. Best of luck to you. It sounds like a fun trip no matter what. Out of curiosity, do you eat the jackrabbits? I’ve seen it cooked and eaten on some shows but haven’t tried it personally. I like cottontail and snowshoe though.

 

[Pdzoller]

Again, thanks for the feedback and insight!
I’ll definitely make some calls before it’s time to go. I also wait until everything is frozen. We take the camp trailer and I definitely want solid ground. As for eating the jackrabbits, never have but I personally don’t like killing just for the sake of killing. We eat what we shoot. I’ll let you know how they taste if we get lucky.

 

[pattimusprime22]

Try this recipe: https://honest-food.net/hare-stew-hard-times/

Legitimately delicious. I will shoot any jackrabbit just to make more of it.

 

[SEtoNWHunter]

Drive BLM/FS roads through the sage and lower country at night. Then hunt the areas where you find dense concentrations of rabbits. A few years back we were hunting elk late season west of Burns and drove through some BLM that was covered in rabbits. We'd drive through before first light on the way out and after dark on the way back. Dozens of rabbits on a few miles of roads. I later went back and hunted rabbits mid winter there and got a bunch. I've done this a few times in other spots and always had some success. I recently found a snowshoe hare spot by accident this way (in a different state)

 

[CentralO]

Hey guys, first time poster here. Looks like I am late to this discussion. I live East of Bend, almost to Alfalfa. I see them everywhere at my place where there is green grass, but rarely on nearby BLM. I’ve wanted to hunt them in the winter also, but seems like slim pickins. I see most rabbits up high on the Cascade forest roads during hunting season. They are usually on roads choked by manzanita/ceanothus (cover), especially in the evenings.