looking for jackrabbits near Garden City

C

cuda67bnl

New member
Hi Guys.
I know this is a pheasant forum, but please excuse me for being a bit off topic. I'm gonna be in Garden City from the 14th through the 20th of this month. I'm a falconer from Georgia, and I hunt with trained hawks. I'm looking for places to hunt cottontails and jackrabbits with my birds.
Can any of you recommend any places around Garden City that I might find rabbits or jacks? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. If any of you live in that area and have access to rabbit spots, I'd be more than happy to take you hunting with the birds in exchange for sharing your spots. If you've never hunted with a hawk, it's quite fun and something most never get to see.
Again, thanks for any help or advice you can offer. And I wish all of you the best of luck with the pheasants!

Jimmy Tompkins
Loganville, GA.
 
I'm not familiar with that area as I don't head that far west to hunt, but, pretty much any field should hold rabbits of some sort. You might try tree rows or pasture draws as a start. I know that it's not much help for that area but have fun regardless!
 
I think if you come to the door with a hooded hawk, and tell the landowner what your up to, After they crawl off the floor, permission would be a given. The winters are long out here, and dull, this would provide endless conversation for a bored populous. "Do you know what came knockin' on our door last week?"...... "well you could have bowled me over with a feather!" Guy drove all that way..... for jackrabbits!
 
I don't have any land per se, but if you have some pictures of your birds in action, I would love to see them. I find the whole thing fascinating.
 
Actually, I heard a story from the Conservation Officers out in that part of the state that they busted some folks who were whacking jack rabbits and selling the back east as a delicacy. Said they were shipping them back east by the 100's.

Guess some folks think they taste pretty good!

Mike C.
 
I suspect that many landowners have seen it before. Garden City has hosted large falconry meets before. I'll be attending an eagle falconry meet while I'm there. There's a large falconry meet in Dodge City the following week.
 
Mike, I'll have to take those folk's word that they taste good. I have no plans to try them, but the hawks sure don't mind eating them.

V-John, I'll find some links for you.....
 
cuda67bnl said:
Mike, I'll have to take those folk's word that they taste good. I have no plans to try them, but the hawks sure don't mind eating them.

V-John, I'll find some links for you.....
Click to expand...

Thank you! It's really awesome and from what I understand, a large amount of work is involved, just being able to have falcons.
 
There are rabbits all over that part of the state and yes, the do taste pretty good (at least they did years ago). The timing is strange though - first week of pheasant season you wanna fly your bird? Shouldn't be any issue at all but there are stupid people everywhere - 'course the same person that might shoot at a hawk during pheasant season would proabably shoot at it out of season as well so i guess my point is moot.
It would be cool to watch the bird hunt though. Good luck and be careful.
 
V-John said:
Thank you! It's really awesome and from what I understand, a large amount of work is involved, just being able to have falcons.
Click to expand...

There's a ton of stuff on youtube. Go there and put 'falconry' in the search box.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o21krz8zmXs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deQSeGuCrSA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O__otN_y1SQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qQr_u42jc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPmzXnPpTVg&feature=related
 
PassItOn said:
Actually, I heard a story from the Conservation Officers out in that part of the state that they busted some folks who were whacking jack rabbits and selling the back east as a delicacy. Said they were shipping them back east by the 100's.

Guess some folks think they taste pretty good!

Mike C.
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention this. I know of a farmer who has a group of men from the East coast that are coming this year to hunt jack rabbits. They've been hunting them for years now in the area. They stay about a week and kill hundreds of them while they're here. I guess the Portugese love them and use them in different recipes.
 
You wouldn't be related to the Tompkins from Florida by any chance? My grandfather's name was Loyce Tompkins and he had a bunch of brothers and sisters, Ray, Dan, Clara.. to name a few. Can't remember them all.
 
Nope. I've got some family in Florida, but they're pretty recent transplants. I was born in Georgia, but dad's family hails from the New Jersey and New York area.
 
Well there are some Jack rabbits around Dodge, but Garden City is fifty miles west and usually out there you run into Jackalopes.
 
A buddy of mine shot one of the cottontails last year and they ate good ( we are from La. however). I have never seen as many rabbits as we saw. The week before Christmas last year had 10 inches of snow and there were 2 or 3 rabbits in every bush it seemed. The only thing stopping me from shooting them is that I don't want my 1st year pup to get the wrong idea as to what she is after up there .
 
Cuda,

I'm heading for the eagle meet too. I'm from Pennsylvania and bringing my Harris for rabbits and my setter and shotgun for pheasants. Never been to Kansas before and i am looking forward to a great week.
 
cuda67bnl said:
Nothing wrong with jackalopes. Know any likely places to hunt in Dodge?
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I would like to see your bird hunt and would have some places, but I better wait on making any commitments until I see if my wife will be having surgery. Check with me on the 12th.
 
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