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Thread: Cottontail hunting in Southern Nevada

  1. #1

    Cottontail hunting in Southern Nevada

    What's not to like about rabbit-busting in the desert? "HIking with a shotgun", my buddy Jay calls it; a good workout for legs and lungs, and a good test of skill when a desert cottontail suddenly flushes. Plus, they are absolutely delicious grilled over campfire embers, especially after being marinated overnight in white wine, olive oil, fresh garden herbs, garlic and fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
    My favorite area is in some granite hills not a million miles away from the California state line, where abandoned gold mines and puma poop dot the landscape. High-clearance is needed on the dirt access roads going into the Lake Mead NRA, and off-trail it's rare to find another human footprint or spent shotgun shell. Jay's Brittany pup, Ranger, is still learning the ropes - more flushing than retrieving - but dogs are not absolutely necessary for this kind of upland game hunt.
    Best time to start is at dawn; once the sun hits, the bunnies warm up and start hopping about. These critters favor creosote and catclaw-forested washes, making their homes among the roots. Once one of them darts out in from of you, you may only have two seconds to draw a bead on him and knock him over before he disappears out of range, or out of sight. I use a 12-gauge with 8 shot, and make sure I've brushed up on traps at the range the week before; these rabbits are harder to hit than pheasants or jacks.
    A word on the latter. Jackrabbits are also plentiful here, but I rarely shoot them as they are bigger, slower and easier targets, and not as tasty as cottontails (darker meat with a slight liver flavor, best slow-cooked in a crockpot with some chipotle and then paired with a robust Syrah or Zinfandel). Desert cottontails are a great test, and taste great!
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  4. #2
    Is your dog a spaniel?
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  5. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Chivas View Post
    Plus, they are absolutely delicious grilled over campfire embers, especially after being marinated overnight in white wine, olive oil, fresh garden herbs, garlic and fresh-squeezed lemon juice......... Jackrabbits are also plentiful here, but I rarely shoot them as they are bigger, slower and easier targets, and not as tasty as cottontails (darker meat with a slight liver flavor, best slow-cooked in a crockpot with some chipotle and then paired with a robust Syrah or Zinfandel). Desert cottontails are a great test, and taste great!


    OK, I realize this might sound like a completely retarded question, but I was always told eating desert rabbits is a bad idea because they carry disease. What's your take on this? Obviously you're still alive, but I dunno....you feelin OK?
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  6. #4
    My friend's dog in the pictures - a Brittany spaniel. Very energetic & handsome! I have golden retrievers.

  7. #5
    Parasites, worms, spots on liver, etc. should be pretty easy to spot. From my conversations with other bunny enthusiasts, it's the jacks which tend to carry those. However, I'd always examine it closely (like any fresh meat or fish).

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  9. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by rockgremlin View Post
    OK, I realize this might sound like a completely retarded question, but I was always told eating desert rabbits is a bad idea because they carry disease. What's your take on this? Obviously you're still alive, but I dunno....you feelin OK?
    Jack Rabbit's carry a disease called Tularemia (rabbit fever), which is why we don't eat them. The interesting thing is once you have been infected with Tularemia is if you happen to live through it you become Immune to the disease. My great-grandpa contracted Tularemia and lived and after that he eat jackrabbit all the time. It's also why I happen to know something about Tularemia.

    Cottontails don't carry Tularemia and are good eating.

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  11. #7
    this from another forum.

    "There is definitely some bias given the relative consumption of cottontail to jackrabbit. That would likely be seen in the CDC reports that highlight the midwest as tularemia hotspot infections in humans.

    But I believe I've also read that jackrabbits aren't as common a reservior for the cause of tularemia, ie Francisella tularensis. I could understand how that might be the case ecologically (for example, rabbits burrow so they might have more exposure to contaminated soils, etc) but I'm not as confident on that claim and didn't save all of my resources on the issue."

    "Midwest a tularemia hotspot:
    1) My take on that it's common for hunters in the Midwest to consume rabbit liver, whereas hunters here never heard of such a thing.
    2) Historically upland game hunters in the Midwest didn't wear gloves when cleaning rabbits. Today more and more Midwest small game hunters are wearing surgical gloves resultant from increased exposure to Whitetail Deer diseases and the endless stream of internet threads claiming you'll die if you clean a wild rabbit bare-handed. "

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  13. #8
    Love that area. I do a lot of bunny and quail hunting out near Searchlight. I leave the jacks alone but will shoot a cottontail in a heartbeat and throw it in the slow cooker. One jack that we shot was literally 'shimmering' as the fleas moved around on it but I've never seen a cottontail like that.

    I've been looking at getting a Brittany to help with the quail hunting.
    beefcake. BEEFCAKE!

  14. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by nelsonccc View Post
    One jack that we shot was literally 'shimmering' as the fleas moved around on it...

    Ugh, sounds like you did it a favor!!
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

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