Where did all these dang jackrabbits come from? Just a few months ago, I’d be surprised if I saw one a week while I was coming up my driveway or out in the pasture. But now they’re everywhere. They’re even coming up into what passes for a yard on our high plains property.
And that’s the problem. My wife makes me dig about a hundred holes each year so she can plant trees and shrubs she gets from the Conservation District. Then I have to extend the drip irrigation system I devised so it’ll water all those new plants. With all that time invested in getting those things established around the place, it makes me crazy when I see that the rabbits have nibbled them back to bare sticks.
So it’s all-out war on jackrabbits. We had been tossing rounds at coyotes for several years, ever since the neighbor had a trio of ‘yotes kill one of his yearling calves. But now I’ve called a truce with Canus latrans in the hope they’ll help me whittle down the population of jacks.
But even though I’ve been doing my best to snipe the jackrabbits whenever I see them, they’re getting bold. We had one wander right up to the back patio a few days ago. I thought the golden retriever was going to break through the sliding glass door before I could get him corralled so I could take care of that long-eared interloper. But the canine commotion didn’t seem to faze that jack, and he sat there politely while I gathered up the shotgun.
At least I’m reducing the population of the dumb ones. It’s the smart ones that concern me. They stay out in the pasture until late at night, then they sneak in to eat my trees and bushes. I hope those coyotes come back to help out soon.
