{"id":3473,"date":"2026-07-04T11:54:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/?p=3473"},"modified":"2026-07-04T11:54:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:54:15","slug":"airguns-and-jackrabbits-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/2026\/07\/airguns-and-jackrabbits-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Airguns and Jackrabbits (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The jackrabbit belongs to the hare family. Its dark buff fur is flecked with black, and it has long, black-tipped ears and a black stripe running from its rump to the top of its tail. The black-tailed jackrabbit spends much of the day resting in a shallow hollow scratched into the ground, often beneath creosote or other desert scrub. Although it may be seen at any time, it is usually most active from dusk through the night. Jackrabbits are herbivores, feeding on grasses and other greenery. In fall and winter, they rely on mesquite and other woody or dried vegetation, and in especially dry years they may also eat cactus.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-3473 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/2026\/07\/airguns-and-jackrabbits-part-1\/img_7135\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7135-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-3476\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7135-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7135-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7135-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7135-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7135-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-3476'>\n\t\t\t\tJacks will often hold tight until the last minute\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/2026\/07\/airguns-and-jackrabbits-part-1\/img_7229\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7229-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-3475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7229-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7229-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7229-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7229-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7229-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-3475'>\n\t\t\t\tEars up and alert, they can hear a small twig being stepped on\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/2026\/07\/airguns-and-jackrabbits-part-1\/img_7189\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7189-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-3474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7189-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7189-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7189-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7189-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_7189-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-3474'>\n\t\t\t\tA JR might quietly slip around behind you and move off\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Jackrabbits are quite wary and alert to their surroundings, keeping a lookout for coyotes, bobcats, and any other predators large enough to take this big rabbit down. They rely on their speed to elude predators, and when running, they flash the white underside of their tail, alerting other jackrabbits in the area. I have spooked a rabbit, and as he ran off, other jacks started taking off in all directions. In my experience, an adult Jack will let you get to within 20 \u2013 30 yards if you move quietly and in a non-threatening way. I believe these rabbits feel so secure with both their camouflage and ability to outrun danger when they need to, that they will hold until they feel extremely threatened. In the desert, I like to hunt these large hares in the heat of the day, as they tend to hold longer before they bolt. Jackrabbits are very fast and can hit thirty-five miles an hour, jumping over gullies, bushes, and almost anything that gets in their way.<\/p>\n<p>Black-tailed jackrabbits breed year-round and produce one to four litters annually, with as many as eight young in each litter. The young are born alert and active, and within a month they can fend for themselves. I have seen young jackrabbits stay so still in cover that I could step right past them.<\/p>\n<p>Jackrabbits inhabit brushlands, prairies, and deserts across much of the western United States. They favor open or semi-open terrain with plenty of room to run and are common in Southern and Central California, Nevada, Arizona, southeastern Idaho, and western Texas. They are often found in livestock-grazed pastures, where visibility is high and predators can be spotted early. Although they generally avoid dense brush, I have seen a wary old jack slip through thick cover like a whitetail deer evading a hunter.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3477\" style=\"width: 335px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/972770-R1-16.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3477\" class=\"wp-image-3477\" src=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/972770-R1-16-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/972770-R1-16-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/972770-R1-16-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/972770-R1-16.jpg 1147w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 325px) 100vw, 325px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3477\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I hunted jacks in the Mojave Desert for many years with a .177 break-barreled springer. This trip, I was using the Beeman C1 .177<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I presently live in the Midwest and usually hunt cottontails now, but for years I lived in Southern California and hunted black-tailed jackrabbits almost exclusively in the Mojave Desert and the Northern slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains. Back in the day, I hunted them in Orange groves along the coastal area of California, but found it hard to consistently get within airgun range in this terrain.\u00a0 I have also hunted them in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Utah, and New Mexico with many different air rifles, primarily with PCPs in recent years, but have taken a fair share with my springers as well.<\/p>\n<p>The jackrabbit is one of my favorite airgun game species because it is large, wary, and fast. I hunt them much like big game, using binoculars to glass, spot, and stalk before taking a shot. My usual approach is to move slowly through broad desert washes, scanning the low hillsides for a rabbit bedded in a shallow depression. If there is enough cover at the base of the hill, I ease in to about 40 or 50 yards, moving in short intervals and pausing often. I avoid a direct approach because, in my experience, jackrabbits quickly recognize it as a threat and run sooner. When possible, I prefer to shoot from a sitting position, though it has two drawbacks: from ground level, a clear shooting lane can be difficult unless I am above the rabbit on a hillside, and after sitting on cholla cactus or yucca a few times, I have learned to choose my seat carefully.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re running out of time and space for this weeks post, but I\u2019ll pick it back up next week. See you then!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The jackrabbit belongs to the hare family. Its dark buff fur is flecked with black, and it has long, black-tipped ears and a black stripe running from its rump to the top of its tail. The black-tailed jackrabbit spends much of the day resting in a shallow hollow scratched into the ground, often beneath creosote &hellip; <a class=\"read-excerpt\" href=\"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/2026\/07\/airguns-and-jackrabbits-part-1\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3473"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3478,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3473\/revisions\/3478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}