Spring Rabbit Hunting in Christmas Valley

Courtesy of ODFW

(CHRISTMAS VALLEY, Ore) — Every spring in March, I head east to hunt jackrabbits in the area around Christmas Valley and Hampton. That’s about a 4 hour ride from Salem, either straight east on Highway 20 to Hampton or south out of Bend on Hwy 97 and then head east on Hwy 31 just south of La Pine. This region of high desert sage and juniper is home to many a skittish bunny.

For me this is a shotgun sport. I know people who will try it with a .22, but I’m much happier pounding the brush and jump shooting. It looks something like this. Line out your shooters 20-30 feet apart, depending on how thick the vegetation is. Depending on how much ground you intend to cover, having a GPS may come in handy to find your vehicle when you’re done (voice of experience). Walk slowly in one direction, keeping an eye out to make sure that the line stays straight, for obvious safety reasons. Rabbits have two primary tricks to avoid predation. Their first is to hold very still even when a predator gets extremely close. This works some of the time, however, once they think the gig is up, they take off at a surprising pace. This will test even the best shotgun shooter. Be prepared for them to jump out almost at your feet at times.

Although these critters have lived in the desert for a long time, many of them have acquired the taste for alfalfa and other farm grown crops. According to Craig Foster, ODFW Wildlife Biologist for Lake County, this has produced very strong and concentrated populations around these farming communities. Rabbits become more active in the spring, as new growth starts to appear and their breeding season begins. They will produce multiple litters in a year, with the first arriving around mid-May. This produces year round hunting opportunities.

In talking to one Christmas Valley resident this year, I learned that the rabbits have done so much damage that the outer rows of some pivots (circular fields growing alfalfa and other crops) were eaten all the way to the ground. This situation can make farmers more than willing to allow hunters on their land to shoot rabbits.

This privilege comes with conditions, and should not be expected. Hunters should always ask permission before entering private property. Checking with local businesses (restaurant, gas station, etc) for local land owners who might allow private access is a good start. Take time to talk with the landowner, and learn what he wants. Where is he seeing the most rabbits and the most crop damage? Where does he not want you to shoot? Where can you park your vehicles? Treating the owner and his/her property with respect may earn you a return trip, and possibly a contact for many rabbit hunts to come.

Sage rat season is just around the corner as well, and I’m betting that this mild winter will produce a bumper crop of those little alfalfa eating and burrowing machines. Make your local landowner contacts now so that perhaps you can come back to help with their rat populations also. It will soon be time to set down the shotgun and make sure your .22’s and .17’s are sighted in and ready to go!