The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-12-23
A ROUNDUP OF RABBITS
RANCHERS TRY TO
EXTERNIINATE THE JACKS.
In n Drive in a Single County $500
Men Took Part, and Killed
10000 Cotton Tails.

10000 Cotton Tails.
The jack rabbit, which swarms
over certain regions and is so dan
gerous an enemy to civilization that
the people of district are some
times obliged to call upon the out
side world to help exterminate it..
confronts California ranchers. Around
the desert town of Lancaster, in the
Antelope valley, between Mojave
and Los Angeles, farmers have found
it almost impossible to settle ND the
country, because what they grew was
eaten by the hares that roamed about
in thousands. This year they became
such a menace that the farmers
Joined interests, and asked for as
sisstance. Advertisements were in
serted in the papers of surrounding
cities asking people to come there
October 18th, when roundup
would be carried out.
The day was a great one for Lam
caster. At a certain location a cor
raj was built with wide wings that
spread out to right and left for a
long distance. The object was to
form long lines, covering miles of
country, and to drive the hares be-
tween them. On the arrival of the
traln the hunters assembled, formed
IN great diverging lines, and grad
ually moved along to a regular sys-
TEN, driving the jacks before them.
Some men were armed with shot
guns, which they fired to frighten
the game, and it was not long before
hundreds of jacks were darting
about. But they were always met
by shouts and yells and forced to
run in general direction, the hunt
erS, mounted, on foot and in wag-
ons, being near enough to prevent
any number breaking away. Jacks
seemed to start up from every bush
and every cactus group. They often
lay low until the men were directly
upon them, when they shot away
Ike an arrow out of a bow. AS time
passed it was estimated that 5000
hares were in sight But it was not
until the end of the run that the full
extent of the haul was manifest. The
gray soil seemed to have changed to
brown, white and black spots, and
to be moving.
1t was question of the life of
the jacks or the farmers, and the an
imals were to be exterminated. if
possible. The crowd closed in with
a rush, and the herd of Jacks, s.
600 or 5000 in number, were run
into the small corral, where they
were killed by several hundred men
with clubs. 1t did not take long.
Hundreds were packed and sent to
the city markets, and everyone who
wished it, within a radius of so or
100 miles, had hare for all meals.
Another drive will take place in the
winter, around Christmas. and it is
hoped eventually to rid the valley
OF TINS menace. In such valleys as
San Gabriel these animals are easily
Kept down by grayhounds. All the
large vineyards keep the hounds to
run the jacks out of the country.
what a menace the jack is to the
west is not appreciated by eastern
people. They have few enemies
Coyotes can run them down. but
coyotes are inadequate, and no com
munity could afford to shoot lacks
IN vast numbers. When farmers set
tie up new country the jacks are
attracted, and it is a fight to the fin
lsh. At Tulare, Cal, the Jacks de-
Voured crops to the amount of more
than 100000, despite the drives.
Their numbers in many cases are
DeYond computation. Twenty-Five
thousand were killed in Modoc coun-
ty within 10 square miles, and this
was but a fraction of those left. IT
is estimated that 20 years ago there
were 20,000,000 jack rabbits in the
San Joaquin valley Near bakersfield
mile OF country produced 1.2OO:
a second drive over the same field
produced 700, week later 200 more
were killed, and finally 5000. Since
1888 100000 hares have been killed
IN the immediate vicinity of Bakers
field. In drive at Fresno 20. 900
Jacks were killed, and $500 men
took part.
Five jack rabbits are equal, so far
as consuming power is concerned, to
one sheep.