Rabbit hunting is a popular sport in many areas of the country. Cottontails in particular have a very wide range in both the eastern and western parts of the Unites States. The most commonly hunted rabbits are jackrabbits and cottontails. Although jackrabbits are actually hares, most people consider them interchangeable with rabbits, and that is in truth the case. Jackrabbits tend to be leaner and somewhat stringier than cottontails, but both can provide very good eating. With cottontails, the entire muscular portion of the body can be consumed, while with jackrabbits, many people prefer to pull out the loin muscle and the thighs, and to use the rest of the carcass for stewing to create a delicious broth. Jackrabbits make an excellent rabbit pie.
Rabbits can be found in almost any environment. In wooded areas in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, cottontails can be plentiful. They especially like to live in the wooden margins along farming land. Many rabbit hunters hunt with a dog to help them flush out the rabbits. If you are successful in shooting a rabbit with a gun or air gun, you will want to dress the body immediately, or as soon as possible, to preserve the quality of the meat. If you bring along several pair of plastic gloves, this chore can be not only more pleasant, but also safer, because it is possible to contract diseases that some rabbits can carry. You will want to slit open the belly of the rabbit and remove the contents of the belly (the gut sack). Cut around the anal opening to allow removal of the intestine. Cut off all four feet and the head and then skin the rabbit. If you can rinse it at this point, excellent, but if not, you can do that later. Put the carcass in a clean sack or cooled container, or carry it with you and put it in a cooler when you head home.
Jackrabbits can be found in even the scrubbiest of desert areas all over the same areas, but also including most parts of Nevada and Arizona and California. They are taller and faster than cottontails. It is best to just head out across some deserted land and see if you can scare some up. They will usually run as you approach. Their larger size would seem to allow for a better chance of a head shot, but the fact is that they tend to bounce their rear up and down more than cottontails, so the chance of a clean headshot is about the same as with the smaller cottontail.
One of the benefits of rabbit hunting is getting to eat rabbit meat! For an excellent instructional video about how to joint and prepare a rabbit for cooking, see this two-part video. This video is especially helpful if you are preparing a stringy jackrabbit. It also includes easy-to-follow instructions for removing the loin. Following the videos is a link to the Youtube account of the person who created these videos, and you can find several rabbit recipes there, including detailed instructions for making rabbit pie.
Go here for more information, including recipes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8byaFsI0bw
