Author Topic: LOCAL MAN MISTAKES LARGE JACKALOPE FOR DEER (Read 4356 times)

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by Paul Johnson

LOCAL MAN MISTAKES LARGE JACKALOPE FOR DEER
Caleb Johnson of Brainerd MInnesota had both a regular license and a bonus doe tag for the 2020 rifle season, but little did he know that it would be the addition of a small game option that would pay off this year.
Johnson was sitting in his stand on opening morning when a nice size buck appeared to be hopping through a wooded area. “I could only get an occasional glimpse of him though the underbrush,” Johnson reported, “and I thought that maybe he had been shot by another hunter. It was clearly a buck, so I decided to take the shot when I could.”
It wasn’t until he approached the dead animal that he knew something was amiss. “It was the fluffy tail that caught my attention first,” said Johnson. “Then I noticed the enormous padded feet - no hooves at all. When I came around to the front and saw the face, it was then that I knew I had something special.”
The Jackalope was brought in to the local Department of Natural Resources, and antler testing confirmed that it was indeed a “greater doanbaleevdis jackalopus,” the largest breed of the species. At 181 lbs., Johnson’s is by far the state record, and national databases are still being checked.
“We are going to have a lot of meat in the freezer,” Johnson exclaimed, and hopes to some day be able to invite friends over for stew.