JACKALOPE
By Billy Norman
A Jackalope was a cross between a small antelope and a large jackrabbit. They are now believed to be extinct. When I was 16 years old I got to see one. I was working on the Crago Ranch, West of Belle Fourche, SD, over in Wyoming, near Colony, Wyo. I was working for $8.00 per day. We started at daylight and worked till 6 or 7 in the evenings.
Most people, even ranchers spend their whole life and never see a Jackalope. Cliff Crago and I were riding horses and rounding up some cows and out jumped a Jackalope. We took out our ropes and holy cow, Cliff roped the Jackalope by the horns. I went for his legs and damn if I didn't make the catch. Not a legal catch though, I only caught one leg. We just notched its ear and turned it loose. We should have branded it but we didn't have a branding iron with us. Found out later we could have made a lot of money by selling the Jackalope, especially since it was a live one. Oh well, we would just keep the next one. I'm 63 years old now and I have never seen one since. I didn't realize at the time how extremely rare a Jackalope was.
I heard recently that Big Foot was sighted out near Colony, WY.