2009 was our first year with a successful national hunt for sasquatch. This milestone gave us great hopes for the continuing expansion of hunting opportunities to other exotic species previously unhunted. As scope of hunting broadens we plan to introduce proposals to add hunting lotteries for the following game. Some of these animals are non-native to North America so we will work with our international partners to bring these animals to North American or expand our national lottery to a global lottery system.
Platypus
platypus on land
The wily platypus provides challenge to the hardiest sportsman with its deceptive gentle appearance masking its lethal razor-sharp bill. The powerful tail can easily break a grown man's leg if he unknowing wades through platypus-infested shallows.
Night stalking is a prime method for taking platypus. Current projections are to offer a bow-only season in 2022.
Flying Pig
young flying pig
Short-flighted bursts of speed, similar to the pheasant and grouse, these tough-skinned animals require a large shot size for a knock-down. The first shot rarely is enough to kill, so a back-up pistol will be required in the field.
A flying pig season will provide special training opportunities for both pointers and retrievers. Younger pigs will remain completely motionless even as a dog or person steps on its tail, believing themselves to be well-hidden. Mature pigs will attack as often as take flight, making the speed and reflexes of a pointer critical.
South Dakota is spearheading a drive to bring this animal onto the national hunting lottery as soon as possible to offset their flagging pheasant hunts.
Jackalope
6-point jackalope
Native to Wyoming and other far-west plains, the jackalope continues to expand its domain, overrunning prairie dog and rabbit environments. Sightings as far east as Wisconsin and over the Rockies into the Deschutes River area of Oregon have been reported. Obviously in the small game realm, jackalope are becoming a nuisance. A control hunt would be beneficial to ranchers, farmers, and native species.
Once thought extinct, the jackalope have been left undisturbed and unmonitored until the Great Jackalope Stampede of 2015. Resulting in the deaths of 319 head of cattle, Montana ranchers petitioned the state for permission to eradicate the beasts. Having been denied that permission, the range wars of 2015-2016 caused great division across the state. A national hunt for jacakalope would help restore peace and prosperity all across the midwest states.
Much like plinking prairie dogs, taking jackalope with a 22 and strong scope is possible. The meat is a delicacy in Canada so there is a ready resell market in place. Shipping antlers to Asia and furs to Russia means there is very little waste in this game animal. Projections are that each jackalope will fetch $40-$50 on average.
Unicorn
unicorn in winter coat
Unicorns may never be a popular big game animal simply because their meat is such poor quality. The lottery for this animal will be held off for a few years until hunters are used to the newer game being introduced and begin to crave different species again.
The chameleon-like camoflage abilities of unicorn make them extremely difficult to locate. Once found, unlike the pegasus, they are easy to track. Hunters will need to be continually on their guard for a sudden ambush using the sharp horn. A well-camoflaged unicorn can look exactly like a large rock or bush and the unsuspecting hunter will not realize it until it's too late. For this reason, hunting in groups of 2 or more will most likely be a requirement and the lottery will award licenses in pairs.
