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Legend of the Jack alojië Douglas, Wyo. Doug said, ' Let' s mount it ist industry have never the world. On display in the way it is,'" Herrick been very popular, like Herrick's taxidermy shop WHILE thousands of said. canned jackalope milk, but was an animal he called the hunters roam the Herrick sold more than 165 Wyoming catfish, made West this year in search of Since that time, Her trophies at up to $ 35 each from the tail of a fish and big game, few, if any, are rick' s jackalope trophy last year, and he has al- the front of a cat. lucky enough to catch the business has continued to legendary jackalope, an an- ' grow. " Lately, I can't make ready sold more than that g y p this year. I could sell more of imal with a jackrabbit's ' em fast enough," he said. these if I could get more body and the antlers of a Tourists who purchase, cats," he said. The Douglas Chamber of a deer. jackalope permits are sur- Commerce issues thou- prised to learn they may Two of the favorite Although Big Foot, the sands of jackalope hunting only hunt the creatures" on sports of Douglas residents Loch Ness Monster, and licenses every year to tour- are convincing gullible the 31st day of June, be tourists that the jackalope other creatures of disputed and signs on the high- < 1 tween the hours of 12 mid existence have gained more way near here tell motor- does exist and reinforcing scientific attention, resi- fists to " watch out for the night and 2 a.m." the beliefs of those who dents of this small eastern jackalope." F . already think the horned Wyoming community z Herrick said he does not rabbit is real. Although the creature's know how many of the thought enough of the jack- s< alope to erect an eight-foot fame has spread through- legends surrounding the A California man — " he out the West, Herrick and a f. jackalope began, such as was wearing a Hell's Angels statue of it in the middle of a > South Dakota company are jacket" — told Herrick he town. yr> the one about the crea- only two concerns now tune' s extraordinary ability wanted to catch some jack- There are some persons producing jackalopes. Her- P to imitate the human voice, aloes and start a breeding in Douglas who will insist rick's brother stopped mak- s r or the story that said the farm. that the jackalope does, lug them more than 25 x first man to see the jacka- indeed, exist. But Ralph years ago. Gift shops in lope " was a trapper named Herrick recalled: " I told Herrick, a taxidermist here, town do a brisk business Roy Ball in 1829." him that they shed their admits, somewhat reluc- selling jackalope postcards antlers that time of year, tautly, that his brother, and other novelty items. Actually, the original and you can only hunt Doug, and he created the JACKA LOPE jackalope was sold 43 years them during the winter. Doug, an in he created The jackalope was the STATUE ago to the late Ball, who put Luckily, he hasn't been main attraction here until it on display in his La Bonte back." One evening when they discoveries of vast deposits Hotel here. This jackalope were late for dinner, they of uranium, coal, oil and was stolen from the hotel in Herrick said," People get placed a recently killed rab- natural gas more than dou found prosperity, as per- September and the culprit real mad if you tell them bit beside a pair of antlers bled the town' s population sons from around the coun- remains at large. there's no such thing as a on the floor of the taxider- to 7500 in the last three try began to hear about the jackalope. They take it very my shop. years. Herrick said his buss Iackalo Still, the jackalope is not seriously. And why make ness has grown independ- the only unusual creature people mad?" When we came back, ently of the town's new- Some parts of this tour- indigenous to this part of New York Times