FIRST SNOWSHOE HARE HUNT OF 2011

Following an extremely mild period of winter weather with temperatures reaching the 50’s, this week is back down in the area of 24 degrees and spitting snow again.
Decided to go out snowshoe hare hunting for a couple of hours. This particular time, I left the beagle at home. He is older and hasn’t been out running for awhile so I wanted to get him back walking and exercising a bit more before letting him loose.

(First snowshoe hare of 2011)

I was carrying one of my .22 caliber rifles, scoped with a 2-7 power variable scope. I was just slowly hunting through some cedar swamps looking for sitting hares. The first hare spotted wasn’t exactly sitting still. I had just walked around an uprooted clump of cedars and the snowshoe shot out from under the brush and was in other cover before I could get the scope on him.
I continued hunting with the light snow sifting down around me. I finally found another hare not very far from the first one sighted. This snowshoe I saw sitting under a bush in some pretty thick grass and dead weeds. There were plenty of openings to get a shot and since the hare didn’t seem alarmed by my presence, I decided to try to get it on video. I turned on the video camera and got the shot on camera, sort of. At the distance and because I had to have it on wide angle to minimize shakiness, I got the effect of the shot on camera although you can’t really pick out the snowshoe in the framing. White on white shows very little contrast while filming. But as you can see the approach and my hand picking the hare out of the tangle of brush, I suppose that it is the best I can hope for while trying to film my own hunt.
        I forgot my sling I usually use to carry small game out of the woods. So I improvised by cutting a small stick and rigging it like the photo shows, it is a relatively easy way to carry a rabbit without it continually slipping through your grip. I never like carrying them in a vest or game bag because of warmth from both the animal and your body.

(an easy way to carry small game)

(simple hand grip)

This is the first snowshoe hare of the year, although I did miss a couple earlier in the season. This one is one of last springs young. Not a real heavy one but certainly good and healthy. It will make a great stew or stir-fry meal.
Now I am looking forward to the next snowshoe hunt.