SMALL GAME HUNTING SEASON WINDING DOWN

Got a break in the lousy weather of the past few weeks, just before this last storm hit. I took time to get out hunting the snowshoe hare.
This is always fun and even though I only had a couple of hours, I thought the dog would like the exercise. We went just across the road into a cedar-evergreen swampy area that usually holds a number of snowshoes.

(a snowshoe sitting )


I had seen the trail of a fisher going back and forth across the road, into the swamp a couple of times on my walks. I was wondering if there would be any snowshoes left in there, but shouldn’t have worried. There was plenty of sign and as the hunt progressed, a number sighted.
It didn’t take but ten minutes before my beagle jumped the first snowshoe. He started running and I could tell he was on the usual trail that would take him right past a funnel of thick stuff on the other side of the swamp. I hightailed it for that corner and sure enough, after a few minutes, got a glimpse of the hare streaking through the downfalls. I never got a chance to shoot.


(snowshoe taken on previous hunt)


I saw two more hare during that hunt, one in front of a strange beagle that showed up and then I found his hunter not long after. I was on my way out anyway, so I wasn’t upset that they might spoil my hunt this day.
I finally collected my beagle and headed home with no heavy load of snowshoes to carry, but there was the pleasant time listening to the beagle music and seeing a number of the hares.
It started raining soon after I hooked up the beagle to head out and I was a bit damp by the time I got back home. But I was content and happy with the hunt.

Only a couple weeks left of rabbit hunting.

SPRING SPORTSMAN SHOWS

My apologies for so long between posts. I have been doing some preparations for these two spring shows, plus getting ready for some of our spring openers.
There are a few sportsman shows coming up this spring. I am doing seminars on small game hunting at two of them. The first is this weekend at Altona, New York.


(A small show display at one sportsman show)

 I will be speaking on “The Forgotten Art of Small Game Hunting”. This deals pretty much with hunting the snowshoe hare, but I also touch on a couple of other species as well. There is a photograph presentation with the speaking. These are outdoor and nature photos that I have taken dealing with small game and big game animals and hunting.
I will be presenting the seminar on Saturday, March 12^th at 11:30a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and then again on Sunday afternoon, March 13^th from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30p.m. The entrance to this show is only $4.00 and there is much to see at this show. You can check out the show site at: www.altonashows.com


(another look at a display)

The Adirondack Sportsman show is the next weekend of March 19^th in Schroon Lake area. I will be doing the same seminar, on small game hunting, twice during the course of the afternoon. You can see the information on this show at their site: www.SportsmensDinner.com.


(sights you might see at a larger area show)

I hope you take the time to get to these shows or one of the many others in the area. They are great times to see some of the new things coming out in the outdoor sports and a time to swap a few tall tales with other sportsman.

MID-WINTER ACTIVITIES





(Nice perch from last years outings)



I have lost about two and a half to three weeks of this winter with sicknesses. Started out with a stomach bug and then moved onto a winter cold and then back to some stomach ailment. Not a way to start a new year. But with the severe temperatures and now today a major storm in the area, I probably haven’t missed a whole lot. Have been talking with a number of ice fishermen and they are reporting some good catches of fish this winter. Perch, as always, are being cooperative. Some have been catching nice numbers and sizes of lake trout as well. Pike are always available.

Ice conditions are good since we had so much cold, subzero weather. No matter what, you do need to always be aware of ice safety when going out on the lake or river ice. Under ice currents and springs here in our mountain areas can make for some local spots of thin, dangerous ice. Be smart about where you travel on the ice. One of the best ice fishing safety tips is to always fish with a buddy system. Besides, a fishing buddy makes for a more enjoyable outing.



(Some of our youth on an ice fishing trip on Chazy Lake)

 We are at the point where you are going to want a gas powered auger to get through the ice. Hand cranking through 20 or more inches of ice is good exercise but it slows down the fishing time tremendously. A light tipped rod with small jigs are needed for perch. A couple of maggots or wax worms on the jig will entice the perch a bit more and we often use perch eyes once we start catching perch. New York now has a statewide creel limit of 50 perch per day. That is just about enough fish to fillet, especially if they are in that 6-8 inch range. It gets a bit tedious when that small. Jumbo perch aren’t so bad, since you get a nice fillet when you are finished.



(Eight inch perch in a ten inch hole)

 Friday night perch fry dinners are very popular around our area at this time of year. It is not surprising since they are so delicious. One of the sweetest fish meals you will ever have (of course it is a matter of opinion as everyone knows). Hope you get out and spend some time on the ice this winter.
Another area I have been involved in, is preparing for a number of sportsman shows that I will be giving seminars at this spring. The first show will be the Altona show, right here in my own home area. That is in March. I then head down to Schroon Lake, NY for a show later in March. Both of these shows I will be speaking on small game hunting, in particular, hunting the snowshoe hare. Later into the summer months I will be speaking at a weekend men’s retreat in West Chazy, NY in June of this year. These five speaking times will deal with fishing, hunting, hiking and general outdoor activities. The is through a Christian camping association. I will post more information on these as we get closer to their dates.

A SHORT NEW HAMPSHIRE HIKE WITH GRANDKIDS

     Traveled over to New Hampshire to visit our daughter and her family. While there we took a short, snowy hike on a very cold, brisk day. I doubt that we covered more than about three quarters of a mile in distance, but we did have a very good time.
    The three boys enjoyed the snow, even though everyone did not get their choice of trails to follow. They have been hit hard with a number of snow storms this winter and actually have more snow in southern New Hampshire than we have here in northern New York. I almost wished I had thrown all my snowshoes in the car for the trip. Not that snowshoes were actually needed but the boys could have had more fun tramping around on them.

(exploring snow covered rocks along the trail)

     Saw some interesting sights along the hike. One man was out walking his two dogs, one a purebred red husky and the other was mixed breed. Beautiful animals and well mannered.
   It was a pleasant hike though short in duration because of the cold. Took a number of photographs. Despite the cold weather of late, make sure you get out and enjoy the winter months.

SNOWSHOE HARES AND HOUNDS

Deep in boreal forests, you can often hear the baying of hounds on any given winter weekend. The beaglers are out with anywhere from one, two or more beagles chasing the snowshoe hare. This is an exciting way to hunt the snowshoe.

(15 inch beagle at work)

Snowshoe hares seem to float across the surface of the snow at times. They have even been referred to as the Ghosts of the North Country, white rabbits and a number of other names. They have large feet with long hairs between the toes that gives them a buoyancy on many types of snow cover, whether soft and fluffy or heavy and wet.

At first glance you might think the diminutive beagle, it’s short legs and long ears, is not cut out for such speedsters as the snowshoe hare. But the beagle is, whether 13 inch or 15 inch, just about the right size to chase these hares through cedar, balsam or tag alder swamps. Hand in hand with their trailing ability, they also have some of the sweetest singing voices in the woods. There is no greater pleasure than listening to beagles on the trail of a snowshoe.

(Two rabbit dogs, one mixed breed and one purebred)

Over the years, I have had a couple of beagles, some mixed breed and some purebred. I never noticed a big difference in performance, although I am sure many houndmen would differ on that count. Let’s face it, I use the family pet to hunt with, while the beaglers are into a bit of a profit margin when it comes to hounds. It is quite difficult to sell mixed breed hounds, but purebred beagles from good lines can help pay some of the bills for your own pack of beagles.
Presently I am running a 15 inch male beagle that I got during a low cycle of the snowshoe hare population. He had a hard time learning to figure out those hares the first couple of years, but seems to be doing quite well now. If the hunter with him could either be at the right place at the right time or shoot a little straighter, we would probably come home with more game in the bag.
The keeping of beagles is not for everyone. They are a higher energy dog and need attention or they tend to get into mischief. But if you have a beagle or know someone with a hunting beagle, go out and try chasing the snowshoe hare. I am sure that you will be enchanted by the hound music and hooked on the chase from that time on.

(two purebred beagles, one 13 inch and one 15 inch)

On my first outing this season, my beagle hit a fresh track and I headed for an inside corner of the cedar swamp where I knew they often crossed. Standing there under a large evergreen, I listened to the progress of the chase as the beagle howled out his song on the trail. Suddenly I looked to my right and the snowshoe hare was just hopping out of a thicket just about ten yards away. I swung up the shotgun and promptly missed the shot as the hare zig-zagged through the brush. That is one that lived for another day.

(Mixed breed pup with her first snowshoe hare)

Not all my hunts end on such a low note. I usually do quite well in the shooting department and often have a couple of snowshoes for the pot. But that particular hunt I went home without game. Such is the way of hunting snowshoes with beagles.

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.

2010 HUNTING SEASON CLOSES

     Since I have been traveling a lot and had a couple bouts with not feeling well, I haven't been able to write for a while.
    We finished up the 2010 hunting season with some mixed results. Overall, I count it as successful but it certainly could have been a lot better.

(some of the deer tagged this year in 2010 hunting seasons
my doe for the freezer with muzzleloader)

(Ramona's first)

(Gary's nice Adirondack buck)

    Each one of my hunting partners this year, tagged at least one deer for the freezer or for the wall. As shown earlier, my daughter took her first deer with the muzzleloader. I also took a flathead with the muzzle loader and my son took a doe during the Pennsylvania antlerless season. Gary took a nice nine-point buck in the southern region of the Adirondacks during the first weekend of November, and it was a beautiful deer.
   So each of us put venison in the freezer but that is about all that can be said. I hunted two days in Pennsylvania and never saw a single deer. This is very unusual in that I usually see about 15 to 20 deer each day of hunting. I also did not see the number of hunters as I usually do. I think the lack of hunters had direct impact on the sighting of deer.
   I hope your hunting season was a bit more successful. We are already planning ahead for next year. We'll have to wait and see what that brings.