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.

TOP TEN GUN SAFETY RULES

While handling a gun or firearm, safety is of top importance. In our state, with the legalization of air guns for hunting, I use the term gun instead of firearm because an air gun should be treated as any other hunting implement in the area of safety concerns.  Most accidents are due to careless and unsafe gun handling within a group of hunters known to each other. So especially while in your hunting group, practice these safety rules without exception.

(even in photo sessions, notice the open action, unloaded  rifle and muzzle directed in safe direction - think safety first)

1. Always be aware of where the muzzle of your gun is directed. Keep the muzzle in a safe direction. Never pass it across the group or an individual within the group.
2. All guns are to be treated as if they are loaded. It doesn’t matter if you are 100% positive it is unloaded. Still treat the gun as if it has a load in the chamber.
3. Unload all guns if not in immediate use. Unload, case and store guns when you are not using them. It is a good idea to leave the action open, thereby giving an immediate visual as to it’s state with just a glance.
 4. While in the field. Regularly check of the condition of your gun barrel. Unload and make sure there is
no obstruction in the barrel, especially following a period when you may have been sitting on the ground or anytime you may have set the gun down on the ground.
5. Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard. Unless you actually plan to shoot at that instant, do not keep your finger any place near the trigger. Do not depend fully on the guns mechanical safety, they have been known to fail. Many have squeezed a trigger without even knowing they were doing so, causing an unsafe discharge of the gun.
6. Know exactly what your target is and what is beyond the target. It is your responsibility to know not only what you are shooting at, but what is around the target and in the path of the bullet. Even if a bullet should pass through the target, as often happens, it may travel some distance before next contact. You must know what is beyond your target and what is in the immediate vicinity.
7. Never point your gun at something you don’t intend to shoot. The scope on your rifle is not for spotting game or identifying objects. Don’t allow any horseplay within your group.
8. Use extreme caution while moving around with a gun, especially a loaded gun in a hunting situation. Do not climb fences or trees, run or jump or do any activity that might compromise the control of where the muzzle is pointed at all times. Picking up a gun, do not pull the muzzle toward yourself, always pick it up by the butt stock with the muzzle facing in a safe direction away from you. Unload the gun before climbing a fence or tree stand or crossing an obstacle.
9. The storage of guns and ammunition is extremely important. Safely store guns in locked cases or cabinets, secure from prying eyes and inquisitive youngsters or those careless adults that might be around. Always store the ammunition away from and separate from the gun to minimize the chance of an accident in case the gun is discovered unattended by one of the above individuals.
10. Drugs and Alcohol do not mix with loaded guns. Never drink before shooting or during shooting. This is a bad mixture. If you are taking certain behavioral medications, you should consider not handling guns or firearms while doing so. These are prescribed medications that have warnings on the package about operation of dangerous equipment.
If you practice these safety rules at all times, you will have many years of safe hunting and shooting, thereby greatly enjoying the experiences you have outdoors in pursuit of game. No game animal is worth the cost of a hunting accident due to careless gun handling. I believe the instruction in this area of safe gun handling is one of the most important successes of the hunter safety training programs. We have seen a decrease many years in hunting accidents, of the younger hunters going afield, by those who have done well in hunter training courses. I was a hunter safety trainer for over a decade and these safety rules were repeatedly drilled into the thinking of the young hunters. Following these rules minimizes any accidents and helps make our shooting sports one of the safest outdoor sports to engage in.

ADIRONDACK BUCK TAKEN IN 2010

This is the first opportunity to get back here in quite a few days. Following our trip to hunting camp last weekend and catching up on jobs needing attention, it has been busy.
     Not many have to travel south to reach deer camp in the Adirondacks, but that is just what we did. My hunting partner, Gary, and I headed out on November 5th for the southern-central part of the Adirondacks. We were going to hunt with the crew at Weaver's Deer Camp in Lake Pleasant, New York.
    We arrived without mishap, which is always good, and settled into camp life for the evening. During the night a slight skiff of snow fell and the temperatures dropped below the freezing mark. This was a good sign for the hunting the next day.

(Adirondack nine-pointer taken 2010)

     We started Saturday out by taking stands early in the morning, along the base of the mountain right behind camp. What a bust! Nothing showed, not a thing was moving. On the second stand, Gary did connect with a nice nine-pointer that, although it was young, had a very impressive rack. As you see it has some nice long tines coming off the main beam and is about 17 inches across. As close as we can figure, it seems to be about a 2 1/2 or 3 year old buck.

(A first Adirondack buck for Gary)

   That was the total success for the day, but that was enough. Quite a hunt. This was Gary's first true Adirondack buck, since he doesn't hunt often in the Adirondack Mt. Park area. We live just out of the blue line north of the park area and much of our hunting is usually woodlots and fields of the agricultural area around us. This area in Lake Pleasant is a real deep woods hunting experience, where you can easily make a wrong turn and end up miles from where you planned to be. Compass and map reading is a must before you venture forth.
   Still a number of weeks of deer hunting to go, plus a trip down to Pennsylvania for their opener at the end of the month.

PRACTICE RIFLE SHOOTING

         I was out shooting my rifle, in anticipation of the upcoming deer season, the other day and realized just how enjoyable time spent at the range can be. This is something I have always had a hard time getting my mind around; Why hunters are reluctant or find it a drudgery to spend time shooting their hunting rifle.

(one type of deer rifle in 30-06 cal. that is a pleasure to shoot)

  Certainly, in today’s economy, the price of ammunition has risen sharply. Even if you reload, you have felt the crunch of the dollar at the bench. But I think many riflemen have found the secret that bow hunters have known for a long time. That is, it is better to shoot a few arrows each day than try shooting dozens of arrows all at one time. So it is with rifle shooting. I know that for many this means extra work, and travel to and from the range, but it is better to shoot a few shots more often than try to shoot a box or two of shells all at once. As one TV outdoor show host ends his segment with the admonition “… shoot more often!” This is excellent advice for each of us.
I believe this was brought home to me at a very early age. I grew up in the home of a gunsmith, who was also the son of a gunsmith. There was always a flurry of activity, just before deer hunting season opened, where many of the local hunters would bring their firearms to my father and want them sighted in for the upcoming season. During a particularly active year you would often hear Dad say something like, “I really don’t know why all these guys don’t shoot their own rifles! That is part of the fun of getting ready for season.” But he would pack up three or four of the rifles and we would head for the shooting range.
Once we reached the shooting range, which was a large gravel pit on our neighbors farm, where my Dad was the only one with permission to shoot and thus build a shooting bench on the property, he would set me up with one of the rifles and say, “Get that one on paper and then I’ll be over to fine tune it.” I got introduced to some very fine rifles and scopes during my teen years. Rugers, Remingtons, Winchesters, Savages, and custom made rifles, all kinds came through his shop and most were of that pre-64 vintage. I often wondered what the customer would say if he knew that, at least partially, a young teenager sighted in their expensive rifle.
Out of that I learned to enjoy the time spent at the shooting bench. There is a sense of purpose but also a sense of otherworldliness. In a reverse type of way, you are connecting with something that is 50, 100 or 200 yards distance. Shooting sports have always held a certain mystique for some. The ability to control the projectile that connects with a distant object or target has a certain headiness to it. To date, I believe my longest shot has been just over 800 yards at a two quart milk jug. I hit it, slightly off-center, on my fourth shot shooting a customized bench gun. Obviously, I would never condone the shooting at game at such distance, it is strictly for the target experience.
Even though deer season has already started here in my part of the state, I will be heading back to the shooting range during season just to check on scope alignment and my own form from time to time. Besides it is so much fun!