It was a strange season for weather patterns and rabbits transitioning from fall to winter coats, but a lot of challenging hunting!
Over the last few years, snowshoe hare has become my favorite deep winter hunts. These beautiful rabbits are fun to hunt regardless of the cover, but deep snow after they’ve transitioned to their winter coats of white with a little fringe of black around their ears is the best! It also doesn’t hurt that they are very good table fare.
Things started out with warmer than usual weather and a late snow that was light and melted off a few times before it finally stuck. On my first hunts there was no snow cover, and initially the rabbits were still brown, and for the next couple outings they were mottled. As a matter of fact, I found it interesting that on one trip I saw brown, mottled, and white coats at the same time. I’ve only been hunting these rabbits up North for 4-5 years, and maybe someone with lifetime experience will correct me, but I think it is uncommon to see this range of transitioning fur simultaneously.
The Hunts
I hunted public land exclusively, and besides a local friend giving me locations, I did a fair bit of scouting. I started squirrel hunting several weeks earlier than rabbits and used these trips to scout for snowshoe honey holes at the same time. The snowshoe hare population is healthy in the region I hunt, but they seem to be much more concentrated than most other types of rabbits I hunt in other regions. In an expanse of hundreds of acres of woods, much of it second growth forestry land, you can hike and hike without seeing signs of rabbit but then stumble into an area where tracks and spoor are everywhere.
This year once again, before the snow got too deep, I used my fat tire e-bike to cover large areas of logging roads. I could pack extra gear and get a lot further back into more remote areas this was way. If readers are interested, I can discuss how I set my e-bike up as a hunting vehicle in a future blog post.
I shot quite a few hares this year, in about a dozen trips I shot a hare or two on most trips, though I struck out twice and had one day I got close to double digits. But I think a brace of snowshoes on a trip is a good day. I also mixed squirrel hunts and rabbit hunts spending the early morning around daybreak after squirrels, the jet-black color phase is common here and then hunted hare in the afternoon up until dusk. Before the temperature started dipping below freezing, I’d sleep in the back of the Bronco and hunt a day or two, then when it became too cold, I’d book one of the motels used by ice fishermen, hunters, and snow mobiler’s and do it in real comfort. Nice to get back for a steak dinner and a warm bed after tromping through snow all day.
I’m writing this towards the end of February and still planning to hit the woods a couple more times before the snow starts melting. Squirrel season is over at the end of February, but the snowshoe season is open year-round. However it has been my experience that once spring rolls around and the vegetation comes back, you’d be hard pressed to find a rabbit even if you were standing right next to one.
The guns I used this year varied, I carried the BRK Ghost, Brocock Commander, and Compatto on most of my trips, but there were others. The main thing is that I prefer a .25 or .30 but also use .22 in some guns and the caliber works fine. I require a lightweight comfortable carry, smooth cycling, and a good offhand shooter as 90% of my shots were either offhand or leaning against a tree. Power is good, but more importantly laser accuracy is required as these animals tuck into heavy brush, and you need to thread your shots through thickets and dense branches that provide limited shooting lanes.
What’s Coming Up Next?
I’ve got some spring season hunts for squirrels in a couple states I want to try this year, but I’ll shift gear and go after prairie dogs and ground hogs as it warms up…… and may be some pest birds up until turkey season kicks off. I will try Texas for some rabbit hunting but find that when it starts getting hot things shut down. I’m also going to look for some airgun competitions to shoot over the summer, I had an absolute blast at EBR last year…..but need a lot of practice!
