Snowshoe Hare Hunting - Some Learnings

[ey212]

I struggled a lot with rabbit hunting in general last winter.

This winter, I have been a bit luckier in hunting them. Harvested four of them so far!

Not every outing has been successful though. Since my first snowshoe hare harvest, I have gone out many times in different terrains and weathers looking for them.

I have had the most success in dense woods, after snow.

I find snow to truly be my best friend for snowshoe hare hunting, because fresh snow means any tracks I see are also fresh, leading to active areas, where my chances of seeing one increases dramatically.

I go out after snow, look for tracks, follow them until I either see a rabbit, or come across a rabbit activity-heavy area - by then, I start wandering around.

I also find it super useful to crouch down and look from a lower level of view. They can be tricky to spot if you are standing up, because rabbits are very good at finding cover for overhead threats. So be a leveled threat instead :P

Also, I got a pretty decent action camera over the holidays, and captured my last harvest on video. It shows my learnings above pretty well too. Feel free to drop me a comment!

Here's my rabbit hunting video --> https://youtu.be/Jv21Zbm5V4k

[CBintheNorth]

Looks like fun.
I've snared them before, but didn't like eating them so that ended that.
But hunting them would be great for something to do with the kids in the winter.
I see the vast majority of snow shoes in tamaracks. Something to keep in mind..

[ey212]

Thanks for the tip!!

[Reeves1]

Originally Posted by CBintheNorth

Looks like fun.
I've snared them before, but didn't like eating them so that ended that.
But hunting them would be great for something to do with the kids in the winter.
I see the vast majority of snow shoes in tamaracks. Something to keep in mind..

I've seen most around Willow & Poplars.

Some times I'll fall a Poplar or two in areas with sign. Wait a few days for path ways to develope & set snares.

[Mb-MBR]

My dad taught us as kids to look for a black round eye that looked out of place and not the whole rabbit. We had poplars and willows where we grew up and they were plentiful back in the day....

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Mb-MBR

My dad taught us as kids to look for a black round eye that looked out of place and not the whole rabbit.

That's exactly how I would look for them when I was younger as well.

[3blade]

Originally Posted by CBintheNorth

Looks like fun.
I've snared them before, but didn't like eating them so that ended that.
But hunting them would be great for something to do with the kids in the winter.
I see the vast majority of snow shoes in tamaracks. Something to keep in mind..

Gotta wonder how you cooked them…I think they are about the best eating small game, right there with ruffies. Shot not snared, so maybe that has something to do with it

Separate legs and backstraps, brown some chopped up spicy pork sausages in a Dutch oven, then remove and brown the rabbit in the grease. Leave in the bottom and add sausages, a pile of sliced bell peppers, onions, and celery, and a couple cans of tomato sauce. Cajun seasoning to taste. Cook on low, covered, for an hour or two until legs are fork tender. Canadian redneck sauce piquant. I have served this to a bunch of people who were REALLY hesitant about any wild game, they loved it. Pretty funny seeing an urbanite Disney lover happily chewing on “thumpers” back leg.

Backstory is that particular snowshoe was living in a backyard till I showed up. Grabbed the truck gun, bang, flop, “i got dinner” and proceeded to take it apart on the deck with a pocket knife. All kinds of comments until they tasted it

[KGB]

You can also substitute tomato souse for sour cream, Dutch oven for two hours…. Melts in the mouth!

[Mb-MBR]

Originally Posted by CBintheNorth

Looks like fun.
I've snared them before, but didn't like eating them so that ended that.
But hunting them would be great for something to do with the kids in the winter.
I see the vast majority of snow shoes in tamaracks. Something to keep in mind..

Us kids used to fight over the kidneys and brains after being roasted in a wood stove oven. It was also great in a soup.....good memories.

[ey212]

Originally Posted by Mb-MBR

Us kids used to fight over the kidneys and brains after being roasted in a wood stove oven. It was also great in a soup.....good memories.

Sounds amazing, thanks for sharing that (mental) image

[Mb-MBR]

Originally Posted by ey212

Sounds amazing, thanks for sharing that (mental) image

If memory serves me right, it tasted better than my description.... lol

[Bigmuskie]

Great post and great video!

I took on snowshoe haring hunting a number of years ago and found the learning curve pretty steep. My first winter I caught a glimpse of fleeing hares while hunting and I considered that a success. Now days I can usually bag at least one hare per outing.

I mostly hunt them in willow/popular thickets, near creeks or bogs. I have also found that hunting with another person greatly increases overall success. Snaring them is also way easier but not as much fun as stalking IMO (it also doesn't give you as much as a cardio workout).

Impressed than you hunt them with a rim rifle. I ditched my .22 for a over-under shotgun after my second outing. Most of the snowshoes I shoot are ones I flush. I don't know whether this is statically sound, but in my experience the hares that hold tight to cover and let you get close tend to be younger animals.

[aragor764]

I have not hunted them nearly as much as I would like but it is alot of fun! I use my henry lever 22 with open sights and its perfect for it. Snaring is fun as well!

[Red Bullets]

If you are seeing lots of tracks sometimes the best thing to do is sit down overlooking the area. In about 15 to 30 minutes the hares will start moving around.

I went to a place and couldn't find any hares but lots of track in the low brush along a creek. I sat down and 20 minutes later I could see 12 hares moving around.

Don't forget that rabbit and hare populations are on 11 year cycles. Some years there just aren't many to be found.

[JonC]

Easy to find this year with the lack of snow

Sent from my SM-S901W using Tapatalk

[thumper]

That’s what I look for! Lone spruce trees scattered amongst young poplars and willows. The smaller the spruce trees the better, Peek under their lower branches.

[hippietrekker]

Rabbit hunting in the winter is one of my favourite activities, some days it’s hard to choose between that and ice fishing. My kids love going out too took my youngest daughter, 2, out over Christmas for her first hunt with her older sisters - I think she’s hooked and was ecstatic when we got one.
I find thicker cover is the best for finding resting hares. As others have said spruce bogs and willow have been good to me - they do love being tucked up tight to the base of small spruce. Squats are definitely your friend.
Taken a number of friends and family out for snowshoes - everyone has enjoyed going out and the bounty afterwards. Some of the best game meat going in my mind.

Good job getting out there and continuing to learn!