January 4, 2018 at 12:25 p.m.
traveling trails less traveled
Snowshoe blues
By "Buckshot" Anderson-
Every year about this time I lament the fact sportspersons who once were able to experience an extended winter hunting season are no longer able to enjoy what I and many others loved to do in past decades, and that is spending a delightful morning or afternoon hunting snowshoe rabbits, which actually are varying hares.
Somewhat like the northern deer herd, the varying hare population began a rapid decline in many areas of the north during the last half of the 1990s and has continued its decline to the present. And also, as with the decline of our deer herd, the expressed reasons for the decline of hares are numerous and controversial.
The once plentiful snowshoe hare was, to my knowledge, the only game animal which could legally be hunted 365 days a year, and still can. I doubt shortening the season to a couple months would do any good in reviving their population, as few hunters are serious about the sport at the present time and probably few, if anyone, hunt hares during the summer months.
I bagged my first snowshoe in 1946 when I was nine years old and from then until the beginning of the new millennium I probably bagged several hundred or more. Being a very tasty critter, baked, fried or hasenpfeffer style, hare was a common and popular entrée on the Anderson's winter dining table.
As a former serious hare hunter, I generally started my personal season in earnest the weekend after the conclusion of the annual November gun deer season. During my formative years I usually hunted with only one companion, that being "old Pat," our black cocker spaniel, who was a grouse and hare hunting machine! Pat never barked while pursuing hares, but he'd keep on their track as they circled a swamp until his junior sized partner got a pop at it with his single shot Stevens .410 shotgun.
By the time I was in high school the size of the weekend hunting party grew to three, which included my nearest neighbor pal, Roger Stoeckmann, Pat and I. During our dead of winter hare hunts Roger traveled to and from our hunting swamps on skis, I used snowshoes to hunt snowshoes and Pat had to follow our packed trails with just his four big hairy feet. I'd really like to know how many miles Roger, Pat and I traveled hunting hares during those four years of high school.
Also during our high school years, (1951-55) the weekend hare hunting expeditions often expanded to a dozen or more hunters. The three Dean boys, Jim, Tom and Gary, plus their dog, Babe, were frequent members of the group. Hank Maines, Duane Wandsneider, Wilmer Weber and a few others also enjoyed those winter outings.
The only "accident" our group had took place at the end of a hunt as we were unloading our shotguns near our transport vehicles. Wilmer noted a large limb protruding from an aspen (popple) tree next to our trucks and verbally questioned how many shots it would take to sever the limb. So Willy, as we called him, started blasting the limb with his 12-gauge shotgun. Three shots didn't complete the task, or so we thought, and while he was reloading his shotgun the limb snapped and fell on Willy's head, knocking him to the ground.
Naturally, we all laughed like a pack of hyenas - until we saw blood streaming out from under Willy's cap. Upon closer inspection, the severed limb had punched a neat hole in Willy's scalp. Using handfuls of snow, we stopped the bleeding and drove Willy home leaving his parents to deal with the problem. So, the answer to Willy's question was - three shots.
Of course, nothing was said about Willy's injury Monday morning on our bus ride to Eagle River High School. Yeah, right!
Most serious hare or rabbit hunters realize the best way to bag a bunch of bunnies is to hunt with a good beagle or a pack of beagles. So, in 1972 I obtained my first beagle and named her Bunny, which seemed like a good idea at the time. Bunny greatly increased my odds of coming home with bunnies in the bag, and also increased the overall ambiance of the hunt - and my hunting companions agreed!
Over the decades I had three other top-notch hare chasers, Piddles, Freckles and Bugsy. There is no sweeter winter music than the yowl of a beagle coming from the depths of a cedar swamp or alder thicket announcing the chase is on!
During the decades spanning the 1970s through the 90s numerous anxious hare hunters would travel many miles to accept my invitation for a winter weekend hunt. Many of them were even willing to be housed in the less than deluxe accommodations offered by "The Hunter's Hilton" the bunkhouse at my deer camp! I had hunting companions travel from Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay and other distant locations to experience the adventure provided by a well organized hare hunt. Yes sir, those were the days my friends!
Presently there are still a few dedicated hare hunters prowling the few remaining environments that support a fair population of varying hares. Last February I was invited to join a day-long hunt with Tom Caroselli and a few of his pals. This outing was quite different than the hare hunts I once organized. Now-a-days it's high-teck! This hunt involved five hunters and two packs of beagles, each pack numbering four dogs! Each dog in each pack was equipped with a radio collar and the owner of the pack had a hand-held GPS that gives the position of each dog and the distance the dog is from the owner! Or course that makes the job of rounding up the dogs at the end of the hunt much easier.
Tom's group bagged five hares that late February day, and Tom graciously gifted me two of them, which were converted to old-style German hasenpfeffer, one of my favorite wild game dishes!
During my current wanderings on snowshoes with Buffy, I have discovered one small thicket containing tracks produced by a varying hare, or possibly a small number of hares. I plan on leaving well enough alone and let them live in peace. Maybe they are the last of a dying breed on our property. At this stage of my life I'm satisfied by living with the memories of what once was!
Happy New Year!
Buckshot may be reached at: [email protected].
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