BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 9, 2022
The baying of beagles in the winter woods when on the track of a snowshoe hare is a sound never to be forgotten. Critical to success is to hunt covers with the lowest hare populations — pretty much the opposite of when hunting with dogs. The fewer hares in a hunting spot, the easier it is to track just one. Weapons that work well include shotguns, .22 rifles, low-caliber black powder rifles and handguns. I prefer a .22 handgun. After spotting a hare during an ambush, move your gun ever so slowly. When we did shoot one while tracking, we tried to savor the moment by taking lots of photos. From 1995 through 2004, my hunting partners and I tracked hares 51 times. We shot at least one hare during 26 of those hunts. ~ Leighton Wass