Wildlife Quiz - Maine’s Snowshoe Hare

The showshoe hare (Lepus americanus), also called the varying hare, has a home range spanning across all of North America. Snowshoe hare have evolved to become well adapted to their snow covered environments. Hare’s have the amazing ability to shed their brown summer coats and grow white winter coats that help them better blend into winter environments. As summer approaches, the brown coat replaces the white, allowing the hare to hide better in the earthy tones of its summer habitat.

The name snowshoe comes from the hares second incredible adaptation, its sizeable hind feet, appearing almost too large for its diminutive body size. The animal's large hind feet help it from sinking into the deep snow when it walks and hops. Snowshoe hares also posses heavily furred feet and ears shorter than most other hares, both critical adaptations designed to protect it from freezing Maine the temperatures.

Mostly crepuscular (creature of the dawn and dusk) and nocturnal (night time dweller) snowshoe hare do a majority of feeding at night. Hares feed on a wide variety of plants such as ferns, buds, twigs and grasses but will also less commonly feed on dead animals such as mice.

During the day, hares do not rest in burrows but instead prefer to conceal themselves from predators by hiding in shallow depressions under heavy spruce thickets and brush piles.

Prolific breeders, hares may birth between up to 30 young per year. Females (does) have the ability to become pregnant by males (bucks) while already pregnant with young (kits) because female hares have two uteri. Typically the hare breeding season begins in March and continues till around June. The gestation period lasts an average of 37 days, with birthing of kits starting in April and stretching into late July.

Wildlife Quiz Questions: 
1. What is another name for the snowshoe hare?
2. What is the home range of the snowshoe hare?
3. What trick of camouflage has the snowshoe hare evolved to better evade the sharp eyes of predators?
4. How have snowshoe hare adapted to their cold environments?
5. Do snowshoe hare eat meat?
6. Do snowshoe hare dig burrows?
7. What are baby rabbits called?
8. How many young can snowshoe hare birth in a single year?
9. What are female rabbits called?

Wildlife Quiz Answers: 
1. A snowshoe hare is also known by the name varying hare.
2. The home range of the snowshoe hare stretch across all of North America.
3. Snowshoe hares have evolved to evade predators by growing white winter coats and brown summer coats to better blend into their natural environments and fool the sharp eyes of predators.
4. Snowshoe hare have adapted to their cold environments by having short ears and feet covered with thick fur.
5. When food is limited, snowshoe hare have been documented eating meat.
6. Snowshoe hare do not dig burrows, instead the prefer to conceal themselves from predators by hiding in shallow depressions under heavy spruce thickets and brush piles.
7. Baby rabbits are called kits.
8. Snowshoe hares can birth as many as 30 young per year.
9. Female rabbits are called does.

Washington County Report – March

The Maine Sportsman - New England's Largest Outdoor Publication – Has assigned me as the writer for the magazines monthly Washington County Report. The column will highlight seasonal hunting, fishing and outdoor activities in Washington County, Maine. The copy below is the originally submitted unedited version. Enjoy! 

For more information on the Maine Sportsman Magazine or to order a subscription click this link: http://mainesportsman.com and https://www.facebook.com/mainesportsman
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Last Minute Ice Fishing 
By March, winter’s icy grip on Washington County begins slowly loosening and snow covered landscapes begin springing back to life. This final conclusion, at the end of a long cold winter, always seems to renew my passion to get back into the wilds. Historically warmer days and longer amounts of daylight make all outdoor activities more enjoyable. Gardner Lake Salmon and Monster Pickerel March starts with most waterways ice covered and safe to travel, however, as the month progresses, ice anglers must use extreme care and monitor the ice thickness frequently. This period of transition differs wildly each year, sometimes occurring at a snail’s pace and sometimes happening rapidly and with little warning.

Those still ice fishing this month, will typically enjoy some absolutely amazing days on the ice. Past trips, have yielded anglers in t-shirts, as lunchtime temperatures push almost 60 degrees F. Days like these, spent throwing the pigskin around the ice, make glorious memories even when few fish are caught. For the college crowd, at my alma mater the University of Maine at Machias, these types of days meant skipping classes and chasing salmon on Gardner Lake in East Machias. Access to Gardner Lake is easy thanks to a fine-looking boat launch just a few miles outside of the town of East Machias. After the intersection of Route 191 and Route 1, follow Route 1 for an additional 1.5 mi until you see the Chases Mill road on your left. Drive down Chases Mill road until it crosses Chase Mill stream. The landing is immediately after the bridge on the right. Park at the landing and you will see that a short walk to the north, sits a large island that over the years has provided countless ice anglers a base of operations for their day of lazy angling enjoyment. Use care when approaching and especially leaving the island, to stay on the northwestern island shore and walk straight back to the landing. This time of year, the ice on the eastern side of the island can begin losing stability, due to the shallow water and current created by Chase Mill stream.

Salmon populations on Gardner Lake are not what they have been in years past; in the 1960’s 4.5-pound fish were always a possibility. Nowadays, typical salmon run about 16 inches or less, with the lake still producing larger specimens from time to time. Anglers should expect slow fishing for salmon and fairly regular flags triggered by small mouth bass and pickerel. While salmon populations seem to be dropping, chain pickerel populations have been on the rise and it is not unusual to pull one through the ice 20 inches or larger. Look for Gardner Lake on DeLorme’s The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer (MAG), Map 26, B-4.

Coyotes Desperate but not STUPID

By winter’s conclusion, coyotes get a little more daring, as their fat reserves dwindle and access to easy meals diminish. This scenario provides the perfect opportunity to hunt these wily predators, as occasionally growling stomachs can short circuit their survival instincts and provide hunters with a small advantage. This does not mean that hunters should not continue practice good scent control and use wind direction and positioning to their advantage. Even a hungry coyote is extremely cautious and hunters who think otherwise will go home without firing a shot. The individual who hunts coyotes and despite best efforts continues to come up empty handed, needs to honestly review their hunting practices and determine what they are doing wrong. Coyote hunters primarily fail because they do not pay enough attention to wind direction and proper positioning. Plan to encounter difficulties when hunting unfamiliar areas or locations. With no previous understanding of the topography, setting up for that “good” shot becomes difficult or impossible.

Pre-scouting to become familiar with an area and understanding the predominant wind direction makes it infinitely easier to arrive at a hunting location and not waste time setting up and making unnecessary noise. Spots visited frequently can even be brushed out ahead of time with available cover materials or canvas camouflage cloth. Tag teaming coyotes with another hunter is more fun, safer than hunting alone and makes for better averages. With one person carrying a rifle for long-distance shots and the other a shotgun any reasonable distance the coyote appears, will be in optimal shooting range. Also, while one hunter manages the calling, the other can always be prepared to discharge their firearm should Wiley appear!

Dog Gone Snowshoe Hare

My Grandfather thoroughly enjoyed tracking hare on snowshoes during the month of March. Armed with a .22 Colt Woodsman pistol, instead of the more popular scatter gun, he always surprised us by coming home with a hare or two. The old man had a secret tied to this success, endless amounts of patience. Without the assistance of man’s best friend, to chase hares from their hiding places, hunters must walk and stop frequently to make hares nervous enough to bolt into the open. Slowly and methodically walking ten steps and then pausing for thirty second to one minute, usually makes them run for the hills! While stopped, hunters should carefully examine every small detail of their surroundings, looking for anything that appears out of place. A nose twitching, round black eyes or an off colored patch of snow, all can betray a bunny’s camouflage IF a hunter remains vigilant. Keep an eye on your back trail, as often hares that do not immediately run, will attempt escape after passing.

Hunting for rabbits is typically more fun and successful if done with a partner. Just remember that when hunting in tandem that you will be hunting thick covers and determining each other’s exact position is often difficult. Always wear a florescent orange hat and vest! Not everyone has the time or the resources to manage a pack of beagles but that should not disappoint hunters from trying to walk a few snowshoe hare out of the woods this month!

Wabbit Huntin'

I feel as of late, I have dropped off the blogging face of the world. Have been frantic on a couple of projects around the house and work that have monopolized most of my time. Well, I guess I can't complain I am one of those personalities that loves to be busy! The following is a story I have been trying to complete for well over a week now but just can't seem to get it going much beyond the beginning stages . . .

As the phone rang on Friday evening I was rather hopeful that it would be a call from my next-door neighbor asking if I wanted to pursue bunnies for the final time before the season closed. Never one to disappoint, I heard his gruff old voice on the other end of the line . . . “Hey you wanna hunt Wabbits tomorrow morning?”. Of course my immediate reply was a barely contained affirmative.

Arriving around 7:30 the next morning I was pleased that the nightly blanket of cloud cover had managed to keep the morning temperatures at a descent level that would allow me to hunt with a light form fitting jacket. Earlier in the season I had missed a rabbit when the butt end of my stock caught on my bulky winter jacket. The low lying clouds also blocked a majority of the rising morning sun keeping down the glare off the snow.

As we crept through the thick brush with slow deliberate movements it didn’t take long for the bunnies to panic and to start running. Hunting rabbits without a dog isn’t the most perfect scenario but it can be a ton of fun. Within an hour and a half we managed to take two nice rabbits and enjoy the last day of the 08-09 rabbit season.

Enjoy the picture of two very happy hunters!

For more on hunting rabbits see:
Hunting the Snowshoe Hare
Rabbit Hunting Without Dogs