Robin Lewis and I drove to Northern New Hampshire Friday evening in the Jefferson and Berlin areas for a one-day guided snowshoe hare hunt on Saturday. We stayed in Jefferson at a camp belonging to Todd, one of the partners of this guide service and headed out early Saturday morning when Shawn arrived. We drove about a half-hour to a huge wodded bowl at the edge of a gravel pit that was logged off about forty or fifty years ago and has grown up in black spruce, white pine, hemlock and various hardwoods like maple, cherry, white birch and black birch. Lots of blowdowns and such to provide cover for the hares and there were plenty of hares in this great cover. There was rabbit sign everywhere and hardwood saplings were girdled by the rabbits everywhere we looked.
Shawn brought three beagles and two Swiss Hounds. Swiss Hounds are a very interesting breed. They have a face like a beagle but with great long ears like a bloodhound and long legs and they are all marked differently. One of Shawn's Swiss Hounds, Mia, was buckskin brown all over while the other was mostly white with some brown and black around the face.
The first time Shawn brought these unusual hounds to the AKC Beagle Owner's sponsored free rabies clinic many of the members turned their noses up at him saying he wasn't a traditionalist to which Shawn replied "Hey guys, when your dogs are doing the breaststroke in deep snow, me and my Swiss hounds will be running hares!" You see, the Swiss Hound has legs easily twice as long as beagles have.
This is the first time I have ever hunted rabbits behind dogs of any kind (except the times my Brittany broke and chased rabbits for a few hours... but that certainly wasn't the same) and let me tell you, it was great fun! I loved listening to the dogs and with Shawn's tuteledge I soon learned to tell who was talking and who jumped the bunny. Only a few of the hares ever came by us. Not because the dogs weren't doing their part but because all they can do is chase the hare and the hare runs where he wants to go.
Robin took two snowshoe hare with three shots and I took one with seven shots....
... (I actually shot at three different hares.)
If you ever think you'd like to hunt snowshoe hare behind some great dogs these are the people to contact. Certainly prices are subject to change but the camp was $25 per person per night and the all-day hunt was $105 per person.
The pics that follow are of the inside of the camp, the rugged area we hunted with snow in some soft spots easily thigh deep, and pics of Robin, myself and Shawn and Shawn and Todd in another picture.
Oh, by the way, Robin shot his beautiful 16 ga. GH and I shot my .410 Skeet-er with the Mod and Full chokes.
02-21-2010, 02:53 PM
Linear Mode
