The following article was published in the
December 2020 issue of
THE RABBIT HUNTER
magazine.
The article "On Assignment"
appears here for the reading pleasure
of the members
of the
Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny.
GOING ON ASSIGNMENT
Written and photographed
By
Joe Ewing
High HareMan
Big Woods Hare Hunters of
the Allegheny
Master hare hunter, Andy Hoover, with the late Molly during an October hunt in Maine.
I, along with other members of the Big Woods Hare
Hunters of the Allegheny, will be going on assignment for THE RABBIT HUNTER
to what I’ve often referred to as the Mecca of hare hunting. I’ll be shooting,
no pun intended, for an exclusive adventure to be published on these very
pages. I’ll be searching the high country from Bingham to Jackman. The hunt
never ends.
If you’ve never been to snowshoe hare country and never tested your beagles on snowshoe hare, you are missing out just assuredly as you’re reading this. If you have never experienced the thrill of the chase with your own hounds, you’re missing the excitement of a lifetime. If you’ve never heard the song of hounds as their sweet music reverberates off the mountainsides and valleys of hare country, I dare say you’re missing something special. If your beagles are hare hounds then you know from where I’m coming.
I’ve been seriously conditioning hounds since the first of September. The summer heat kept them in the kennel for days. Even the early mornings were way too hot and especially humid. The Pennsylvania eastern cottontail rabbit season will open on the 17th of October and the beagles will be ready. The hot weather broke in mid-September and training commenced at a healthy pace.
There are so many things to prepare and so little time it always seems. It’s that time of year again and like so many other years my hounds are ready, willing and eager for what has become a long-standing tradition. I don’t know about myself but the beagles are primed for our annual journey to the center of the snowshoe hare hunting universe. My hounds and I have made more trips to Maine than I dare to count. It has become a long-standing custom of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny to visit the Pine Grove Lodge in Pleasant Ridge, Maine. I look forward to the journey with excitement and a certain amount of anxiety.
Why anxiety you may ask? First, it’s a long trip of some 800 miles or more. The highways in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts are always busy especially during “leaf-peeping” season. I’ve learned the wrong time of year to start out is the Columbus Day weekend. Hotels are hard to find any time. It pays to make reservation well ahead of time. Most importantly: I’m transporting everything I own and cherish in the dog-truck.
I’ve seen all kinds of weather on our many pilgrimages to Maine and return. A heavy, tropical like, rain persisted through every mile in more than one year. You wouldn’t think rain would be so bad until you attempt to retrieve the beagles from their boxes at rest stops during virtual cloud bursts. On our March trips we’ve hit snow storms which rendered the highways almost impassible. Using 4-wheel-drive on the interstate highway system means you know it must be dangerous. On more than one occasion I’ve been forced to us 4-wheel-drive to climb the mountain to the Pine Gove Lodge. Actually, it’s all part of the adventure.
Sudden March blizzard hits
I-84 in New York.
In July I purchased a puppy from my young friend,
fellow beagler and fellow member of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the
Allegheny, Jaret Zimmerman. His kennel is known as Tarklin Hill Kennels and he
campaigns, breeds and hunts some pretty great hare and rabbit hounds. Jaret
judges field trials and is an admirable young beagler who must be commended for
his dedication to the sport. I named the new puppy “Tarklin Hill Destiney” or
“Dessie” and she is trying to run rabbits at scarcely 5 months old. She has a
lot of puppy left in her but when her nose hits a rabbit scent, she suspects that
there is more to find out here.
Tarklin Hill Destiney at 8
weeks.
I bred my young hound Music this fall and I hope to
be having puppies soon. Music is out of James Creek Beagles Sidney Crosby and
the late Little Toby Creek Aeropostale Aero. Sid has become known as “Psycho
Sid” around the training grounds and amongst his peers. I’ve seldom witnessed a
beagle with more desire. He screams to get loaded in the dog-truck, he screams
to get out of the dog-truck and screams on the rabbits. Sid is definitely
psycho. (Author's Note: Music didn't get bred and will not be having puppies. I have a puppy coming from James Creek Beagles. A female out of Sid's mother or sister.)
I’ve owned some very good hare hounds over the years. I’ve enjoyed many fine hare chases in the rugged mountains of Western Maine and I’ve even shot a few. I had the distinct pleasure of hunting hare with the late, great Bob Hedberg out of his camp in Wesley, Maine. Many hare hunters over the years enjoyed the opportunity to hunt hare with Bob and I was fortunate to be one of them. Many will remember the beloved “Wesley Hilton.” I enjoyed a great time with Bob and will never forget it. I had the pleasure of hunting with T. Edward Nickens, editor-at-large for Field & Stream magazine. The story he wrote covering the hunt was far better than anything this amateur can write.
The Wesley Hilton, Wesley,
Maine as seen a few years ago.
The
Western Mountains of Maine are a rugged place as is the entire state of Maine. Maine,
is a land of jagged, rocky and rugged coastlines. Maine’s forests are vast and
the state’s whitewater rivers and thousands of lakes and ponds are inviting and
picturesque. Maine is the 12th smallest state and the 38th
most densely populated of the 50 U. S. states. Maine is renowned for its seafood;
however, to the legion of hunters who invade the state every fall, Maine is
known for its outstanding hunting.
Hundreds of camps, lodges and bed and breakfasts provide housing during the states hunting seasons for deer and moose as well as for wild turkey, ruffed grouse, pheasant, waterfowl and upland game, which includes snowshoe hare. Hunters and dog trainers in Maine are required by state law to hold a hunting license. A non-resident license for small game is only $75 and you will need a hunter safety certificate or an old license. A three-day small game permit is available for $50. Hare season runs for six months, starting October 1st, with a bag limit of 4 a day and like Pennsylvania and only two other states (Massachusetts and Delaware) no hunting is allowed on Sunday. Hunter orange is not required except when hunting during the big game seasons. The big game season opens on our last day of hunting hare so we will be sure to wear hunter orange.
Located in Pleasant Ridge, Maine, the Pine Grove Lodge (PGL) offers clean, comfortable family-style accommodations in the lodge, in their private Maine cabins, their guest house or in the bunk house. The pristine mountainous setting is easily reached by macadam roadway. Along with lodging, which includes Wi-Fi and HDTV, they offer activities such as Maine fishing, fly fishing lessons, deer and bear hunting, kayaking, canoeing, wildlife tours and pontoon boat lake cruises just to name a few. The PGL offers top-quality Registered Maine Guide services as well as access to well-groomed snowmobile and ATV trails. In the dead of winter, I would definitely recommend hiring a guide. Topping the list, for me anyway, are the delicious home-cooked meals and that “home away from home” feeling which makes me want to go back year after year. Bob and Andrea have always successfully produced that family feeling.
Compliments of
the Pine Grove Lodge
Many years ago, I said to my now departed hunting
buddy, Old Jim, while hunting cottontails one day in Pennsylvania, “Jim, we
should take a battery-powered tape player to Maine with us or maybe we could
use the truck tape player.”
Jim’s reply, “Why would we do that?”
“Well, to play the national anthem,” I explained. “All great sporting events start with the playing and singing of the Star-Spangled Banner and our hunt to Maine will be one of the greatest sporting events ever.” Old Jim never said another word and we never did play our national anthem however, it did turn out to be one of the greatest sporting events ever. While hunting, two U. S. Air Force F-15s put on a show over our heads. They did their part we should have done ours.
To me, beagling ranks right up there with patriotic activities like, voting, volunteering for military duty, paying taxes and jury duty.
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