MEMBERSHIP LETTER 08-01-2020

September 2020 Issue.

The following article was published in the September issue of THE RABBIT HUNTER magazine and is presented here for your reading pleasure.

Conservation of the snowshoe hare on the Allegheny.

Founded 2002. 

DATE: August 2020

TO: Members of the Loyal Order of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny and Friends

FROM: The High HareMan/Founder/CEO

SUBJECT: 2019-2020 Season Update

Distinguished & Honored Members & Friends,

        Greetings to the elite members of the premier snowshoe hare conservation organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and possibly the only such group in the U.S. today. The Loyal Order is dedicated to preserving the elusive and magnificent snowshoe hare on the Allegheny Plateau with the goal of saving this glorious animal for future generations of Pennsylvanians to enjoy. Great pride is taken in our mission of conservation of the varying hare. The proud members of The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny are resolute in preserving the thrill of the chase. May it be our legacy.

Click on pictures to enlarge.

The main objective of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny has been and always will be beagling. It will always be about the beagles first and it will always be about the snowshoe hare. Over these many years and a generation we’ve discovered we can achieve our great ambitions which is to promote beagling and preserve the magnificent snowshoe hare.

The preeminent season of all time for the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny was the 2019-2020 season. We enjoyed many outstanding hare chases with some outstanding beagles and beaglers and we conducted colossal and historic business at the same time.

We welcomed and inducted several exceptional sportsmen and women into the Loyal Order, we kicked off a bold new conservation campaign, helped some worthy veterans, sponsored young hunters and shooters and dedicated ourselves to be bigger and better than ourselves for the future.

A concentrated effort to keep all informed through the official Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/BigWoodsHareHunters/ and the official blog @ https://bigwoodsharehuntersoftheallegheny.blogspot.com/ was continued. The goals of the blog and our Facebook page is to remain a valuable source of information covering the many activities and interests of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny. The Loyal Order was promoted in the written media and several of our members made The Rabbit Hunter magazine for their hare hunting adventures and prowess in the Adirondack Mountains of New York and Maine. Two members were featured on the cover which sparked interest far and wide. Our conservation efforts were splashed across the news and social media thanks to the awesome efforts of our newly appointed Public Relations Specialist.

Our members chased the elusive snowshoe hare in October in Maine, in November in New York State and again in Maine in March of 2020. Throughout the winter of 2019 and 2020 members pursued the elusive snowshoe hare across the Allegheny High Plateau searching for the very elusive snowshoe hare and hard to find hare habitat. Several members joined the hunt for hare along with packs of tenacious hare hunting beagles. We enjoyed an outing with the Rockton Mountain Boys, our Clearfield County chapter, in Forest County, on a rain swept day in February. 

Several new members were inducted into the Loyal Order. In no specific order they were: Mr. Matthew Baker, Lucinda, PA., Ms. Mary Hosmer, Ridgway, PA., Mr. John Zimmerman, Cranberry, PA., Mr. Roy Towner, Lucinda, PA., Mr. Jaret Zimmerman, Cranberry, PA. and Mr. Mark Baker, Cranberry, PA. We welcome these new members and are confident they will continue their conservationist spirit of the magnificent snowshoe hare.

We understand snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, woodcock and many other species of small animals are in jeopardy and must be protected from extinction on the Allegheny. We believe hare, rabbit and grouse habitats must be maintained and restored. Study alone cannot protect the snowshoe hare. Action is needed before these magnificent game animals are lost from the Allegheny forever. As we begin the 21st century, the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny stand at the junction of doing everything possible to protect the species or stand idly by and be witness to the total disappearance of snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse and other species from the High Plateau. As the premier snowshoe hare conservation organization, we stand ready. Will climate change work against the snowshoe hare? Can snowshoe hare survive global warming? Can humankind survive? The answer is YES but the time has come to do something. We cannot stand idly in the briar patch. The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny is doing something impressive. We are taking action. We’ve taken up the cause. We are embroiled in combat. It is time for battle.

2020 PROJECT AREA

In November of 2019 a bold and courageous conservation project was launched on the Allegheny. The objective of the project, which was designated “The 2020 Project”, was to create nesting and escape cover for cottontail rabbits, ruffed grouse and other small animals. The goal: to duplicate as nearly as possible a naturally occurring forest disturbance. Several dedicated members worked tirelessly for several days to create nearly five acres of improved habitat. A very sincere “thank you” to those loyal members who dedicated so much of their time for the benefit of so many species of animals.

Is it time to reduce the bag limits on snowshoe hare on the Allegheny and in Pennsylvania? Should the hare season be refined, moved or both? Should we lobby the Pennsylvania Game Commission to make necessary corrections? Should we try to influence policy for the betterment of the snowshoe hare? Should the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny be a pressure group? Are these questions which need deliberating?

Seneca Resources is making a major push to sell their property where our habitat project is located. This will only present new challenges in meeting our goals should Seneca be successful. In 2020-2021, Project 2020 will continue and we’ll create more impressive habitat in cooperation with the Seneca’s insistence of liability insurance and the signing of waivers of liability. We already have several members signed up and ready to cut. We will obtain the necessary liability items and overcome whatever the challenges. We will prevail.

Future generations will never know the true enjoyment or relish the beautiful memories of hunting with beagles which our generation and past generations of beaglers have enjoyed. In an attempt to interest our youth and our veterans in the great outdoors and shooting sports of all kinds, the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny have been challenged to invest in our youth and in our veterans in the pursuit of their hopes and dreams. We must and will find creative methods of investing in our youth and our veterans no matter how modest our attempts.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny Foundation takes great pride in supporting several organizations. The list of groups which we support includes: Camo Cares, located in Knox, PA., a nonprofit dedicated to sending young people with life-threatening illnesses and disabilities and wounded veterans on the hunt of their lifetime. Fryburg Junior Marksmen, a non-profit competition junior rifle team, located in Fryburg which was founded with the purpose of teaching fundamentals of gun safety and rifle shooting. Other worthy non-profits which we invest in include, Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth Inc., which provides funding for the Clarion County Youth Field Days event and supports other shooting youth groups locally, Trout Unlimited provides fly tying and fishing lessons to youth as well as scholarships to qualified Clarion University students. The National Rifle Association which supplies endless programs for our country’s youth and defends our hunting heritage and the Clarion County YMCA which owns and runs Camp Coffman, giving the youth of Clarion and Venango counties a beautiful place to enjoy the great outdoors.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny Foundation supports the “Pine Grove Programs”, headquartered in the great state of Maine, (our beloved home away from home), a non-profit organization providing free outdoor experiences to military service members, veterans, Gold star families, and first responders.

In 2021 our goals are to increase our list of worthy groups and turn our modest investments in these meaningful projects into even more beneficial investments. We shall always support our youth, veterans and first responders for they are the beneficiaries who will inherit our legacy. We pray our youth will be the guardians of our hunting heritage.

The upcoming 2020-2021 season goals include chasing as many snowshoe hares as possible across the Allegheny. The weather will cooperate. New hare cover will be discovered. Conservation minded hare hunters and beaglers will be welcomed, the membership will support our youth and more and better habitat will be produced for the benefit of small game.

The future looks very bright for the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny!

We look forward to seeing one and all on the Allegheny!

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Thank you for the very kind words. They are appreciated more than you can ever know.