It is with heartfelt sadness I
make the following report to the beagling community.
Reporting by Joe Ewing
Mary Hosmer during a happier time on the Allegheny.
RIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA (WTAJ) — Multiple crews responded to
a house fire in Ridgway Wednesday morning, [February 3, 2021], that left two
people injured. Crews were called around 2:50 a.m. to a two-story home on
Montmorenci Road. Two people were able to get out of the home but had unknown
severity of injuries. Both were taken to the local hospital as at least three
crews continued to battle the blaze.
Ms. Mary Hosmer, a member of
the Rolf Beagle Club, Johnsonburg, PA, lost everything from the blaze that destroyed
her home. Three of Mary’s beloved beagles were lost in the fire. Mary was life
flighted to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment of 3rd degree burns.
Mary’s brother escaped the blaze with unknown injuries. As of this report, Mary
remains in the hospital on a ventilator while undergoing skin grafts.
Mary Hosmer, a native of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is a
retired biologist from the Allegheny National Forest, a devoted beagler, a very
active member of the RGS UBH St. Marys, PA Chapter of the Ruffed
Grouse Society, QDMA (Quality Deer Management Association), Big Woods Hare
Hunters of the Allegheny and many groups and associations.
Mary, an
icon of conservation in Pennsylvania, works tirelessly for the benefit of not
only the land she loves but also for the hunting community. Mary leads the "Women's Introduction to Wingshooting," locally,
a program for women taught by women. In approximately
2010 Mary was nominated as a Field & Stream Hero of Conservation.
A “GoFundMe” page has been set up to help Mary. Go to:
gofundme.com in the search type “Mary Hosmer”.
A saving account has been set up in Mary’s name at a local
bank in Elk County, PA. If you have a benevolent heart and would like to help
please mail whatever sum to:
First Commonwealth Bank
108 E. Mill St
Saint Marys, PA 15857
Please make the check out to cash and in
the memo, please write in “Hosmer fundraiser”. If someone doesn't want to make
it out to cash, you can write in “Chris Yeager” but please write in the memo,
“Hosmer fundraiser.”
Thank you for helping
Mary- I know she would do the same for you!!
Adirondack snowshoe hare hunters include from left to right, back to front: Mark Baker Cranberry, PA, Joe Ewing, Roy Towner, Matt Baker, Nick Ochs Lucinda, PA, And “LT” Corso Knox, PA.
I
caught a fleeting glimpse of movement on the bridge. The hounds had pushed the
snowshoe hare out of the prime fir cover toward the traveled road. As a
precaution, I hustled to the lightly traveled dirt thoroughfare. As I arrived,
I caught that momentary glimpse. It couldn’t have been the hare. I’ve seen many
nasty tricks pulled by some clever hare but never would I believe one would use
a bridge to make his escape.
The
beagles were stymied when they came to the dirt road. The traveled road slowed
the chase significantly. As I stood on the threshold of the bridge, mixed emotions
beset me. Did I want the beagles to cross the bridge? How could I even stop them?
Did I want to stop them? Would the beagles run the bridge or swim the
moderately wide creek? What about the current? Was it too swift? Did I want the
beagles and me on the far shore while the hunting party was on the near side?
My hunting cohorts are five veteran
snowshoe hare hunters and seven beagles from Western Pennsylvania. For the
second consecutive year I’m hunting the Adirondack Mountains of New York State
as a guest of the Baker/Towner party. These extreme adventurers successfully hunt
everything from Colorado elk to Missouri ducks to Pennsylvania cottontails and
every species in between. These gentlemen are all about the outdoors. There is
never a dull moment. Possibly my four beagles are the real guests. It’s my good
fortune, honor and privilege just to be tagging along.
I
didn’t wait long for answers to my questions. Hollie picked up the scent and
across the bridge the pack raced. Now I knew for sure. The beagles confirmed
it. The hare used the bridge to make its getaway. From the hare’s vantage point,
the road and bridge undoubtedly looked the same. It was compelled to use every method
of escape and evasion in its arsenal to impede its pursuers. The pack of seven unrelenting
beagles stayed on the trail of the snowshoe hare. Matt and I linked up on the “wrong
side” of the bridge. Hikers and their dogs interrupted the chase causing it to
end abruptly. Coerced, the pack followed us back across the bridge. Over the
next two days all my questions would be answered.
Here is the video.
Click on square to make full screen.
Astonishingly, the next day the plot would
repeat itself at the very same spot. It was déjà vu only this time I actually witnessed
the hare running the bridge. Instantaneously and without hesitation I put the
hounds on the track. Two beagles, Bo and Psycho Sid, downstream when the chase
commenced in all its energized glory, chose to swim the chilly looking creek. Nick’s
beagle, Bo, was swimming hard fighting the current with all his might as he
slowly drifted down stream. As I watched it occurred to me, “Battling” Bo was
wearing my tracking collar. In my excitement and angst, I yelled at the top of
my lungs, “Swim Bo swim!” Undaunted, Bo and Sid safely made it to the far shore
and linked up with the chase. The scene will
stay ingrained in my memory forever.
Over
the next I don’t know how long; three hunters would join me on the far shore. The
snowshoe hare would take the beagles back and forth across the road several
times. “LT” would venture to the stream bank and unfortunately miss his shot.
Finally, with all four of us as witnesses, the hare, sticking to the stream
bank, raced back across the bridge. Both Matt and I captured video evidence. We
debated whether this hare should be allowed to live. Roy, deep in the fir
thicket, made the decision by downing the snowshoe hare dressed in her late
fall brown and white beauty.
Roy and Sammie
(Wilson’s Sable Samantha) check out the Adirondack snowshoe hare.
Our not-so-primitive basecamp was located on
First Lake of the Fulton Chain Lakes just off NY Route 28 near the tourist town
of Inlet. The Fulton Chain of Lakes consists of eight lakes entertaining many
tourists during the summer season.
Our not-so-primitive
base camp near Inlet, NY.
It was from
here we ventured forth into the Adirondack Wilderness.
The Adirondack Mountains of New York is a
hunter’s paradise. One of the 50 species inhabiting
the Adirondacks is the snowshoe hare or the varying hare. It was this elusive
and magnificent animal we were hunting. New York’s small game season, unlike
Pennsylvania’s, remains open during the big game seasons. Varying hare season
in this part of New York runs from October 1st through the 3rd Sunday in March giving beaglers a tremendous
opportunity to practice their sport. Seasons vary according to “wild life
management unit”. Also, unlike PA, small
game hunting is legal on Sundays. A NY nonresident license is $100. Outfitters
and guides are readily available.
Map
compliments wikipedia
Adirondack
Park highlighted.
The Adirondack Park contains 6 million acres which
includes wild forests, wilderness and
primitive areas. The region abounds with unspoiled waterways, ancient forests
and towering mountains.The Park’s
waterways are extensive and natural featuring 3,000 lakes and ponds and 30,000
miles of rivers and streams.
In
the afternoon of that first day, the hounds bounced a snowshoe hare out of its
bed. With the singing pack of beagles in hot pursuit the hare raced up the
valley a half- mile, raced back down through the fir thicket and across the
road. The hare led the pack up the opposite mountain until the Garmin® Alpha® lost track of the hounds at the three-quarter-mile
mark. The Alpha’s topo-map showed them crossing the summit at an elevation of
1900 feet and breaking over the ridge before losing the hounds. It had to be a buck. Alpha
contact with the hounds was lost for what seemed like hours to the anxious
beaglers.
As suddenly as
the Alpha lost the hounds, they began showing up at that same three-quarter-mile
mark. Who knows how far they had gone while off the grid? Were they on their
way back? Minutes later the faint and welcoming sound of bawling beagles could
be heard. The beagles soon came thundering through without a hunter sighting
the elusive hare. The hare evaded the
hunters by tiptoeing the stream bank and sneaking under the bridge. The hare
continued the race through the fir thicket, short circled, ran past the parked
trucks, crossed the road and proceeded back up the mountain. This old hare completed
the trip two times if not three, I lost count. This hare earned the title, “Killer
Hare” because it was out to kill the poor beagles by running them to death. The
Killer Hare took the beagles for at least six miles before curfew was called and
hounds intercepted and corralled.
Photo courtesy Matt
Baker
The Adirondack Wilderness hunting
party with the author’s trophy snowshoe hare. Hunters from back to
front, left to right include: Mark Baker, Joe Ewing, Roy Towner and Matt Baker. LT is
behind the camera and Nick is AWOL. Beagles include: Mo,
Poco, Bo, Sid, Music and Hollie. Eleven-year-old Sammie was in the box.
The Killer Hare made chumps of the hunting party and hoodwinked
us at every turn while the beagles kept up their undaunted pursuit. The hare tried
to run the beagles to death. We were obsessed and duty-bound to go after him
the next day. Even I would strap a .410-gauge pump shotgun across my back.
Early the next morning Matt and
Nick led the pack of beagles into the dense jungle-like cover in pursuit of the
Killer Hare. The remainder of the party lined out on a well-used trail. Knowing
the Killer Hare would race for the road and slip under the bridge I held back.
I was not above ambushing this deadly killer under the bridge.
It wasn’t long before the pack of
beagles were racing up the valley at full cry. The hare sprinted out 400 yards,
turned and started back. I was ready. I knew he would head for the road but at
200 yards it turned and ran back up the valley with the hounds never letting
up. It completed short circle after relatively small circle compared to the
Killer Hare. This was not the Killer Hare. This hare was running more like a
doe. As I inched my way up the trail a shot rang out but no account of a kill
was reported. I came upon Roy and he confirmed LT had missed. I removed the .410
strapped across my back, loaded three three-inch shells packed with six shot
and stood ready. The hounds were coming.
Forty yards out the beagles came booming
across the ridge and continued down the valley. But wait, movement, the hare had
circled back. A quick look at the white hare, but just a glimpse. I needed a
better look. I believed he stopped under a small pine tree but could I really
see it? For a fleeting second, I thought about taking a random shot at the pine
tree. The hounds passed by without incident.
I elected to move up the trail
past Mark and LT. Probably an unscrupulous move on my part as I reflect back.
I’ll apologize sometime. The hounds were pushing the hare in my direction. Suddenly,
the hare appeared running straight at me, my worst shot. I pulled the .410 to
my shoulder, flipped off the safety and squeezed. The hare was unfazed. I
pumped another round into the chamber and pulled. Unfazed still, the hare continued
its advance toward heavier cover. One round left, I took aim and pressed. I
lost track of the hare in the dense cover. The beagles were close. I wanted to
get to the hare first whether he was dead or wounded.
The hounds and I arrived about the
same time. Instantly, Hollie found the hare but she refused to give it up. Up
the trail she pranced in all her glory. Eventually and reluctantly, she surrendered
the dead hare over to Roy. What an outstanding chase it had been. The beagles
did an awesome job. Unfortunately, and much to my chagrin it wasn’t the Killer
Hare.
The beagles, gaining more
experience with every chase, did an outstanding job far above the call of duty.
The hard work and training the beagles put in paid off far beyond what could be
expected. We enjoyed four days of unsurpassed action-packed wilderness snowshoe
hare hunting. A video of the exciting bridge hare can be seen on Facebook/BigWoodsHareHunters
or on YouTube.
Matt looks over Mark's kill. The first kill of the hunt.
Nick shows off his trophy hare.
Nick (L) and Mark compare trophy.
Roy's trophy hare with the shotgun he used.
Mark's second trophy hare which he skinned to make glove liners.
LT (L) and Mark skinning the snowshoe hare.
Joe (L) and Sid.
(L-R) Roy, Mark, Joe & Lt.
The High HareMan with super hounds Music, Hollie and Sid.
Friday, February 5, 2021
FROM THE WORLD HEADQUARTERS OF
THE BIG WOODS HARE HUNTERS OF THE ALLEGHENY
A story about hunting the elusive and wild snowshoe hares of Maine.
THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE
writing
by
Joe Ewing
High HareMan
Big Woods Hare
Hunters of the Allegheny
with photography
by
Brenda and Joe Ewing
Master snowshoe hare hunter, Andy Hoover, with his
beagles, Little Toby Creek Teagan and James Creek Beagles Emma (R).
Excited
beagle voices are echoing from mountainside to mountainside in this paradise of
snowshoe hare hunting country. I’m hunting snowshoe hare in the center of the
snowshoe hunting universe. If there’s any place better than the central
mountains of Maine for hunting snowshoe hare, I’d like to try it out. Maine
ranks right up there when it comes to game species open to hunting. Bear, big
bucks and ruffed grouse to name just a few. Hundreds of outfitters and guides
are available for any species all across the state.
Six
hounds are hot on the trail of an elusive Maine snowshoe hare. If there is
anything sweeter than the music generated by six excited hounds hot on the track,
I haven’t heard it yet, unless, it’s seven hounds. Each hound can be readily
identified by their individual bawls, chops, howls and screams. I once read a
statement on the pages of THE RABBIT HUNTER magazinewhich frequents
my meager brain from time to time and it went something like this, “a real
rabbit hunter can name every beagle he’s ever owned by the sound of its voice, but
he can’t remember his grandchildren’s names”. I’m proud to say I’ve tried hard over the
years to remember every beagle’s voice.
This
beautiful October day started right off the tailgate with some intermittent beagle
cold-trailing signaling there was definitely hare in the area. Every day is
beautiful when beagling and hare hunting is involved. It didn’t take long for
little Sammie to find a hot scent and the chase was on with the other five beagles
harking in without hesitation. When Sammie speaks, all the hounds listen. The blistering
pace is now led by three-year-old James Creek Beagles Emma and her littermate, James
Creek Beagles Sidney Crosby, recently and affectionately christened, “Psycho Sid”.
Other members of the fast-moving beagle pack include Little Toby Creek Teagan,
Music and Hollie.
The
forest floor is damp from the mist hanging in the clean mountain air. The clouds
are low with warm October temperatures making the scenting conditions better
than ideal I suppose. We are standing on a wide skidder trail or is it a
biomass cutting? This strip is bordered on each side by a regenerating forest
of maple, beech and birch. This is excellent autumn hare cover, however, when this
forest is buried under a four-foot snowpack with curtailed wind blowing, it
will take on an entirely different look. Hare cover will be nonexistent. When
winter arrives, and it will with a vengeance, the snowshoe hare will be forced
to find a new home. The snowshoe hare will take cover in the planted evergreen
plantations or the thick naturally growing fir jungles.
The
beagles are making a wide circle. The hare is taking the beagles out some
400-yards. By the sound of things, the beagles have made their turn and are
headed back. The beagle voices are getting louder and louder as they come
closer and closer. When the hounds reach 200-yards I click on my Cannon®. I’m watching intently when suddenly I glimpse movement.
This snowshoe hare is out for a leisurely morning jaunt in front of the hounds.
The hare, which doesn’t seem to have a care in the world, is headed right for
Brenda who doesn’t twitch a muscle. As the hare comes within ten feet, it spots
her and instantly kicks into high gear immediately accelerating into overdrive.
It’s plausible Brenda is the first human this hare has ever set its eyes on,
yet, it grasped the situation instantaneously and knew Brenda didn’t belong in
his world. I’ve seldom seen any animal pickup speed so abruptly. The beagles
are not far behind and soon go blowing by. This is my story and I’m sticking to
it since I have video evidence which I can share by going to: https://www.facebook.com/BigWoodsHareHuntersor by
visiting the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny blog at: https://bigwoodsharehuntersoftheallegheny.blogspot.com/.The day continues with the beagles chasing this same
hare for hours or with several other chases, a miss by me and with Andy downing
an October Maine hare.
Brenda’s reaction
as the hounds race by.
Not
far from this spot is hare cover we avoid both fall and winter. The fir is so profuse
the hunter will find the cover virtually impenetrable. If he manages to force his
way through with sheer brute strength and determination, he will not be able
see his feet or the ground making it even more perilous. There isn’t anything
much worse than not knowing when and where your next step may land. In winter
the snow cannot reach the ground and the snow builds up on top of the cover. The
hare and the beagles run under the snowpack making it hopeless to get a glimpse
of either. The four-foot snowpack muffles and insulates the beagle voices
making it sound like they are miles away when in reality they are right under
foot. The snowpack insulates satellite and radio signals preventing the dog
tracking equipment from working effectively, however, this is only the half of
it.
The last two lines hit home and made us realize we
were not the only ones with GPS problems.
The
dog tracking equipment works erratically in this area for some mysterious reason.
The devices work unpredictably showing dogs miles away when they are actually
laying at our feet. All the dog-collars vanished from the screen on one of the
newest devices which I will not mention by name, Garmin® Alfa-100®. We jokingly contend the area is haunted by some
unknown shadowy force. This year we actually stopped to read one of the many
road-side signs and right there in plain English were the words, “NOTICE:
GPS UNRELIABLE IN THIS AREA. DO NOT USE GPS FOR NAVIGATION.”
Even
though Maine’s nickname is the “pine tree state” the most common tree found in
Maine is maple/beech/birch which represents over 41 percent of Maine’s forests.
The next most common forest type is spruce/fir, then aspen/birch and finally
white/red/jack pine. In terms of volume, red spruce is the
most common tree in Maine followed by red maple and eastern white pine. One of the most
common trees found in central Maine is the Abies balsamea, better known
as the Balsam fir. Balsam firs grow in mixed woods in southern and central
Maine. The Balsam fir is a competitor in almost every forest setting in the
state. It grows so well it’s useful for many products. Fir is a valuable product
being used for dimensional lumber, paper products and winter cover for snowshoe
hare. The code “SPF” stamped on your two-by-four stands for spruce-pine-fir,
meaning it could be any one of the three. One theory to why Balsam fir is so
common is; seed eating animals do not like the taste of the seeds allowing more
to lay on the ground and germinate.
Often times the fir cover is so thick and lush a human cannot force his way through.
Northern white
cedar is regularly found in Central Maine. It’s an important factor to the environments
it inhabits. Cedar, pronounced “seedah”, often grow in thick groves and provides
prime coverage from snowfall for snowshoe hare. The vitamin rich twigs, shoots,
and leaves are an important source of food for snowshoe hare during long winter
months.
High
above the Kennebec River and Wyman Lake and not far from the Appalachian Trail
the fir and cedar grow thick and lush. An early morning frost covered the
ground hampering scenting conditions until the temperature advanced a degree or
two. It didn’t take long until the chase was on and streaking straight away for
700 yards where the hare tried a tactical evasive move. The hare’s tactics slowed
the pack only briefly and the hounds were soon on their return flight following
the same route. The hare and the beagles ventured up the mountain and back five
times using almost the same route each time. It became crystal clear the hare
was running from one heavy cover to another. Each trip up the mountain slowed
the relentless beagles commensurately as the snowshoe hare placed track over
track. It became apparent the hare’s tactics were making things more difficult
for the beagles with each tour.
Near the end of the five-hour
day as I tried to retrieve my beagles the expected happened. They hit a new
hare which took off in the opposite direction, crossing the travelled mountain road
and going more than 900 yards to, yep you guessed it, the unconquerable cover. The fact is they were going away so fast two thoughts
crossed my mind for a fleeting instant, could they be on a moose or was the
Alfa® lying?
At 900 yards the chase split. Now the hounds were chasing what looked and
sounded like two hares. My beagles were hot on the tail of the first hare and
Andy’s Teagan was running the second. Or, vice versa, who could know?
Psycho Sid, Music and Hollie soon
made the turn and were headed in my direction. I decided to post myself on the dirt
road and cut the beagles off as they crossed to end the hunt. The hounds were
coming closer and closer with no hare crossing. Did I turn the hare? Did I miss
seeing the hare? The pack was on top of me when suddenly the hare virtually
flew across the road hitting the road only once. The beagles were crossing and
they were going so fast I had no chance of catching even one. The best laid
plans. The snowshoe hare was only ten-seconds in front of the hounds. I
eventually retrieved my hounds and Andy corralled Teagan. Another good day in
the Western Mountains of Maine.
Every day was a good day in
the mountains of west central Maine. We chased snowshoe hare every place we
stopped. Psycho Sid ran everyday showing no signs of fatigue, wear or tear. Sid
screams to get in the box when it’s time to go, screams to get out of the box
and screams on snowshoe hare. The
Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny enjoyed a great week in the western
mountains of Maine. The beagles enjoyed the chase and all did a fine job and
need to be commended.
This snowshoe hare crossed the swamp 3 times in the same place.
The
Pine Grove Lodge needs to be praised as they served up their usual great
service making our stay more than comfortable. I’m reluctant to use the words
“world class” or “Orvis” but the amenities are better than first rate. This was
our 19th-consecutive fall for visiting the Pine Grove Lodge. I’m already
looking forward to my next visit to the central mountains of Maine, the center
of the snowshoe hare hunting universe.
Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny at the supper table. From left to right, High HareMan Joe Ewing, Chief Advisor to the High HareMan Brenda Ewing and Master Hare Hunter Andy Hoover.
Proprietor of the Pine Grove Lodge, Master Maine Guide, Bob Howe.
