BIG WOODS HARE HUNTERS OF THE ALLEGHENY

 

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 magazine which 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/BigWoodsHareHunters or 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.