BIG WOODS HARE HUNTERS OF THE
ALLEGHENY ARE PROUD TO INTRODUCE
OUR NEWEST MEMBER.
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| L.T. after a day's snowshoe hare hunt in the Adirondacks of New York |
On February 1, 2022,
in a remote setting in the Allegheny National Forest,
L. T. Corso,
of Knox, PA,
was welcomed into the
LOYAL ORDER
of the
Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny
as a full member.
A veteran of the Marine Corp, L. T. is a veteran hunter and outdoorsman and hare hunter having searched for the elusive and majestic snowshoe hare across Pennsylvania and New York.
The hand of welcome and fellowship was extended by the High Hareman with Members Mark Baker and Roy Towner as witnesses.
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| L.T. being welcomed by the High HareMan into the Loyal Order while Mark and Jackson Baker look on. OUR STORYwritten by Joe Ewing High HareMan |
We are the proud members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny. We search the mountains, high swamps, clear-cuts and evergreen plantations of the Allegheny High Plateau with beagles for the elusive snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). Headquartered in western Pennsylvania, high on the Allegheny Plateau, we are a band of outdoor men and women dedicated to the preservation of one of God’s greatest creations and one of Pennsylvania’s most elusive game animals, the majestic and magnificent varying hare.
Founded in 2002, we are a small, loosely organized, ever-expanding group of devoted beaglers, veteran snowshoe hare hunters, outdoor enthusiasts, conservationists and preservationists. We like to call ourselves “elite” mainly because we are the select few. Few are the beaglers who dare venture onto the Allegheny High Plateau in the bitter cold of winter in search of the snowshoe hare making the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny a very exclusive group to be sure. There is no weather too severe or snow too deep to curtail our passion for the great outdoors. We love to get out into the elements, search the Allegheny High Plateau for the elusive snowshoe hare, enjoying the thrill of the chase, while taking great pleasure in the beautiful beagle music as it rings across the scenic Allegheny.
The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny are dedicated to conserving and preserving the magnificent and omnipotent snowshoe hare on the Allegheny Plateau. Our objective is to save this magnificent animal for future generations of Pennsylvanians to enjoy. We take great pride in our mission of conservation of the varying hare. The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny are determined to preserve the thrill of the chase for future generations of beaglers.
Six members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny stand on a mountain side in the Western Mountains of Maine on a beautiful March afternoon in 2010.
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| From left to right: the late Jim Hanson, Chaplin and Board Member Wayne Wilson, Joe Ewing, High HareMan, Andy Hoover, Chief of Staff, Ray Wolford, Board Member and Board Member and Captain Jim “Kaz” Kazmarek. |
The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny do not harvest snowshoe hare on the Allegheny High Plateau. We search for the elusive hare with beagles and when we find their lair the beagles test the hares’ escape and evasion capabilities to the maximum and in return the hares test the beagles. Chasing hare with beagles and allowing the hare to run free is as close to catch and release as the Big Woods Hare Hunters can achieve. It’s all about the beagles and it’s all about the hare.
Many of the members have been chasing the evasive snowshoe hare with beagles on the Allegheny Plateau for what will soon be half a century. In addition to many locations on the Allegheny Plateau, our members have hunted the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania (a province of the Allegheny plateau, see map), the western mountains and lowlands of Maine, the Adirondack Mountains, the Tug Hill Plateau of eastern New York State and many other locations for hare with beagles. Many members have been featured in this magazine and major outdoor national publications like FIELD & STREAM magazine.
March of the Snowshoes: 4 Days of the Craziest Rabbit Hunting in the World
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The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny have numerous members who are not beaglers; however, we are committed men and women who love the out-of-doors and the Allegheny. The beautiful sights, sounds, panoramic views, fauna and flora of the High Plateau are beloved by us all. The Allegheny National Forest is the crown jewel of Pennsylvania for outdoor people of all stripes.
The loyal order has no constitution, no by-laws and no articles. The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny collect no dues, initiation or irritation fees of any kind. We have a Board, Chaplin, Captain, Chief of Staff, Chief Advisor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO, originally called the Chairman, is now officially titled the Chief Executive High HareMan.
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| In 2010 Kaz is elevated to the position of Captain of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny as the High HareMan pins on his Captain bars. |
The loyal order has no constitution, no by-laws and no articles. The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny collect no dues, initiation or irritation fees of any kind. We have a Board, Chaplin, Captain, Chief of Staff, Chief Advisor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO, originally called the Chairman, is now officially titled the Chief Executive High HareMan.
We take great pleasure in listening to the beautiful beagle music as the melodious tones reverberate off the mountains, echo up the valleys, bringing back special memories of the days of our youth. When we mention we are beaglers to people we meet, which is often, they immediately relate hunting stories of days gone by. We see smiles emerge on their faces and we see warmth emerge from their hearts for the beagle breed as they relate the days of hunting with the family beagle. Sadly, those days are gone. Disappointingly, future generations may never know the great enjoyment or bask in the memories of hunting with beagles which our generation and past generations of beaglers have known. We pray our youth will be the guardians of our hunting heritage.
