Shonuff Snowshoe Shooting

[BrownBear]

It's just a D-ring on the end of a strap, or in this case a braided strap with the braid fairly open since it's new. With a little stretching they tighten right down. As a matter of fact, the one in the pic has 5 of those straps on a central ring, which in turn is sewn to a shoulder strap.

Just push the small strap through the small D-ring to create a loop, then push the hind foot up through it and tighten above the "heel." I've found you can actually carry 2 per loop, but with 3 you start scattering rabbits in your wake.

I just made some more that have a belt loop rather than the larger ring and shoulder strap. They're really convenient, but you better be wearing suspenders along with your belt if the hunting is really good!

On the previous talk about weights, I just weighed a young-of-year this evening, and got a real surprise. It weighed 3.5# live weight on a good scale! That means some of the big old "bull" rabbits are probably topping 5# live weight. Shows you how good I am at guesstimating weight!!! Man, I must have been a horse in my youth, because I can remember carrying out 20 rabbits at once on good days! And continuing a hunt till I got that many hanging around my body! I'm "smarter" now, or am I just older? :grin:

 

[jrmflintlock]

I'm not sure where you are, but I'll pass on some unsolicited Alaskan snowshoe hare advice.

Lots of times those tracks were made at night, while they spend their days in concealment elsewhere. If it's even a little hilly, I pick a set of tracks pointed uphill and work in that direction until I kind of run out of tracks, then work back downhill through the cover. Often they're easier to see from uphill. They're certainly easier to see if they break downhill before you can spot them sitting!

Good luck on your hunt. They're surely addictive little critters!

Thanks Brown Bear!! Well, I am in Northern New Mexico and contrary to what a bunch of folks think about New Mexico, we have mountains, Biguns!! And we have Snowshoes in Some of them mountains.. Your method is similar to mine. But we have been having a dry winter with not much snow. I have not had a chance to go out, maybe on Sunday! My guess is if the weather keeps up the way it has been I may be able to see them white against a brown background.

 

[BrownBear]

My guess is if the weather keeps up the way it has been I may be able to see them white against a brown background.

Once you get them moving that is! Darned if they can't hide well, waiting till right at dusk to pop out.

Believe it or not, we're lacking for snow in my particular location too, but there's lots of frost and crunchy leaves. If you see them at all, nine times out of ten they're in high gear at first sighting. and like as not already scooting before you get into range. Kind of like sneaking around in corn flakes, and they didn't grow those big ears for nothing!

I haven't managed to shoot a single one with a rifle this year. It's been an all-shotgun affair so far. If you've got one, you oughta pack it along just in case.

 

[123.DieselBenz]

Just push the small strap through the small D-ring to create a loop, then push the hind foot up through it and tighten above the "heel."

OK, so kinda like a choke chain (training collar) for dogs, I got it, I gotta make me one of those!

 

[jbtusa]

Eating those jacks, how do you keep from getting rabbit fever; tularemia?

 

[BrownBear]

OK, so kinda like a choke chain (training collar) for dogs, I got it, I gotta make me one of those!

Zackly! You found better words than I did.

One fine tuning detail. I've been making my straps 6" long as a compromise. Bigger would create a loop that's easier to get the foot through, but then the critter hangs so low it starts tangling your feet and in the brush when the top of the strap is at belt height. It's not an issue with cottontails, but with longer snowshoes and I assume jacks, it's something to think about. I'm 6'4" with 33" inseams, but even so, it's pretty easy to get the rabbits hanging too low.

BTW- Rabbits have long toes, and to get them all through the loop at once, slide your hand from the heel toward the toes to squeeze them all together before passing the foot into the loop.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Ok, that's enough! I'm goin' snowbunny hinting.
Bye!

 

[BrownBear]

Cool!

Hooked another one.

It's worse than drugs!!!! :rotf:

 

[123.DieselBenz]

Eating those jacks, how do you keep from getting rabbit fever; tularemia?

Same way as with any rodent that has tularemia . . . check the liver . . . they don't all have it, actually I have only ever seen one, and that was a cottontail . . . as long as you wear gloves and cook it, it doesn't really matter anyways (so I've read)

This is what the liver will look like if it has it:

The other side:

The star and white line is what it is, growing in the liver.

Incase your hungry . . .

Backstraps . . .

 

[BrownBear]

Ah, man....

I just finished dinner and you made me hungry all over again!

Haven't fried any rabbit yet this year, but you decided how I'm fixing the youngster sitting in the fridge right now.

Thanks!

 

[BillinOregon]

Diesel: Didn't realize the spots on the liver were so small. Thanks for the photos.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Thanks, brown bear!
Didn't see anything except tracks that were filled with snow. I don't know where they go when it's like this. The wind was howling, the snow was blowing out of the high country, but in the timber it was pretty nice. I bet I kicked every low juniper and blowdown in a two square mile area. But it was a great time in the mountains. I'm gonna wait 'til next week, the wind is supposed to blow again today, and snow tomorrow. Anyway, weekends are together days.
Did you see the pics I took of a funnel cloud?
They're in the non-ml area. A park ranger stopped and watched it dissipate with me.

 

[BrownBear]

Man, if you ever sort the wind puzzle, be sure to post it, and quick! All the years I hunted with beagles, they could manage to kick them out of the low, tight spots, but lost them right away of course. Without those short legs to really root around in that stuff, I've never managed to jump many, much less connect, on windy days. And we have a lot of those.

I'll go looking for the funnel cloud pic. A couple of times when I was chasing tarpon in the Florida Keys we got them, all the way to water spouts in some cases. Scared the willies out of me, but the guide could care less. Sheesh!

 

[rkmeyer]

Here in my part of Ohio there is an area set aside for the Snowshoe hoping to have enough breeding that a season can be had. We haven't heard anything from the ODNR as yet but sure hope things go well for the reintroduction.
Dusty :wink:

 

[BrownBear]

If anyone is interested in a look I put up some photos of our bunny terrain on Mike Brines "no bunnies" thread.

 

[bigbore442001]

Dear Swampy:

I have hunted Buck Hill as well as the adjacent woods on the Bay State side. We too have a snowshoe hare season but in all honesty I have not seen one in ages. Once in blue moon I will see some tracks.

The fisher, coyote and birds of prey have done a real job on them.