Expert strategies for hunting snowshoe hares

Wherever there’s forested cover across their range, snowshoe hares are likely to be present—just look for their well-used trails in the snow. Hunting hares in thick cover can be fruitless, so focus on edge habitats where shooting opportunities are more favourable. Creek bottoms, brush piles and field edges are all good bets.

Walk slowly and stop every few feet to search in a full circle, which can unnerve hares that would otherwise hold tight. In particular, look beneath shrubs and low-hanging coniferous boughs for the twitch of an ear or the dark spots of their eyes. A 12-gauge shotgun shooting loads of #6 pellets through an improved cylinder choke is a good combo.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Hunting for snowshoe hares? Up your odds by searching the right areas. @OutdoorBailey explains how ” user=”OutdoorCanada” hashtags=”hunting, winterhunting, huntingisconservation”]