This a snowshoe hare?

Suther

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
27   0   0
Location
Fraser Valley
I was out camping, and a bunny came to say hi.





Is that a snowshoe hare? Thats what I thought it is, but I figured someone around here would be able to say yes-or-no for sure.
 
The black-rimmed ears are a dead give-away right? Other rabbit species in BC dont have this feature? (Dont wanna shoot the wrong bunny come August...)
 
If you can watch it move the Snowshoe will have very long back legs and very large rear feet. It's rear end will go way up in the air when moving slowly because of the length of it's back legs. When bolting away the long legs and huge feet are obvious as they stretch way back further than say a cottontail.
 
Last edited:
The black-rimmed ears are a dead give-away right? Other rabbit species in BC dont have this feature? (Dont wanna shoot the wrong bunny come August...)

Come August all rabbit and Hare species are fair game. The cottontails and European rabbit are fair game all year wherever found as they are schedule "C" animals (invasive introduced and non native species) (Pg 14 Hunting Regs) so you don't even have to worry about identification as all after August 1st are fair game. Just be aware of bag limits in your area if they apply.
 
Come August all rabbit and Hare species are fair game. The cottontails and European rabbit are fair game all year wherever found as they are schedule "C" animals (invasive introduced and non native species) (Pg 14 Hunting Regs) so you don't even have to worry about identification as all after August 1st are fair game. Just be aware of bag limits in your area if they apply.

Good to know! I wasn't sure if there was something Im not allowed to shoot, so I wanted to make sure I was indentifying them correctly. I guess that is not as much of a concern, although I'll still be trying to ID before I shoot for the sake of practice if nothing else.

Is there a certain time of day that is better or worse for rabbit hunting late summer/early fall? Do they need to be hung or aged or anything before eatting?
 
Good to know! I wasn't sure if there was something Im not allowed to shoot, so I wanted to make sure I was indentifying them correctly. I guess that is not as much of a concern, although I'll still be trying to ID before I shoot for the sake of practice if nothing else.

Is there a certain time of day that is better or worse for rabbit hunting late summer/early fall? Do they need to be hung or aged or anything before eatting?

I have found they are most out in the open on the logging roads and trails in the evening but you can run into them any time of day. I have never aged any rabbit or hare I have gotten. And as far as I know neither do any of the avian, canine or feline predators in the wild ;)
 
I have found they are most out in the open on the logging roads and trails in the evening but you can run into them any time of day. I have never aged any rabbit or hare I have gotten. And as far as I know neither do any of the canine or feline predators in the wild ;)

Canine predators also dont age their beef when they pick off a cow....

It was evening when those pictures were taken, so I guess that makes sense. I'll have to do some searching in a few weeks. We've called that particular spot "the bunny site" for years now, because this isn't the first time a bunny has been around.... Hopefully there are more...
 
While rabbits (and hares) and game birds don't "need" to be aged I find they do tenderize nicely if left in the refrigerator (after skinning or plucking and drawing) for a couple of days.

I'll leave intact grouse in the fridge for a week to age with good results. Think from now on just the ruffies will get this treatment though since after aging spruce grouse it's like chawing on a piece of spruce.
 
spruce grouse it's like chawing on a piece of spruce.

Once those black buggers start eating coniferous tree needles NOTHING can make them edible! LoL . I never shoot any Franklin after mid-October in order to minimize the chance of getting some turpentine flavoured meals.

SpruceGrouse.jpg
 
My mother used to tell a story about an english farmer back in the thirties that hung ducks by the neck in the shade of the house. When the body fell from the head it was ready to cook. That would be extreme aging i think.
 
Back
Top Bottom