OUTDOORS & REC
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022
HARES
Continued from Page B1
A gated road sliced
through the middle of the
cover, which made much
of the walking and cover
inspection easy, but passing
the one-hour mark with no
hare sign led to compla-
cency. The camera came
out and my careful scrutiny
of the landscape for the bril-
liant white furballs became
ancillary to the beauty
of golden sun streaming
through dark timber and
loosening the morning’s
frosty grip on the forest.
Emerald moss and low-
growing bunchgrasses
covered crumbling basalt
slopes in a smooth blanket
beneath the shade of
drooping serviceberry and
fi rs. As I marveled over the
soft greens and textures
of early spring, I stepped
into the brush to inspect a
snowy patch for hare tracks.
Starbursts of sunlight glis-
tened through water drop-
lets which had formed on
the branches of a downed,
decaying hawthorn. The
water droplets hung deli-
cately from the most intri-
cate seafoam-tinted lichens
I had ever seen. The stun-
ning colors held my atten-
tion and camera focus as
Doug and Bob move on.
A short distance ahead,
Bob stepped into the brush,
Brad Trumbo/Contributed Photo
Thick shrubbery, ferns, and briars beneath scattered fi rs off ers good opportunity to pursue
snowshoe hares.
walking a line through the
thicket where raspberry,
rose and ferns created a
dense ground covering. As
I stopped to photograph an
intriguing wetland pool,
the faint “click” of a gun
safety and quiet profanity
drifted back from Bob’s
position. Simultaneously, a
snow-white hare bounced
across the trail directly
between Doug and I, who
were left staring at one
another in disbelief.
The hare slipped neatly
into the brush and disap-
peared from my view with
Doug immediately sliding
into the cover between fi rs.
I back-tracked to fi nd an
opening to fl ank the hare
and parallel Doug, which
may have spurred the hare
to turn in Doug’s direction.
The bark of his Ithaca .410
single-shot was louder than
I expected within the tight
fi r canopy, and with my ears
ringing, I spied him emerge
from the undergrowth with
the exquisite young hare.
“It took me a moment
to fi gure out why the snow
was moving,” Bob said with
a laugh as he emerged from
the briars and ferns. Had
the hare not run between
Doug and I, it may have
been Bob’s bunny.
We marveled over the
silky softness of the hare’s
winter coat, and poked fun
at its comically large hind
feet. A critter well equipped
to thrive in deep snow and
evade predators like Canada
lynx, bobcats, and coyotes.
“Your turn to fl ush ’em
out,” Bob said to Doug, who
happily jumped into the
next brushy patch.
Doug moved quickly to
the toe of the slope to his
left and the sudden dis-
charge of his shotgun fol-
lowed. The second hare sat
conspicuously beneath a
fi r just above head height
on the slope as Doug
approached, rewarding him
for being at the right place
and time. This hare was
larger and more striking
than the fi rst.
The farther we hiked,
the better the habitat
looked, but to our surprise
we encountered no more
hares. I found it ironic that
we were surprised by not
fi nding hares in the better
habitat, given our earlier
surprise in fi nding hares
at all. But experienced
hunters have a keen sense
for knowing when an area
“looks good,” and if only
subconsciously, we expect
to fi nd to our prey where
it belongs.
The hike back to the
truck was less about
hunting and more about
savoring the moment and
setting. We rode the high
of a beautiful mountain
morning, good company,
a successful hunt, and the
increasingly high sun angle
tickling our natural senses
to the fact that we were
on the forefront of spring.
Lighthearted conversa-
tion included the possible
meals the hares would serve
Doug and his lady Angela
later that evening, and ten-
tative plans were made for
hunting the last Sunday of
the season.
As we parted ways to
return to our individual
realities, I took a moment to
give thanks for the camara-
derie, a new hunting expe-
rience, and the public lands
that made it possible. I left
my pursuits of furry small
game in my Appalachian
youth, but this morning
reinvigorated my interest in
the challenge and delectable
table fare of hunting Blue
Mountain hares.
Brad Trumbo is a fi sh
and wildlife biologist and
outdoor writer in Waits-
burg, Washington. For tips
and tales of outdoor pur-
suits and conservation, visit
www.bradtrumbo.com.
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YOUR BIRTHDAY by Stella Wilder
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