Snowshoe Hares

[motley man]

Did anyone see any this year deer hunting? They seem to be gone in many areas, are they on a down cycle?

[Random guy]

We have them coming out of our ears up here.

[Jim43]

Spent a week on Gunflint lake at Cross River Lodge this past August. Like John says. They are everywhere. Never seen so many before. Just a short

walk down the road and counted no less then 50.

[Gofishleech]

Here south of Bemidji we used to have lots of them and no cotton tails. Now we have no snowshoes and lots of cotton tails. Somthing changed,,not sure what but I havnt seen a snowshoe in years around here.

[JBMasterAngler]

Yeah, gunflint trail area is thick with them! Been that way for at least the past 2 years. My dad is up there now, says they're turning white already.

[Bigbuck08]

I Hunt Near Duluth and seen Three this year! this is the first time I have seen one in this area for 20 Years I was surprised to see them even with the high wolf population in the area,Good to see them again hope they are on the rebound !

[FishHawk11]

I shot a snowshoe hare this past weekend while pheasant hunting, are these okay to eat? What's the process to clean it. I couldn't believe how soft the fur was on this, I was thinking of skinning it as well. If anyone has input I would appreciate it.

[laker1]

Spent a week on Gunflint lake at Cross River Lodge this past August. Like John says. They are everywhere. Never seen so many before. Just a short

walk down the road and counted no less then 50.

That's awesome they have been down so long.

Like Longville and north central Minnesota area they are still present like 1% of old levels. Maybe in the next few years we will get a bounce. It has been like since 1985 they have been low.

They are nice and all white right now. They really show up against the brown background right now.

[Ufatz]

Hold it!! Somebody shot a snowshoe hare and THEN asks whether it's good to eat? Whats with that? Why shoot it if you have no use for it. C'mon you guys....I like to think most people who choose to call themselves "sportsmen" are above that.

I really don't like to preach but there are some things a guy just has to learn as he matures as an outdoorsman and sportsman.

Thank you....and pass it on.

[Mr.Seaguar]

Hold it!! Somebody shot a snowshoe hare and THEN asks whether it's good to eat? Whats with that? Why shoot it if you have no use for it. C'mon you guys....I like to think most people who choose to call themselves "sportsmen" are above that.

I really don't like to preach but there are some things a guy just has to learn as he matures as an outdoorsman and sportsman.

Thank you....and pass it on.

Ufatz I agree with your message but maybe a little softer delivery. The guy is in here making an attempt. Anyone got a recipe for the gentleman? I dont, I havent seen a snowshoe for 25 yrs when my dad made me jump on blackberry brambles to chase them out for him to shoot. He went home with jacks and I went home bleeding.

[B-man715]

Simmer down now guys........... He didn't kill an eagle or owl here......

Toss that baby in a crock pot for a half a day and then add some fixings like you would for a chicken noodle soup or a beef stew

[bbfenatic]

My old hockey coach back in the late 70's used to take us down to the Barnesville area every spring when the fields were melting and turning black but the snowshoes were still white...what a blast with .22's and .223's. We'd shoot tons and we'd sell them to the local fur buyer and make some spending money....ahh the Good ole Days!

[pikestabber]

I make sausage when I get enough of a supply. On a full grown hare you can get ABOUT .75lbs of meat if you grind the legs, arms, and straps. That works out good with .25 pound addition of pork for a 75/25 sausage. In other words, each adult hare will yield about 1 pound of sausage product (sausage, brats, etc.). For sausages other then the fresh varieties (anything smoked like jerky, sticks, or polish), I go with a higher pork ratio to keep them more moist...up to 40% pork. Generally, I try to get about 10 hares then do a batch of whatever. We shot four yesterday (all bright white and all thought they were hiding in the brown woods ), but we really had to put our time in. Pretty low population here this year compared to other years.

For eating, the straps are amazing fried in butter/garlic (just be sure to remove the silver skin first). The rest can be pretty tough if not treated right...I like to rub the legs in olive oil, season however you like, grill over hot coals until seared, then crock pot in a bit of chicken stock until tender. Really good eating right there!

[Ufatz]

Well I'll be darned! Never thought of sausage but I'm sure you are right. I recall eating a couple of them years and years and some more years back but I must not have been terribly impressed.

They are an interesting critter. Thanks for posting some recipe ideas.

[FishHawk11]

I've had rabbit stew before while at the hunting shack. I've never shot a rabbit before but saw this snowshoe hare while out pheasant hunting and thought it might be good. Thought maybe I would check to make sure they are safe to eat. I did get some info on cleaning it. I was able to get the skin off in a good chunk, I'm hoping to make a hat out of it. And I have the meat in the freezer.

[Todd Caswell]

Hares and rabbits are simple to clean when warm, hide peels almost as easy as pulling off your sock. Both hares and rabbits are very good to eat, would rather eat them than a pheasant.

[mainbutter]

Anyone have a comparison between snowshoe hare and cottontails as far as table fare goes? Hard/impossible to tell the difference, or is one superior?

[Todd Caswell]

I would say rabbits over hare's. C/tails can be very good, taste like Chicken

[Ufatz]

What a coincidence:

I was telling a pal of mine just the other day that the chicken we were eating tasted just like rabbit!!

But don't let anybody tell you that gator tail tastes like chicken. To me it tastes like an expensive purse.

Cotton tail bunnies are very good to eat.

[laker1]

Cottontail taste better than snowshoe hare. I like snowshoe,but they taste a little like they smell, a little off taste. I am sure there is some good recipes. Rabbit jerky anyone?

[Lunker]

Hare are a bit stronger(gamey as some say) tasting. I like them though. I cook them in a mushroom cream sauce.

[pikestabber]

I've never eat cottontail, but I've eat a ton of snowshoes and I always thought they were milder tasting then venison (and to me, venison is not very gamey and is my favorite meat to eat...I prefer it to beef).

[Big-Al]

Back in the day (late 70's)we had a group of guys that would shoot upwards of a hundred in an afternoon. We would sort them by the little ones (the young of the year) and the large ones and mark them as such for the freezer. The young ones would get fried (sometimes breaded sometimes not) and the larger ones would get made into stew. Throw a couple of whole hares into a large pot, cover with water and add a rough chopped large onion and a few stalks of celery and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and back off to a light boil. Chop rutabaga, onions, celery, carrots, and whatever else suits your fancy but above all else you must include rutabaga. After about 40 minutes remove hare and add vegies. De-bone hair and add it back in. Simmer till vegies are done and enjoy.