Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny: LOOKING FORWARD TO 2010

THE HARE SEASON IS UNDERWAY.

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2010.

GREETINGS TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE LOYAL ORDER OF THE BIG WOODS HARE HUNTERS OF THE ALLEGHENY.

As winter quickly settles in on the High Plateau of the Allegheny we have been doing some training and scouting. With the deer season now history it was time to get the hounds out and start a new round of beagling and hare hunting.

On Monday and Tuesday (December 14 & 15) Veteran Beagler and Hare Hunter Jim Hanson and I got the beagles out to the Yeany Farm or also known as the Marienville Training Grounds just to get the edge off.

Wednesday morning saw a fresh cover of snow and temperatures which never got out of the teens, so the hunt was on for a Snowshoe Hare.

The Allegheny Plateau, the Allegheny National Forest and Western Pennsylvania are once again being exploited by the oil and gas industry. It seems every time one boom is over another discovery is made. Good for many and good for our country but not always good for the environment. Many of our favorite covers are now large "well locations" with wide roads, wider than necessary if you ask me, through out the still mighty forest. The environmentalists and the green people have tried to defend the Allegheny National Forest but to no avail as the courts have ruled.

I personally have mixed emotions on the subject. The oil and gas drillers have opened and built many new roads throughout the forest. Some of these roads are public and plowed in winter which allows us the opportunity to get to different covers most of the time. But the Forest Service has closed and gated many roads because of the oil and gas exploration. The oil company roads are deemed "private" roads by the Forest Service and they threaten fines if used by the public. Many of the Forest Service gates have been vandalized with cut locks and many, they claim, pulled down. The oil and gas company employees do not seem so concerned about who uses the roads, especially in the dead of winter.

A new "boom" for gas has not even opened on the Allegheny Plateau as yet but it is sure to come just as sure as the winter snow, The Marcellus Shale exploration. It is said that this boom will be bigger than any boom to hit the state.

While scouting by pick-up a hare track was spotted. The hounds were collared and released. It did not take long before the chase was on and not long after that a "Tally-Ho!" was called. I tried to get a picture but Mr. Hare would not sit down long enough for a good pose. I did manage to get a running shot which can be seen here. Several circles and several sightings later the hounds were done and the hunters were in need of hot soup.

(Left) An actual photograph of Mr. or Mrs. Snowshoe Hare as he dashes through the regenerating clear cut in the Allegheny National Forest. The Hare took the hounds on several circles. The hunters reported "Tally Ho" on several trips. The Snowshoe Hare did not spend too much time sitting around. I surmise after several circles the ground was contaminated with so much DNA the hounds were having a hard time. The hunters were ready for soup.

(Left) In order from left to right, Speckles, Wiggles and Patch work a momentary check in the fresh snow.

(Left) Young hound Sheeba helps the pack push the hare. Sheeba, the daughter of Banjo, seems to be trying. Her only fault, she seems to like to tongue on the other hounds when she is looking for them.